Oxfam Dangerous Delays: East Africa Acute Hunger

More than 22 million people have now been affected by the drought in East Africa. The weather has been hotter and drier than normal in January following an early cessation of seasonal rains around mid-December. This is likely to result in further deterioration of pasture and water resources, most notably in pastoral and marginal agricultural areas of Somalia, Ethiopia and parts of northern Kenya. Humanitarian needs are expected to remain significant, an estimated 7.4 million (latest figure) in Ethiopia, 6.2 million in Somalia and 3.4 million in Kenya will require food assistance in the first half of 2018.

Despite some rainfall in a few of the areas providing some relief to drought conditions, the significant livestock loss during the last three years of recurrent drought, is not enough to enable households to re-establish their pastoralist livelihoods. Disease outbreak ais expected to continue into 2018 across the Horn of Africa due to unmet humanitarian needs. Reports indicate a rise of measles cases in Somalia and Ethiopia while Acute Watery Diarrhoea (AWD) cases have declined in the two countries. People at risk in Ethiopia are estimated at 6 million and Somalia at 4.3 million. In Kenya 3,304 cases and 60 deaths due to Cholera have been reported to date however cases have stabilized in the recent past.

Conflict remains one of the key drivers of displacement in the Horn of Africa. In Somalia 2.1 million are internally displaced, as of November 2017 an estimated 1.1 million in Ethiopia have been displaced and in Kenya 15,957 children are reportedly displaced by the drought.

With the support of your donations we have been able to continue working to save lives in this worsening humanitarian crisis.

 Kenya

Oxfam interventions in Kenya have reached 284,631 people in Turkana and Wajir counties.  

• 284,631 people have been reached with improved water access, infrastructure repairs and hygiene promotion. This also includes repair work on water sources for five primary schools, two Early Childhood Development centres and two health centres.

• 36,006 people have received direct cash transfers, many of which are also benefitting from the water and hygiene interventions. The cash transfers allow the recipients to have the choice to spend the money how is best for their families, most commonly cash transfers fund access to food, medicine, shelter, fire wood and clothing

• There is ongoing technical support to water service providers to help to improve longer term sustainable water provision

 Ethiopia

Oxfam’s intervention in Ethiopia has now reached 753,560 people in the Southern Somali region

• Oxfam has reached 753,560 people with lifesaving water trucking, including to 15 institutions (seven health posts, six schools and two cholera treatment centres). The repair of 41 bore holes is also currently on-going to enable more sustainable water sources.

• 131,550 people across Somali region have been supported through cash transfers, helping them to buy food, medicine and other essential items.

• Oxfam’s programme has reached 55,719 people in Somali region of Ethiopia with hygiene promotion and sanitation training to help stop the spread of disease. Furthermore over31,871 people have been through hygiene promotion outreach to mitigate transmission and prevent Acute Watery diarrhoea (AWD).

• 960 latrines are to be constructed in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) camps. 290 of these latrines have already been installed, benefiting over 14,500 people.

• 443,749 livestock (cattle, camel and goats) have been vaccinated in Somali region.

 Somalia

Somalia remains one of the top ten countries with the highest prevalence of malnutrition in the world. It is estimated that 1.2million children will be malnourished in the next year, including 48,000 children with life-threatening severe malnutrition.

Oxfam interventions in Sool, Sanaag and Togdheer have reached 79,206 people.

• 36,042 people have been provided with clean water through water trucking. Two water kiosks have been set up in Togdheer and hygiene, sanitation and rehabilitation of Birkads (water catchments) is underway in Sool and Sanaag.

• 14,088 people have been supported with unconditional cash transfers for three months while 3,480 people have been supported through Cash For Work activities.

• Oxfam has begun to pilot agriculture activities in selective locations as part of the diversification of food and improving people’s ability to earn a living. This activity targets 700 Households (4200 individuals)

• 13,860 households received support with livestock vaccination aiding 78,000 individuals

 South Sudan

In South Sudan the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation and the World Food Programme (WFP) have issued further warnings of the risk of famine in 2018, with many sources expecting the situation to be worse than last year. WFP warned that South Sudan is facing the worst overall food security situation since 2010, while households are spending almost two thirds of their monthly expenditure on food (64%), compared to 57% at the same time last year.

In South Sudan Oxfam has provided support to over 500,000 people, current activities include:

• Providing regular emergency food distributions to over 415,000 people.

• Providing vouchers for canoes so people sheltering from conflict on islands in the swamps can get to the help they need.

• Supporting people to produce food for themselves and make a living. We provide families with assets like livestock, tools, seeds and fishing gear, as well as giving training on improved farming methods.

• Distributing cash and vouchers to families for use in markets where they’re functioning and we’re also supporting traders to build better links between communities.

With the help of your donations Oxfams interventions have reached 1,530,000 people.

Thank you for your support of Oxfam's response to the East Africa Food Crisis. Your support has enabled us to save lives and give hope to those affected in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan.

Photo Credit: Rhea Catada/Oxfam