Oxfam Dangerous Delays: East Africa Acute Hunger

Drought and conflict have now displaced 3.7 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya: 2.3 million of whom are internally displaced persons (IDPs), and 1.4 million refugees. Across the region, 15 million people are facing terrifying food shortages, with rainfall remaining below average, and conditions in most drought-affected areas expected to deteriorate in the coming months.

The lack of clean water has meant that outbreaks of cholera and acute watery diarrhoea (AWD) have occurred in all three countries. Over 84,000 cases have been reported since the start of 2017, with 1,546 associated deaths. Crop harvests have failed, and livestock have died as a result of the drought.

South Sudan is facing a catastrophic humanitarian crisis driven by nearly four years of a brutal civil war. Right now 6 million people – half the population - are facing extreme hunger, and over 60 per cent of the population is in need of humanitarian assistance.

Civilians have been attacked, and schools and hospitals have been looted and burned. Tens of thousands of people have been killed. The fighting has forced nearly 4 million people – 1 in 3 - from their homes. As they flee, people lose their possessions, crops and income, and often get stranded in places where there aren’t enough facilities to support so many new arrivals. Most of them are women and children, who are particularly vulnerable to the risks that come with finding aid and services away from their communities.

Thanks to your generosity, Oxfam has been providing immediate life-saving aid and working on longer term solutions across the region.

Somalia
In Somalia, the risk of famine persists in areas of Somaliland, Puntland and South Central Pastoral areas, which are expected to face acute food shortages until January 2018. Severe drought is expected to continue until the start of the next rainy season in October. The food security situation remains poor, with many people still reliant on cash transfers from humanitarian agencies. Whilst cases of AWD / cholera are reducing, an increasing vulnerability of communities and poor nutrition intake make a re-occurrence very likely.
Oxfam interventions in Sool and Sanaag have reached 85,683 people.

• 36,042 people have been provided with clean water through water trucking.
• 15,000 people have been reached with hygiene and sanitation interventions in response to Acute Watery Diarrhoea in Togdheer region.
• 17,568 people received unconditional cash transfers, and cash for work support.
• Oxfam plans to pilot agriculture activities in selective locations as part of the diversification of food / livelihoods sources.
• 390,000 livestock have received vaccinations.

Kenya
More than 3.4 million people need food assistance in Kenya, with food insecurity in the pastoral areas projected to increase through to at least mid-October. Food prices continue to rise and decreasing income is likely to further reduce household’s access to food. In addition, severe water shortages have impacted thousands across the drought affected counties including Wajir and Turkana.

The recent national elections have negatively impacted delivery of humanitarian assistance in the drought affected counties. In Wajir the government has stopped vital water delivery to over 150 villages due to budgets not being released to the water department. With the court decision to have a re-run of the elections in Kenya it is likely that critical assistance will continue to be affected.

Oxfam has reached 438,393 beneficiaries in Northern Kenya (Turkana and Wajir counties) with its local partners.

• 388,023 people can access clean and safe water through the rehabilitation and upgrading of water points. Oxfam has also supported county governments in Wajir and Turkana Counties by supplying them with spare parts to repair non-functional water points.
• Oxfam is providing safe water through an e-water (cash for water) activity, ensuring the supply of water to 18,000 people in Wajir and surrounding areas.
• 30,165 people have been reached through hygiene promotion activities.
• 50,246 people have been supported with cash transfers, enabling them to purchase food items in partnership with the Hunger Safety-Net Programme (HSNP) and Equity Bank.
• Oxfam is supporting the capacity of county water departments by offering technical and logistical expertise.

Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, Somali region remains worst-affected, with a multi-agency assessment identifying 8.5 million people in need of emergency food assistance during the second half of the year (August - December 2017). 1.7 million people continue to be at risk of not having enough food, 10.5 million don’t have regular access to water, and over 1 million have been internally displaced.
Oxfam’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) intervention has reached 670,873 people in the Southern Somali region.

• 213,252 people, including 15 institutions (7 health posts, 6 schools and 2 cholera treatment centres) received clean, safe water through water trucking. The repair of 21 bore holes is on-going.
• Oxfam’s Public Health Program has reached 330,017 people in Somali region, promoting good hygiene practices to prevent the spread of disease.
• 78,144 people across Somali region have been supported through cash transfers, to help them provide for their daily needs.
• Over 212,000 cattle have been vaccinated in Somali region, to improve animal health.

South Sudan
Since February, when famine was declared in Leer and Mayendit, counties of former Unity State, Oxfam and other humanitarian organisations have raced to respond – aid has made a really important difference: we have helped prevent famine from spreading. But despite this, there are more people facing severe hunger in South Sudan now than ever before.

Conflict has intensified across the country meaning that almost everywhere the situation is getting worse. 45,000 people in the areas previously declared in famine and most at risk are still facing catastrophic levels of hunger. They have run out of ways to cope and survive, meaning their lives depend on aid.

The rainy season is well underway, which would normally bring some respite and an opportunity to start planting crops. However, heavy conflict in large parts of the country, including in some of the key food producing areas, means that the October harvests are likely to be delayed and poor.

Jonglei State, which has been hit badly by conflict in recent months, has seen 200,000 people displaced, taking them further away from the food they need (for most of them, this included food distributions delivered by Oxfam). We raced to adapt our response, bringing emergency food and water to people stranded not far from the frontline.
Oxfam has a strong and established team in South Sudan working tirelessly from ten bases across the country. Current activities include:

• Providing regular emergency food distributions to 415,000 people, including 200,000 people forced from the homes by fighting in former Jonglei State earlier this year, who we’re also reaching with water and hygiene items.
• Providing clean water, safe sanitation facilities, essential hygiene items and promoting good hygiene practices to help keep diseases like cholera at bay.
• Supporting the most vulnerable people to produce food for themselves and develop ways to make a living, e.g. by providing livestock, fishing kits, or training, tools and seeds.
• Providing education in emergencies. By providing educational materials and helping build schools, we’re helping make sure children don’t get left behind because of a conflict that has nothing to do with them. We’re also helping adults who missed out on education to catch up.

THANKYOU FOR SUPPORTING OXFAM'S RESPONSE ACROSS THE REGION, SAVING LIVES AND BRINGING HOPE