ETHIOPIA- come on world.... can anybody hear us???? #blacklivesmatter - how can we celebrate our Black History of our Nations whilst this horror is going on
Hunger Worsens In Drought-Hit Ethiopia
Ethiopia is grappling with its worst drought in decades with millions of people in dire need of aid. Some aid is forthcoming but as our correspondent Alistair Leithead has seen in Dire Dawa, in eastern Ethiopia, it's far short of what's needed.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03h5pqn?ocid=socialflow_facebook
FEB 2016- COME ON CANADA CHARITIES....AND GLOBAL FOLKS... Ethiopia needs us .... #blacklivesmatter
Caritas warns about threat of famine in Ethiopia
File picture of a woman and her children trekking to find water in Ethiopia where Caritas has warned of a possible famine later this year. - AFP
Listen to the interview with the Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis, Michel Roy:
According to the U.N. the current drought threatens food supplies for 10.2 million people in Ethiopia. More than a million people died in the east African nation during a major famine there in the 1980’s and millions more were made destitute.
'We must act now'
Roy said he agrees with those who warn that Ethiopia could slide into a famine situation later on this year unless urgent action is taken by the international community to tackle these food shortages. “We must act now to prevent further tragedies,” he stressed.
Roy explained that Ethiopia and other nations in the Horn of Africa have been plagued by frequent droughts over the past decades which mean that the population in this part of the world is often living on the verge of a near famine. However, he said that this year’s drought is the worst in 40 years and the Ethiopian government is “very concerned” about the food situation inside the country. Roy told us that the worldwide Caritas network is mobilizing to help provide aid to the population in the areas of Ethiopia worst affected by the drought and resulting food shortages.
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You are a child of the Universe- no less than the trees and stars.... u have a right to be here.
CHILD OF THE UNIVERSE (Lyrics) Desiderata by Max Ehrmann
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0UEkzFQRS0
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ETHIOPIA- Canada students step up for our brothers and
sisters of Ethiopia drought #blacklivesmatter
Dal student aims to
raise $15K for Ethiopian drought
Amina Abawajy is aiming to draw attention to the 10.2
million people awaiting emergency food aid.
Amina Abawajy remembers the Oromia region of Ethiopia as rich, green
farmland. It’s a far cry from the barren land you would see there today.
She and her family had visited the region in 2010.
“We stayed in a farm area and it was just so beautiful… green as far as
the eye can see,” says Abawajy.
Today, the lush lands of the Oromia region are parched. Ethiopia is experiencing
the worst drought seen in the last 30 years.
The lack of media coverage inspired her to take action.
“In early October we were reading UN reports that 4.5 million people
were affected [by the drought] and it was predicted that by this month that number
would reach 15 million,” explains Abawajy. “It was our goal to be preventative
in a way and do something before the number reaches 15 million.”
She and the Girls Take Initiative society at Dalhousie University began
fundraising for an event they called Not 15 Million:
Responding to the Ethiopian Food Crisis.
Abawajy and her society hope to raise at least $15,000 to send emergency
food aid to 50 families in Ethiopia. Even so, the country will need millions in
order to supply the necessary aid to the areas affected by the drought.
A call to action
“There was a personal connection that really drew me to this,” says
Abawajy.
Abawajy’s parents are originally from Dire Dawa and she has visited the
country herself.
“Just the sheer amount of people that are affected is mind blowing,“
says Abawajy. I thought there must be some news outlets following this story
but there was next to nothing.”
The drought is caused by a weather phenomenon called El Niño. When the
surface temperature of the ocean rises, it causes erratic weather patterns that
typically result in either mass flooding or drought.
The countries on the Horn of Africa were essentially deprived of their
rainy season this year and were left with dry and arid land.
Food and water are scarce. According to the UNOCHA,
there are over 10 million people desperately awaiting emergency food aid.
International response
On Jan. 4, 2016 the Ethiopian National Red Cross launched an emergency appeal
for nearly 3.2 million CAD in funds to aid with health, water, sanitation
and food security.
Dan Bedell, Communications Director of the Atlantic Canadian Red Cross,
says that with a big event such as this, the International Committee of the Red
Cross will typically set up a program where people can donate to the specific
crisis.
“It would not be unusual in something like a prolonged drought to see
the needed amount of money and response activities increase several times in
the coming months,” says Bedell.
A new take on Ethiopia
Abawajy is hoping to achieve more than just contributing funds to the
crisis. She wants people to leave the event with positive imagery to connect
with Ethiopia.
She wants to shift the focus from the typical imagery of the
impoverished, famine-ridden children.
“We want to show the beautiful culture of Ethiopia,” says Abawajy. “The
richness in its diversity, languages and music — just show a different face to
the country while still acknowledging and bringing awareness to the issue.”
Correction: Jan. 13,
2016: An earlier version of this story misstated that the Ethiopian National
Red Cross launched an emergency appeal for 2.21 million CAD. $2.21 million is
the amount in Swiss francs. The correct amount in CAD is $3.2 million.
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JANUARY 31 2016
UNITED
NATIONS, Jan 31 (APP): The international community must stand with the
people of Ethiopia in their time of need, United Nations
Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday, urging donors gathered in
Addis Ababa to step up assistance to the drought-hit country, which is
battling the effects of one of the most powerful El Nino events in
recorded history, made worse by the impact of climate change. "The
people of this beautiful country are facing their worst drought in
thirty years," the secretary-general told participants at a donors
humanitarian round table convened in the Ethiopian capital on the
margins of the 26th African Union Summit. Later on Sunday, the
Secretary-General is expected to visit drought-stricken areas of the
country.
http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=385427&Itemid=39
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JANUARY 31 2016
| UN chief urges support for Ethiopia's efforts to battle worst drought in 30 years |
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http://www.app.com.pk/en_/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=385427&Itemid=39
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K'NAAN- TREVOR NOAH TDS- Ethiopia needs us in 2016- millions starving dying- Young Artists For Haiti - Wavin' Flag
https://youtu.be/nB7L1BIDELc
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JAN 31 2016
Ethiopia seeks donor support to meet drought needs
* Drought in some parts as bad as 1984* Ethiopia needs $1.4 billion for 2016 relief effort
* WFP says $500 million needed to keep going beyond April
By Edmund Blair
OGOLCHO, Ethiopia, Jan 31 (Reuters) - Ethiopia urged international donors on Sunday to offer aid promptly for relief operations to support 10.2 million people critically short of food, and said it was committed to allocating as much of its own funds as necessary.
Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonen was speaking beside U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon during a tour of an area where one of the worst droughts in decades has left children malnourished, killed livestock and damaged livelihoods.
The relief operation by the government, World Food Programme (WFP) and charities needs $1.4 billion this year. The government says donors have covered about 30 percent so far. The WFP says $500 million is needed to continue operations beyond April.
"Our government is committed to allocating the budget and mobilizing any resources to the target groups," Demeke told reporters at a food and cash distribution point in Ogolcho, a region south of the capital Addis Ababa.
"The action of the international community is very critical and that should be on time," he added.
The drought is as severe in some areas as the one in 1984, when conflict and failed rains caused a famine that killed a million people. Ethiopia now has one Africa's fastest growing economies, but the crisis is still straining the nation.
The government spent $272 million last year on relief and has allocated $109 million so far this year, a hefty burden in a country which remains one of the poorest in Africa per capita and where many people rely on subsistence farming.
Before flying by helicopter to Ogolcho, Ban met in Addis Ababa with government officials, U.N. agency staff and representatives of donors, such as the European Union and the United States, both major contributors.
"We are doing all we can, mobilising necessary funding," Ban said, praising the government for taking the lead while noting that "they have limited resources."
Ban, in Ethiopia for an African Union summit that ended on Sunday, toured a small health post in the Ogolcho area where children are checked for malnourishment.
Ogolcho is in Ziway Dudga district, where the main harvest almost completely failed last year. More than 65 percent of the district's population is dependent on relief food assistance. The north and east of Ethiopia have also been badly hit.
Ban was shown a site where food and cash transfers are made under one of Ethiopia's flagship development initiatives, the Productive Safety Net Programme (PSNP), through which about 7.9 million people around the nation who are deemed chronically food insecure receive support in return for community work.
The programme was started more than a decade ago, and experts say the crisis would have been far greater without it.
(Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Andrew Bolton)
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Ethiopia's hunger crisis eclipsed by turmoil elsewhere
– Deutsche Welle
In December 2015, the Ethiopian
government appealed for 1.4 billion dollars in aid (1.3 billion euros), but
officials claim that only 180 million dollars has been received so far and that
over 90 percent of the aid distributed is coming from government coffers.
The NGO “Save the Children” puts
the international aid at “less than one third” of the requested sum, and last
week stated that the humanitarian crisis in Ethiopia is “a code red emergency
and it needs to be treated like one.”
“Apart from receiving, and
listening to, information on [drought] from time to time, donor countries’
immediate response is very sluggish” Alemayehu Berhanu, spokesperson with
Ethiopia’s Ministry of Agriculture, told DW’s Amharic service. He added that
over 60 of Ethiopia’s donor partners knew of the looming crisis when the number
of needy was still at 3.5 million people compared to the 10 million today – but
few responded.
Syria or Ethiopia?
Mitiku Kassa, the commissioner
in charge of Ethiopia’s Disaster Risk Management and Food Security Agency, sees
a connection between the slow trickle of emergency funds to his country and the
response by donor countries to international crises in Syria, Yemen and Iraq.
With many refugees entering European countries, in particular Germany, aid
budgets are being diverted. “They [the donors] probably assume that the
magnitude of the hunger problem in Ethiopia is less serious”, Mitiku said in an
interview with Deutsche Welle.
Ethiopia’s northeastern Somali
region has not received rainfall for two consecutive seasons
One of the biggest recipients of
foreign aid, Ethiopia has been accused of misspending aid money in exchange for
political favors, causing a furious, if short-lived, outcry from donors.
Scientists say the current
drought in Africa’s second most populous nation has been triggered by El Nino –
a warm weather phenomenon originating from the Pacific Ocean.
Generation hunger
New figures released by
humanitarian agencies and the government of Ethiopia show that more than 2.5
million children are expected to drop out of school as a result of the drought,
whereas 1.7 million children are in need of nutritional support.
NGO Save the Children last week
warned that 350,000 babies are expected to be born into drought-stricken
communities in the coming six months.
“If emergency funding doesn’t
escalate very soon, there is a real risk of reversing some key development
progress made in Ethiopia over the past two decades, including the reduction of
child mortality rates by two thirds, and halving the percentage of the population
living below the poverty line”, Country Director John Graham said.
The looming hunger crisis in
Ethiopia is also trending on social media, with critics lashing out at the
government for posting double-digit growth figures when at the same time millions
of people go hungry. Kennedy Tamirat wrote on DW Amharic’s Facebook page: “This
[the food crisis] is the real picture of our country. This is truth. But our
government officials never want to see it.”
Witnessing drought on the ground
After visiting Ethiopia’s
badly-affected Eastern Somali region, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) spoke
of a “disaster in the making.”
Ahmednur Abdi, NRC’s Country
Director told Deutsche Welle that the area had not received rainfall for two
consecutive seasons. “In all my life, I have never experienced a worse
drought,” a 90 year-old woman in Sitti, a zone in the Somali region of
Ethiopia, told the NRC team. Other residents recalled memories of the 1984
drought that left two million people dead.
The Ethiopian government has
been criticized for embarking on huge infrastructure projects while ignoring
the poor
“It is crucial that the
drought-affected communities in Ethiopia are provided with timely assistance,”
said Geir Olav Lisle, NRC’s Deputy Secretary General. “We cannot risk that the
drought in Ethiopia is overshadowed by the Syria crisis and other ongoing
emergencies,” he added. “The outlook for 2016 is very grim,” according to the
Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO). “Food overall will
become harder to access if we continue to see prices rise, food stocks deplete
and livestock become weaker, less productive, and perish.” it said.
Ethiopians now await the arrival
of the rainy season in March – if it arrives at all.
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Ethiopia's drought overlooked as aid funneled to more
desperate crises – Al Jazeera America
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Five of Canada's top charities have combined to address the
need for aid with The
Humanitarian Coalition. The group comprises Oxfam Canada, Oxfam-Quebec, Plan Canada, CARE
Canada, and Save
the Children. With all these organizations and layers of complexity, it
isn't always clear exactly how your money is going to help.Groups like Unicef Canada, the Canadian Red Cross and Human Concern International use local agencies to distribute aid in affected regions. These groups have an ear to the ground on how aid should be distributed and have better access than international groups entering the country to deliver aid.
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Oh USA luv u- NOW CANADA PLS DO
SAME- #blacklivesmatter US pledges $97m
in emergency aid drought-stricken Ethiopia http://gu.com/p/4ga5n/stw
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GOD BLESS ETHIOPIA- UK gives Ethiopia £30m to fight drought
similar in scale to 1984 crisis http://gu.com/p/4fakx/stw
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O Canada- O world- Pope Francis #blacklivesmatter
Drought threatens malnourished children in Ethiopia http://t.usnews.com/Zhe52l?src=usn_tw …
via @usnews
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THE BEAUTIFUL GAME...English
K'NAAN - Wavin' Flag (Coca-Cola Celebration Mix)
French
K'naan - Wavin Flag (french version - feat. féfé)
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TREVOR NOAH- TDS- K'NAAN- ETHIOPIA NEEDS THE WORLD-
#blacklivesmatter- Food Assistance Fact Sheet -Ethiopia
Food Assistance Fact Sheet - Ethiopia
December 17, 2015
Food Security Situation
CIA World Factbook
-
Multiple consecutive seasons of below-normal rainfall – in part due
to El Niño – have exacerbated drought across the northeastern and
central parts of the country. Low crop production, poor livestock
health, and water shortages have all contributed to the deteriorating
food security situation and severe humanitarian crisis.
-
The projected level of relief food assistance needed has grown from
2.9 million people in February 2015 to 10.2 million as of December,
according to the Government of Ethiopia (GoE). This is in addition to
the 7.9 million people covered by the GoE-led Productive Safety Net
Program (PSNP), supported by USAID and the donor community. In southern
Afar and northern Somali region, pastoralist areas have moved into
Emergency (IPC Stage 4) levels of food insecurity, with the lowlands of
East and West Haraghe Zones also at risk of moving from Crisis (IPC
Stage 3) levels to Emergency in early 2016.
- By early 2016, the GoE and humanitarian community anticipate that up to 435,000 children under five will need treatment for severe acute malnutrition (SAM) and that 1.7 million children, pregnant and lactating women will require specialized nutritional support.
- The conflict in South Sudan is exacerbating the food insecurity situation in Ethiopia. Following the outbreak of violence in mid-December 2013, approximately 280,000 South Sudanese refugees are currently located in Ethiopia, bringing the total number of refugees and asylum seekers in Ethiopia to more than 730,000.
Food Assistance Programs
-
The Office of Food for Peace (FFP) partners with the UN World Food
Program (WFP) and Catholic Relief Services (CRS) to provide emergency
food assistance that saves lives and reduces human suffering of those
affected by climatic and other shocks, as well as meeting the basic
nutrition requirements of refugees from Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, and
Eritrea.
-
In partnership with CRS, Food for the Hungry (FH), Relief Society of
Tigray (REST), and Save the Children, International (SCI), FFP targets
food insecure Ethiopians with long-term development interventions
through the PSNP to reduce chronic food insecurity. These programs help
vulnerable people increase their capacity to mitigate risks and build
resilience within their communities.
Total Contributions:
| U.S. Dollars | Metric Tons | |
|---|---|---|
| Fiscal Year 2016 | $160.2 million | 270,865 MT |
| Fiscal Year 2015 | $174.3 million | 228,570 MT |
| Fiscal Year 2014 | $218.1 million | 271,120 MT |
| Fiscal Year 2013 | $235.7 million | 274,770 MT |
| Fiscal Year 2012 | $306.6 million | 365,400 MT |
Fiscal Year 2016 Contribution Breakdown:
| U.S. Dollars | Metric Tons | |
|---|---|---|
| Title II Development* | ---- | ---- |
| Title II Emergency | $160.2 million | 270,865 MT |
| Emergency Food Security Program (EFSP) | ---- | ---- |
*FFP FY2016 funding is to date as of December 16, 2015.
Related Resources
Draft Ethiopia FY 2016 Country Specific InformationEthiopia Country Development Cooperation Strategy 2011-2015
Climate Variability and Change in Ethiopia - Summary Findings
Ethiopia Bellmon Analysis 2015/16 and Reassessment of Crop Production and Marketing for 2014/15
Food Security Country Framework - Ethiopia
Productive Safety Net Program Phase IV Program Implementation Manual
Feed the Future Ethiopia Fact Sheet
(Re)assessing the Relationship Between Food Aid and Armed Conflict [PDF, 171 KB]
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HOW I PICTURE GOD...
ETHIOPIA NEEDS US WORLD
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM
Agency dispatches emergency aid to Ethiopia--more
than 8 million people face famine
Thursday, January 21, 2016
By: Joop Koopman
Thursday, January 21, 2016
By: Joop Koopman
"We are a pastoral aid agency, but we are
prepared to respond to all of the needs of the Christian community and other
vulnerable citizens."
NEW YORK—The story is not yet making headlines but
Ethiopia’s worst drought in 50 years is threatening the lives of millions of
people. According to the UN, 8.2 million people are in urgent need of food aid,
as close to one million have already left their homes in search of sustenance.
International Catholic charity Aid to the Church in
Need (ACN) has just dispatched $500,000 in emergency support to relieve
conditions in 13 of the country’s famine-stricken dioceses.
“We are a pastoral aid agency, but we are prepared to
respond to all of the needs of the Christian community and other vulnerable
citizens—just as we are doing in conflict-plagued Iraq and Syria,” said ACNUSA
Outreach Director Edward Clancy, adding: “Especially in this Year of Mercy, the
faithful in the West must stand with the poor all around the world.”
Current conditions may rival those of 1984, when a
drought killed more than one million Ethiopians. While not all of the country
is hit by drought and hunger, “the catastrophe can be felt everywhere,” Father
Haile Gabriel Meleku, deputy secretary general of the Ethiopian bishops’
conference told ACN.
Just before Christmas, the Ethiopian bishops released
a statement blaming “climate change and environmental degradation” for the
current crisis.
The prelates cited Pope Francis’s encyclical on the
environment, Laudato SiI, as laying out the scenario being played out in
Ethiopia: “Many of the poor live in areas … affected by warming and their means
of subsistence are largely dependent on natural reserves and ecosystemic
services such as agriculture … They have no other financial activities or
resoures which can enable them to adapt to climate change or to face natural
disasters.”
Last fall, the UN launched an appeal for $350,000 in
aid for Ethiopia, while an additional $750,000 is likely needed if the crisis
persists. In 2015, ACN spent more than $1.2M to support a range of
Church-related projects across the country. In addition to a small number of
Latin-rite Catholics, Ethiopia is home to some 600,000 members of the Oriental
Ethiopian Catholic Church in a population of approx. 94 million.
http://www.churchinneed.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=8843&news_iv_ctrl=1461
Canada Military News: ETHIOPIA- We Are the World- in 2016 Canada and world - our Ethiopian brothers and sisters need us- millions and millions dying for thirst and food and basics and also our Haiti- #blacklivesmatter #girlsmatter #womenmatter #childrenmatter - O Canada let's get going -COME ON WORLD- 2016 is humanity and environment's year- Pope Francis says so...AND SO DOES MICHAEL JACKSON...
Recently, a group of journalists were commissioned by the Government Communications Affairs Office to visit drought affect areas in the four regions of the country: Oromia, Southern, Amhara and Tigray. The group covered 7000kms and a number of woredas to see the impact of what was proclaimed to be the worst drought in the recent history of the nation. The trip took 18 days and Dawit Taye, one of the journalists in the group, came up with this report.
The 1984 the Great Ethiopian famine is one of the worst horror stories of the 20th century. It is a history of human suffering and a catastrophe of epic proportions. The global attention to the famine was equally memorable; the world also saw massive global solidarity movement in the form of Live Aid music concert. Harbessa Ahmed, a village elder at Raya-Alemata woreda of The Tigray Regional State, was only a youngster back then. But, he says, he remembers the suffering very vividly. “The drought left my father and the whole family almost without anything,” Harbessa recalls the horrendous experience.
Harbessa’s family finally decided to leave their birthplace and move to the south Illibabur southwestern part of the country. The desperate action was to see Harbessa and his birthplace detach from one another for the coming decade. “It was ten years later that I finally went back to my home and reclaimed the land that belonged to my father,” he explains. Nature and the piece of land were both good to Harbessa and the yield was beyond expectation. Well that was until last year, last year, he once again saw the repeat of the drought that he witnessed as child.
The worst of its kind
Nevertheless, what is coming out of all official channels is that this might well be the worst drought that the country has ever experienced in its history. To start with, the problem extended in all the four major regions in country including woredas in the Afar and Somali regional states. Thus far, the number of affected is found out to be 10.2 million by the government accounts.
In his recent interview with The Reporter, Prime Minister Hailemariam Dessalegn said that the government has diverted its health and agricultural extension system to canvas the drought areas and assess the overall impact of the catastrophe to each and individual households. That assessment has recently updated the figure from 8.2 million to 10.2 million people; this is in fact a figure that is corroborated by major development partners but still it is challenged by other independent sources on basis that it might climb up to 15 million and more.
According to official sources, the number of people who require immediate food assistance stands in a stark to those needing assistance back in 1984: not more than 5 million. In fact, most recent data released from the national drought steering committee which is headed by the Deputy Prime Minister Demeke Mekonnen, out of the total number of rural woredes in the country which is 670, the 189 have been severely hit by the recent drought. That is also augmented by the additional 90 wordeas which are mildly affected by the problem. In general, a total of 1.9 million metric tons food would be required to cover the food shortage, according to the national steering committee’s report.
Oromia is where the largest number of drought affected people is expected to be. According to Fikadu Tesema, communications head for Oromia, the intensification of the drought affected areas is highly worrying. He says that the number of the drought affected people has escalated over the past few months. “The number was estimated at 1.8 million in September which quickly climbed to 2.9 million in a span two three months and later it is expected to rise to 3.7 million at the end of January,” he said. As far as Fikadu is concerned, this number is the largest the region has ever seen in its history.
The other largely affected region is the Amhara Regional State which is expected to feed a total 2.2 million people as a result of the drought and is associated severe shortage of food. “The proportion of drought which is been observed in recent times is not something that the region has experienced in its recent history,” Gedu Andargachew, president of the Amhara Regional State, said. The 1984 famine was highly pronounced in the Amhara and Tigray regional states; and currently there are also close to one million people who need food aid in Tigray, according to Jemil Mohammed, Agricultural Bureau head at Tigray Regional State.
The Southern Regional State, a region which is not usually hit by drought condition, is one of the victims of El Niño this year. Dessie Dalke, president of the Southern region, as well pronounced that the drought levels are something that has never been seen before.
Precarious conditions
A village elder around Belesa Zone in the Amhara Regional State says that he has never seen such a bad day in his long life. “I have to admit the conditions that I am observing these days are somewhat similar to those during the 1960s Ethiopia,” he said explaining how dire conditions are in his locality. The drought conditions have now reigned for two consecutive harvest seasons: Meher and Belg where 80 and 20 percent of the total countries production is harvested, respectively.
However, the two harvest seasons are proving to be highly costly for the farmers living in drought affected areas. Another factor that is indicative of the severity of the drought conditions is the dire shortage of pasture and drinking water. According to the information that is obtained from the ground, the dire shortage of drinking water is affecting both people and livestock. Anecdotal evidence from Amhara region Showa Robit woreda attests to this fact. In the woreda, the drought has resulted in the drying up of most of the water sources in the village. Hence, the people in the area has established a neighborhood watch program to conserve the only remaining water body (a small pond) to prolong its services. Meta Mekonnen, 70, was on guarding duty around the pond, the last remaining water body serving the locality, when The Reporter visited the area two weeks ago. “This is our last chance and we are trying to manage it properly,” he said.
Most of the drought affected areas in Amhara, Oromia and Tigray regional states report severe shortage in drinking water. The federal and regional governments have assigned tankers to transport water to the affected areas. But, the supply has been next to nothing compared to the need, according to officials and the affected population alike. Especially in Raya-Alamata and Belesa wordedas of Tigray and Amhara regions the shortage of water is severely hurting the locals.
According to the locals, the private sector has skidded in to fill this gap by transporting water in these areas and supplying a liter of water for one birr. In Oromia region the officials has noted that a lot remains to be done with regard to supplying water since only 54 tankers are currently serving the needy.
Water shortage looks to be particularly hard on livestock population across the drought affected regions. Added to the depletion of green pastures for animal grazing, the livestock population across the drought affected areas numbered in millions is particularly in critical conditions. According to livestock professionals assessment of the problem, currently the risk facing the livestock population is at the third stage; and one it enters the fourth stage things could get very complicated.
Further complications
There are two different strategies that the authorities are proposing to save the livestock population. One is a massive move to reduce the livestock population by bringing them out to the market. While on the other front, moving the animals to a relatively safer environment is also sought as a possible solution. The officials also argue that some of the farmers do have 200 and 300 cattle at their disposal and this could be quite difficult to feed and rare at such harsh environment.
For instance, in the Amhara regional state, some 230,000 cattle population were brought to the market; but farmers complain that the price is plummeting fast.
Although authorities are contending that the price of cattle is not something to worry about, farmers on the other hand are disturbed since they are running down their vital household asset at a rock bottom price. For instance, during normal times the price of an ox could go as high 10,000 and 15,000 birr, but now the price has gone down to 2000 birr in most rural markets. Commentators on the other hand are not surprised since it is the basic rule of economic that the price of a commodity would go down as the supply starts to rise.
There is another side to this story, as households get rid of their cattle to purchase food items for their families, the price of food items looks to be slowly increasing in rural markets. Here as well, the officials and the affected people give different accounts of the condition. According to Fikirte Arega, resident of Key Gara kebele of the Raya-Kobo woreda in the Amhara Regional State, the price of both teff and sorghum has risen from 15 to 23 birr per jug and from 6 to 11 birr per jug, respectively.
On the other hand, in the Amhara some 200,000 cattle are earmarked to move to places with greener pastures.
Good governance
At the end of last week, the government has announced that total of 1.9 million metric tons of food will be required to even begin to satisfy the food need. This coupled with other expenses related to delivering the assistance would add up to 1.4 billion dollars in needed resources, according to the government’s own account. Thus far, the foreign community's pledge of 163 million dollars in assistance has not been honored. In fact, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), has recently pledged 88 million dollars in assistance to Ethiopia.
However, international organizations like FAO have extended their efforts to feed school children (916 schools) in the drought affected areas at a cost of 42 million birr. According to the Mitiku Kassa, disaster prevention and preparedness state minister at the Ministry of Agriculture and Natural Resources, so far, the government has made an investment of three billion birr towards the drought and the assistance activities. At the regional level as well, resource is being allocated. For instance, Oromia is reported to have earmarked 1.5 billion birr to this cause while regions like Amhara has allocated 200 million birr.
Nevertheless, the distribution of food aid is highly problematic according to The Reporter's observation. Primarily, food aid distribution is scanty at best. According to conditions on the ground, the people who are currently receiving food aid are those who have been severely affected by food shortage. Those who have household resources and capacity to withstand for some time have received no food aid, so far.
Yet again, those receiving the food aid are not even receiving more than 15 kilos of wheat; and since September in most of the woredas only two rounds of distributions were made (a measurement in par with the international standards). In connection, with food aid distribution the issue of nepotism and political connection is criticized to be a major shortcoming; and to that end regional officials have confirmed such incidents and punishment of aid officials implicated in such dealings.
When all said and done, the current drought that is taunting Ethiopia appears to be one of the worst in its history; but thus far, no actual death toll has been reported by any entity. Still, fear abounds since the condition are predicted to persist at least for the next year.
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Catholic agencies plead for help as Ethiopian drought crisis worsens
www.catholicregister.org/.../21544-catholic-agencies-plead-for-help-as-
6 Jan 2016 ... As the worst Ethiopian drought in 60 years threatens as many as 20 ... CNEWA Canada - Join Pope Francis' call to save Christians in the Middle East .... The
Canadian government has donated $30 million in emergency ...
Catholic agencies plead for help as Ethiopian drought crisis worsens
By Michael Swan, The Catholic Register
As the worst Ethiopian drought in 60 years threatens as many as 20 million people living in more than half of Africa’s second largest country, Catholic aid agencies in the desperate nation are asking for help as the crisis continues into 2016.
“We can do more if more resources are available,” CST-Together country representative Patricia Wall said in an e-mail to The Catholic Register. “The needs are enormous.”
CST-Together stands for Catholic Social Teaching Together and is a joint project of three Catholic aid agencies in Ethiopia — Ireland’s Trócaire, Scotland’s SCIAF and England’s CAFOD. The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace frequently co-operates with CST-Together on development projects.
The Catholic Register reported on the drought from Ethiopia in September, as the crisis began to take hold. At that point farmers were selling livestock at cut-rate prices before the pasture ran out completely. By December there were “at least 10 million people who need urgent support,” said Wall.
Ethiopian and United Nations officials expect that number will grow to 20 million by spring. One of the strongest El Nino effects ever recorded is blamed for an almost total failure of spring and fall rains in Ethiopia.
The worldwide Caritas network launched an appeal for 1.5 million Euros ($2.3 million) in August. Canada’s representative in the Caritas network has so far responded with two new emergency relief projects. Development and Peace is contributing $130,000 to help 1,400 families in the Tigray region get enough food. The project will also help family farms with water and soil conservation efforts.
Development and Peace has sent another $200,000 to Caritas Ethiopia to deliver food, water and basic health care to 98,500 families.
There are now 429 districts or counties in Ethiopia, over half the country, classified as hot spots in the government’s drought-monitoring program, said Wall. The scale of the drought has thrown development agencies off their long-term plans.
“All development and humanitarian actors in Ethiopia, including ourselves, are asked to prioritize responding to the crisis,” Wall said.
The Ethiopian Catholic Church, which represents less than one per cent of the majority Christian nation, has set up an emergency task force. The scale of the drought will require international aid, Wall said.
The Canadian government has donated $30 million in emergency humanitarian assistance. International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the emergency funding while attending an international donor-country meeting in Japan Dec. 17.
The bulk of Canada’s contribution, $21.5 million, will go to the United Nations World Food Program. The remainder is split between UNICEF, CARE Canada, Concern Worldwide, World Vision and Doctors Without Borders.
CST-Together stands for Catholic Social Teaching Together and is a joint project of three Catholic aid agencies in Ethiopia — Ireland’s Trócaire, Scotland’s SCIAF and England’s CAFOD. The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace frequently co-operates with CST-Together on development projects.
The Catholic Register reported on the drought from Ethiopia in September, as the crisis began to take hold. At that point farmers were selling livestock at cut-rate prices before the pasture ran out completely. By December there were “at least 10 million people who need urgent support,” said Wall.
Ethiopian and United Nations officials expect that number will grow to 20 million by spring. One of the strongest El Nino effects ever recorded is blamed for an almost total failure of spring and fall rains in Ethiopia.
The worldwide Caritas network launched an appeal for 1.5 million Euros ($2.3 million) in August. Canada’s representative in the Caritas network has so far responded with two new emergency relief projects. Development and Peace is contributing $130,000 to help 1,400 families in the Tigray region get enough food. The project will also help family farms with water and soil conservation efforts.
Development and Peace has sent another $200,000 to Caritas Ethiopia to deliver food, water and basic health care to 98,500 families.
There are now 429 districts or counties in Ethiopia, over half the country, classified as hot spots in the government’s drought-monitoring program, said Wall. The scale of the drought has thrown development agencies off their long-term plans.
“All development and humanitarian actors in Ethiopia, including ourselves, are asked to prioritize responding to the crisis,” Wall said.
The Ethiopian Catholic Church, which represents less than one per cent of the majority Christian nation, has set up an emergency task force. The scale of the drought will require international aid, Wall said.
The Canadian government has donated $30 million in emergency humanitarian assistance. International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau announced the emergency funding while attending an international donor-country meeting in Japan Dec. 17.
The bulk of Canada’s contribution, $21.5 million, will go to the United Nations World Food Program. The remainder is split between UNICEF, CARE Canada, Concern Worldwide, World Vision and Doctors Without Borders.
http://www.catholicregister.org/item/21544-catholic-agencies-plead-for-help-as-ethiopian-drought-crisis-worsens
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WE ARE THE WORLD...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag_ZbcpKQ6k
Lyrics to 'We Are The World' by Michael Jackson. There comes a time when we hear a certain call / When the world must come together as one / There are people
Millions at risk as Ethiopia suffers worst drought in a generation
29th Jan 2016
People in parts of Ethiopia are walking for two days to get water for their families and animals as the country suffers its worst drought in thirty years.
In Siti zone in the east of the country, many people have told Oxfam that they are dependent on food aid to survive but some are sharing this with their sheep and goats in a desperate attempt to keep their animals alive as well.
The Ethiopian government estimates that 10.2 million people will need humanitarian assistance this year, at a cost of $1.4 billion. The El Niño weather system, on the back of 12 to 18 months of erratic or failed rains, has caused the worst drought in Ethiopia since the mid 1980s.
Nigel Timmins, Oxfam's Humanitarian Director, said: "People are watching their crops wither and their animals starve to death all the while knowing they don't have enough food and water themselves. The Ethiopian government is doing its best but the scale of the problem requires urgent and significant funding from donors to complement the government's efforts. It's been clear for months that this drought would have a devastating effect on Ethiopia. More needs to be done to help the country cope."
Oxfam is helping over 160,000 people in three areas of the country by trucking in water, repairing boreholes and wells, and giving out animal feed. The aid agency is planning to reach 777,000 people but needs $25 million (£14 million) to do so.
Ethiopia's 'belg' rains are due to begin in a couple of months but even if normal rainfall occurs, it will take time for people to replenish their herds and cultivate crops.
Fatuma Hersi had a herd of 300 sheep and goats of which just seven remain. The mother of eight who is now seeking help at a site for internally displaced people in Siti, said: "There have been other droughts. But this one is the worst I have seen. We are here waiting for support."
Ethiopia is one of a number of countries struggling to cope with the effects of one of the strongest El Niños on record. Along with food shortages in southern Africa, Papua New Guinea and Central America, it has also caused floods in Paraguay and Bolivia.
El Niño is a natural phenomenon that occurs periodically. Although it is not directly caused by climate change, global warming makes it more likely that strong El Niños will develop. And in turn, El Niños involve the release of a large amount of heat from the Pacific Ocean, exacerbating climate change.
Any short term response to feed those left hungry by this year's El Niño needs to be matched with medium and long term plans to tackle climate change which makes super El Niños more likely.
Ends
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Sarah Grainger: sgrainger1@oxfam.org.uk / 01865 472089 / 07810 181514
You can donate to our Ethiopia appeal here.
Get more information about Oxfam's response here.
For updates, please follow @oxfamgbpress
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2016/01/millions-at-risk-as-ethiopia-suffers-worst-drought-in-a-generation-oxfam-el-nino-food-shortage
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In Siti zone in the east of the country, many people have told Oxfam that they are dependent on food aid to survive but some are sharing this with their sheep and goats in a desperate attempt to keep their animals alive as well.
The Ethiopian government estimates that 10.2 million people will need humanitarian assistance this year, at a cost of $1.4 billion. The El Niño weather system, on the back of 12 to 18 months of erratic or failed rains, has caused the worst drought in Ethiopia since the mid 1980s.
Nigel Timmins, Oxfam's Humanitarian Director, said: "People are watching their crops wither and their animals starve to death all the while knowing they don't have enough food and water themselves. The Ethiopian government is doing its best but the scale of the problem requires urgent and significant funding from donors to complement the government's efforts. It's been clear for months that this drought would have a devastating effect on Ethiopia. More needs to be done to help the country cope."
Oxfam is helping over 160,000 people in three areas of the country by trucking in water, repairing boreholes and wells, and giving out animal feed. The aid agency is planning to reach 777,000 people but needs $25 million (£14 million) to do so.
Ethiopia's 'belg' rains are due to begin in a couple of months but even if normal rainfall occurs, it will take time for people to replenish their herds and cultivate crops.
Fatuma Hersi had a herd of 300 sheep and goats of which just seven remain. The mother of eight who is now seeking help at a site for internally displaced people in Siti, said: "There have been other droughts. But this one is the worst I have seen. We are here waiting for support."
Ethiopia is one of a number of countries struggling to cope with the effects of one of the strongest El Niños on record. Along with food shortages in southern Africa, Papua New Guinea and Central America, it has also caused floods in Paraguay and Bolivia.
El Niño is a natural phenomenon that occurs periodically. Although it is not directly caused by climate change, global warming makes it more likely that strong El Niños will develop. And in turn, El Niños involve the release of a large amount of heat from the Pacific Ocean, exacerbating climate change.
Any short term response to feed those left hungry by this year's El Niño needs to be matched with medium and long term plans to tackle climate change which makes super El Niños more likely.
Ends
For more information or to arrange an interview please contact Sarah Grainger: sgrainger1@oxfam.org.uk / 01865 472089 / 07810 181514
You can donate to our Ethiopia appeal here.
Get more information about Oxfam's response here.
For updates, please follow @oxfamgbpress
http://www.oxfam.org.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2016/01/millions-at-risk-as-ethiopia-suffers-worst-drought-in-a-generation-oxfam-el-nino-food-shortage
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Ethiopia
East Africa Child Food Crisis: Help Children in Need
CEO BlogRead more about Carolyn Miles' recent trip to Ethiopia.East Africa Child Food CrisisSave the Children set up its first formal office in Ethiopia during the 1984 famine. In a country once defined by hunger, much progress has been made, but there are still enormous challenges ahead.Close to five million children risk going hungry as the result of a worsening food crisis in Ethiopia brought on by a severe drought across normally green and productive regions – making this natural disaster the worst in recent history. Save the Children is working in over 70% of the worst-affected districts, providing food, water, medicine and crucial support to families who have lost their incomes. The organization is also training community-based health workers to treat malnutrition, and supporting families that have lost their livestock and livelihoods with cash-for-work programs. Read the latest Factsheet About EthiopiaThe issues that children in Ethiopia face are some of the most challenging in the world. Even in an "average" year, the education, health and economic situation for millions of Ethiopian children can only be described as a crisis. Frequent food shortages and periodic famine-like conditions continue to put children at risk. With inadequate health care services, many children die before reaching the age of 5. Of those that survive, only a fraction of children attend primary or secondary school. Save the Children has implemented cross-cutting strategies that focus on education, health, food security, HIV/AIDS prevention/education and saving newborn lives.
Facts About
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