The situation:
The Horn of Africa is in the midst of one of its worst droughts in recent history, severely impacting more than 15 million people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia. Water is needed for drinking, cooking and hygiene, so the lack of water has greatly affected people’s wellbeing. Food security is also a concern as the drought is causing families to lose livestock used for food and livelihoods. In some areas, men are moving their livestock herds to look for water and grazing elsewhere, leaving women and children behind to fend for themselves. Extreme droughts, such as this one, will become increasingly more common as changes in climate affect rainfall patterns.
Our response:
Lutheran Disaster Response is supporting an ACT Alliance appeal to address the humanitarian crisis resulting from the drought in the Horn of Africa. Through this appeal, implementing partners in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia will provide food aid, cash-based assistance, safe and accessible water, psychosocial support, livelihood improvement strategies and climate-induced disaster risk reduction. To provide access to safe water, partners intend to bring in water to areas, repair existing water infrastructure and educate local communities in WASH (water, sanitation, hygiene) practices.
What you can do:
Pray
Please pray for the people in the Horn of Africa in the midst of this humanitarian crisis. May God's healing presence give them peace and hope in their time of need.
Give
Your gifts designated to “Africa Drought” will be used in full (100%) to support those affected by the drought in Africa.
Connect:
To learn more about the situation and the ELCA’s response:
- Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
- Check the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.
- "Like" Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook, follow @ELCALDR on Twitter and follow @ELCA_LDR on Instagram.
