For more than two years, crops in Ethiopia have been severely affected by insufficient rain. This year the shortage of food from the harvests is taking its toll on the Ethiopian people, as well as the animals many depend on.
According to the Ethiopian Government, 6.2 million people need food assistance at this time—increased from 4.9 million people at the beginning of the year. In response, they have a three month plan in place to provide food assistance from October to December of 2009.
What happened?
In many areas of the country, the short rainy season from March to May, was poor, causing an insufficient crop harvest. While food prices have come down from last year, they remain well above the long-term average, causing pressure on households.
There have been increased rates reported in the admission of malnourished children to therapeutic feeding programmes in the first half of this year as families struggle to make ends meet.
Also, the heavy rains which are expected from June to September, were late this year. Seed that was planted when the rains were expected died in the ground. In many cases, there was no new seed to replace the seed that died. It is anticipated that the harvest will be consequentially reduced, so there will be a further increase in the number of people facing severe problems.
The people in one of the hardest hit areas are nomadic pastoralists, eking out an existence in the hottest place on earth, by herding camels and goats. But now without an adequate amount of rain, even these expert survivalists cannot sustain life—for either themselves or their animals.
Many animals have already died and healthy ones have been transported scores of miles away to greener pastures, in order to preserve some small amount of security. Camels’ milk is the nomadic people's primary food. It alone can sustain life in the desert, but with the animals gone, these people have no milk to drink. Without it, they have been forced into a diet consisting mainly of tea made from coffee leaves. It’s hard to imagine.
Short-term assistance plan:
Dry ration distribution to 3,000-4,000 drought-affected communities in the Langano area, especially to Tuffa, Dawe Langano, and Kelbo.
Supplementary food will be distributed to malnourished children through the Langano SIM Clinic.
Monthly ration distribution to approximately 4,451people (3,051 adults and 1,400 children) in the Afar region through an SIM local partner organisation.
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