Hunger and Famine in East Africa

FROM THE FIELD

East Africa hunger, famine: Facts, FAQs, and how to help

GALLERY

When Mushtar was rushed to a clinic, she was underweight and malnourished. She received emergency medication and high energy biscuits —– cookies that are fortified with protein, vitamins, and minerals — that. It saved her life. World Vision and the World Food Program provide children and mothers with monthly rations and ready- to- use supplementary foods to help malnourished children gain weight and become healthy. (©2017 World Vision/photo by Mark Nonkes)

GALLERY

“I dream of eating rice,” says 5-year-old Frank. Frank’s family has only eaten corn porridge for several months. They’ve already cut out, and due to food shortages, they skip breakfast. Frank’s family farmsare farmers in northern Kenya. They used to have 50 goats, but they all died due to the drought. The crops they planted withered and died too, failing to produce a harvest. The family earns a little money by cutting and bundling dry grass to sell to neighbors whose goats lived. World Vision is providing clean water, food, and nutritional aid to their community. (©2017 World Vision/photo by Mark Nonkes)

GALLERY

Four-year-old Medhnit eats fresh vegetables from her family’s garden every day. Her mother is a member of a World Vision-supported gardening and savings club organized to stave off hunger in an area of Ethiopia that is struggling with a food crisis. The club ensures families have enough food and the skills to garden. Extra produce is sold and the money earned goes into thea savings club. In this coffee-growing region, drought slashed the coffee harvest in half, sending many families into extreme poverty. (©2017 World Vision/photo by Mark Nonkes)

GALLERY

Six-month-old Cecilia sits in her mother Helen’s lap as they wait to receive $45, a monthly payment for Helen’s participation in a six-month business training program by World Vision in Juba, South Sudan. Helen likes the Cash for Training project, which was set up to help vulnerable families cover their needs and to combat hunger, “because its gives us money to make our own choices,” she says. (©2017 World Vision/photo by Mark Nonkes)

GALLERY

Acheng, right, feeds her 18-month-old son, Garang, a pouch of ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF) at a center in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The toddler has struggled with tuberculosis and malnutrition as the country suffers widespread food shortages due to conflict. (©2017 World Vision/photo by Stephanie Glinski)

GALLERY

Women carry home food from a monthly distribution from World Vision. Many walked for hours to reach the distribution site in South Sudan. (©2017 World Vision/photo by Stephanie Glinski)

GALLERY

Muhammad, 4, was diagnosed as severely malnourished at a World Vision mobile health unit in Somalia. World Vision provides emergency food, water, and health services. (©2017 World Vision/photo by Brett Tarvers

Millions of people in East Africa are experiencing chronic hunger and the threat of famine. Conflict, recurring severe drought, and high food prices are to blame. People are starving to death — right now.

South Sudan, Somalia, and Ethiopia could be facing famine or catastrophic levels of food insecurity in various parts of their countries over the next few months. Up to 16 million people in East Africa need help to secure their livelihoods and acquire adequate food. Nine million children are in need of nutrition assistance.

Recurring East Africa droughts make it difficult for farmers and herders to produce crops and feed livestock. While seasonal rains that began in February and March have been plentiful in some places, excessive amounts of rain falling on drought-stricken land have resulted in flash floods, killing more than 300 people and washing away crops and shelters.

Children are worst hit, with their health and development drastically impacted. More than 15 million children in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, and Somalia are struggling to get enough to eat. Floods are increasing the risk of cholera and other waterborne diseases among people with temporary shelter and poor sanitation.

Brief history of hunger and famine in Africa
A look back at some of Africa’s major food crises shows conditions still faced by many Africans today: poverty, drought, conflict, and environmental degradation due to overgrazing, deforestation, and other types of environmental damages.

1968 to 1980s — A drought in the Sahel region led to 1 million deaths in Mali, Chad, Niger, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso.

1980 to 1981 — Drought and conflict led to widespread hunger in Uganda.

1984 to 1985 — Famine in Ethiopia. Drought in the northern highlands and problems delivering aid led to approximately 1 million deaths and massive displacements.

1991 to 1992 — The Somalia famine is caused by drought and civil war.

1998 to 2004 — During the Second Congo War, more than 3 million people died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, mainly from starvation and disease.

2011 to 2012 — The Horn of Africa hunger crisis is responsible for 285,000 deaths in East Africa.

2015 to 2016 — A strong El Niño affected almost all of East and Southern Africa, causing food insecurity for more than 50 million people.

2017 — 25 million people, including 15 million children, need humanitarian assistance in East Africa.

2018 — From February to May, torrential rains in East Africa caused floods that killed people, livestock, and crops, and washed away roads and bridges making it hard to deliver aid.

World Vision’s work to combat hunger in Africa
For more than 40 years, World Vision has brought emergency aid and long-term assistance to families and communities in East Africa.

Find out how World Vision is helping people affected by floods going on now in East Africa.

Here are some of the ways we help to overcome the root causes of hunger and malnutrition in Africa:

* Food assistance, including emergency feeding and cash
* Diagnosis and treatment of childhood malnutrition
* Water and sanitation to prevent water-related diseases and provide water for irrigation
* Support for improved, more efficient agriculture and for farmers to diversify livelihoods
* Land rehabilitation to improve harvests

FAQs: What you need to know about the East Africa hunger crisis
Explore frequently asked questions about the East Africa hunger crisis, and learn how you can help hungry children and families:

* Fast facts: East Africa hunger crisis
* East Africa food insecurity map
* Why are people in Africa facing chronic hunger?
* I hear the word famine a lot, but how do you define famine?
* Why does it seem there’s always a hunger crisis in Africa?
* What is malnutrition?
* How is World Vision responding to the Africa hunger and food crises?
* How can people become resilient so they don’t need aid?
* How can I help children and families in East Africa?

Fast facts: East Africa hunger crisis
Recurring failed rainy seasons have made it impossible for many East African farmers and herders to keep up their livelihoods. Now flash floods are increasing humanitarian needs in South Sudan, Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya.

* 6 million people in the East African region are displaced due to conflict and drought, making them dependent on aid to meet their needs.
* Communicable diseases threaten the lives of children. More than 131,000 cases of acute watery diarrhea or cholera were reported in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya during 2017, according to the World Health Organization. Measles outbreaks in Ethiopia and Somalia affected more than 24,000 children.
* Conflict, hunger, poverty, and displacement create a climate in which children are at risk of violence and exploitation.
* Help is necessary to keep the Africa hunger and food crises from worsening. Children, especially those younger than 5, are the most vulnerable because they need critical nutrients to build strength and immunity against disease.

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East Africa food insecurity map
Serious food insecurity will be a concern in East Africa for the rest of 2018, according to the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS).

High levels of food insecurity are projected for East Africa from June through September 2018. (FEWS Net)
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Why are people in Africa facing chronic hunger?
Recurring drought, conflict, and instability have led to severe food shortages. Many countries have struggled with extreme poverty for decades, so they lack government and community support systems to help their struggling families.

A compressed cycle of recurring drought is plunging the same communities into drought again before they have a chance to recover sufficiently from the last one.

In South Sudan, where people fled their homes because of violence, few farmers have been able to harvest a crop. This limits what is available at community markets and raises food prices. In addition, during the rainy season, 60 percent of the country is inaccessible by roads, which limits transportation of food aid as well as goods sent to market.

From March through May 2018, long rains have been 150 to 200 percent above normal in some East Africa locations. This will bring some relief to herders as livestock benefit from renewed grasslands. However, in many places flash floods and overflowing rivers have wiped out crops, roads, and bridges, thwarting both cultivation and relief activities.

In such conditions, poor families can’t afford enough food to keep their children healthy, and eventually, they need emergency help from government agencies or aid groups when they run out of money and food. We’re not talking low funds or food that’s been in our pantry that’s well past its expiration. We’re talking about not having any money or any food at all — nothing.

The longer these factors persist, the harder it is for families to stave off the effects of lost livelihoods and homes.

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I hear the word famine a lot, but how do you define famine?
The word famine means an extreme scarcity of food. But it’s more than that — it’s the absolute worst-case scenario for a food crisis and has a technical definition used by the humanitarian community.

Keep in mind that not all food crises become famines. A food crisis becomes a famine when there’s so little food in the region that it causes large-scale starvation, malnutrition, and death.

South Sudan declared famine in February 2017 in two counties in Unity state with a population of about 100,000. By July, enough aid had reached the area so that famine conditions had ended.

To declare a famine, the following three things must all happen:

* At least 20 percent of households in a given area face extreme food shortages with limited ability to cope.
* More than 30 percent of children suffer from acute malnutrition.
* Hunger causes more than two deaths each day for every 10,000 people.

When a food crisis no longer meets these technical criteria, a famine is no longer in effect.

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Why does it seem there’s always a hunger crisis in Africa?
Drought, poor harvests, and instability create a cycle that’s extremely difficult to break. And this happens in other regions of the world too.

When instability persists because of conflict or political problems, people flee their homes or are unable to plant their crops. Then less food gets harvested. Prices go up. Families’ livelihood prospects dwindle as markets close. Violent conflict makes situations worse because humanitarian groups often cannot access affected communities to bring emergency relief.

Droughts have become more frequent and intense in recent years in western, eastern, and southern Africa. These droughts affect food-production systems in fragile contexts in similar ways that conflict does. Less food and water also means vast numbers of dead livestock in affected areas. This devastates families’ source of income and food.

And when nearly 40 percent of children in sub-Saharan Africa grow up stunted due to chronic malnutrition, they lack the capacity to learn and contribute to society. It’s because their little bodies don’t get enough of the right nutrients at the right times to support physical and intellectual growth. Thus, their countries lose out on significant leadership and innovative potential, which perpetuates the cycle of poverty and deprivation.

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What is malnutrition?
Malnutrition refers to an unhealthy condition that develops when your body does not get enough of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients it needs to function properly. It can occur when you don’t eat enough food or you aren’t eating enough healthy food.

When food crises happen, some children are malnourished for long periods. This leads to stunting (being underweight for their age). Children who were already growing poorly when the food crisis began now risk becoming permanently stunted (being short for their age).

Those who are most at risk experience severe acute malnutrition, known as severe wasting. This means their bodies are beginning to lose the ability to absorb vital nutrients. So they’re literally starving to death. And they’re nine times more likely to die than a well-nourished child.

Malnourished children don’t just need more food. They need nutrient-rich food treatment, called ready-to-use therapeutic food (RUTF).

Eight-month-old Charity Asibitar is held by her mother while a community health worker measures her mid-upper arm circumference. (©2017 World Vision/photo by Jon Warren)
Medical workers often measure a child’s mid-upper arm circumference to gauge the level of malnutrition the child is experiencing. That’s why you may see photos of people wrapping a band with green, yellow, and red sections around a malnourished child’s tiny upper arm. Green indicates the child is not malnourished. Yellow indicates malnourishment. Red indicates severe malnourishment and risk of death.

Malnutrition is the cause or a contributing factor to 45 percent of deaths among children younger than 5 globally, according to the World Health Organization.

Read more on the tragic, long-term effects of malnutrition.

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How is World Vision responding to the East Africa hunger and food crisis?
World Vision has scaled up efforts in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, and South Sudan to reach up to 2.2 million people with life-saving food, clean water and sanitation services, medical assistance, and livelihood skills training.

Here are some highlights from our response in 2017:

* 2.4 million people reached with food-security and livelihoods support
* 2 million people reached with health and nutrition services
* 1.2 million people reached with water, sanitation, and hygiene services
* 145,000 children reached with protection and education activities

Funding provided through child sponsorship programs in Kenya and Ethiopia enabled our local staff to intervene to assist communities in 2016 before the crisis intensified. They provided drought-resistant seeds and training for farmers, cash-for-work programs, and other interventions that help families avert crisis or weather it more confidently.

By the time the food crisis became full-fledged, staff in South Sudan and Somalia were already helping communities struggling with food insecurity and malnutrition due to conflict and years of persistent drought.

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How can people become resilient so they don’t need aid?
There’s no substitute for life-saving aid in an emergency. But World Vision also focuses on long-term solutions that build resilience, which allows families and communities to bounce back when crops fail or streams dry up. Livelihood skills training is one aspect of World Vision’s current responses that help families find their own way out of a food crisis.

With long-term development programs in place, hunger crises can often be avoided and families can maintain independence. Here’s how World Vision is working today to prevent future food and hunger crises:

* Farmers and pastoralists benefit from market development, immunizations for livestock, and training and seeds to grow drought-resistant crops.
* Cash aid gives impoverished families the ability to take care of themselves and stimulates local markets.
* Saving groups and community banks make loans that help members recover from emergencies.
* Building and repairing water and sanitation facilities contribute to healthy living.
* New business training, equipment, and materials can help families diversify their income so their assets are not wiped out by drought or adverse weather.
* Developing resilience is a generational process. Children who stay in school are better prepared for the challenges and opportunities in their future.

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How can I help hungry children and families in East Africa?

1. Pray for children and families affected by famine and hunger crises in East Africa.
2. Give to our East Africa hunger crisis fund. Your gift will help provide emergency food aid, agricultural support, clean water, medicine, and other essential care to hungry children and families.
3. Sponsor a child. sponsorship program is the most powerful way you can help fight poverty at the family and community level. When you sponsor a child, you provide access to life-saving basics like nutritious food, healthcare, clean water, education, and more. You will help change a child’s life story and the life of their family and community.

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Contributors: Chris Hub Athuman Zuberi and world vision staff.

Hunger
LOCATION:

* South Sudan
* Ethiopia
* Kenya
* Somalia

* Africa