July, 2011

Across the eastern Horn of Africa, more than 11.6 million people are in need of emergency assistance to survive. The region is experiencing the worst drought in more than 60 years which has lead to cropfailure, the death of livestock and a surge in food prices. Millions of people in Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya and particularly in Somalia are affected. Last week, the United Nations declared famine in two regions of Somalia. As a result of the increasingly dire situation, more than 600,000 Somalis have fled to neighboring countries, a journey that can take on average 25 days and covers hundreds of miles to reach refugee camps and food and water. Reports indicate that nearly half of the children arriving at the refugee camps areacutely malnourished. Additionally, for those unable to make it to the refugee camps or arrive at camps that are at capacity, the outlying areas are also under extreme pressure to house severely malnourished populations.