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Disaster management

Horn of Africa food crisis

Djibouti, November 2008. Sankhal women and children gather water from one of the few natural wells these displaced pastoralists have access to. They cite lack of safe water as their main problem. The water tanks that have been provided by NGOs are empty as there’s no trucking service to this village near the Ethiopian border, and the few natural wells are depleted and often contaminated. (p18722)

Populations in large areas of Kenya and the Horn of Africa are now facing an exceptional humanitarian crisis that requires urgent food assistance.

The combined effect of high worldwide food prices and a crippling drought are seriously jeopardizing the lives, livelihoods, and dignity of up to 20 million people in both rural and urban communities.

The affected population are those who already live on the margins of survival due to conflict, displacement and chronic poverty affecting the region.

This crisis, if not responded to, has the potential to develop into famine not seen on such a scale in many years.

The Red Cross Red Crescent has launched an Emergency Appeal seeking CHF 76 million (USD 67 million or EUR 50 million) in cash, kind, or services to support the National Societies of Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia to assist a total of 2.5 million beneficiaries over the full five-year timeframe of this operation.

Related document: Position paper

Photo galleries

Horn of Africa - Food security crisis - Ethiopia - March 2009

Horn of Africa - Food security crisis - December 2008

Ethiopia - food distribution - September 2008

Ethiopia - faces of the drought - August 2008

Country operation updates and appeals

Djibouti
	22 July 2008 Food insecurity - DREF bulletin no. MDRDJ001
	23 April 2008 Drought - DREF bulletin no.MDR64002
	8 April 2008 Drought and food crisis - Information bulletin no.1
	Red Cross Red Crescent activities in Djibouti
Ethiopia
	26 November 2009 Drought - DREF operation no.MDRET007
	12 May 2009 Food insecurity (MDRET005) - Operations update no.6 - Appeal extension
	19 August 2008 Food insecurity - Revised emergency appeal no.MDRET005
	14 May 2008 Food insecurity - Preliminary emergency appeal no.MDRET005
	8 April 2008 Drought and food crisis - Information bulletin no.1
	22 January 2008 Drought (MDRET001) - Final report
	Red Cross Red Crescent activities in Ethiopia
Kenya
	27 October 2009 Drought: Operation update no.2 (MDFK009)
	16 September 2009 Drought: Emergency appeal no.MDRKE009
	5 December 2008 Food insecurity (MDRET005) - Operations update no.4
	1 July 2008 Drought - DREF bulletin no.MDRKE006
	23 April 2008 Drought - DREF bulletin no.MDR64002
	8 April 2008 Drought and food crisis - Information bulletin no.1
	Red Cross Red Crescent activities in Kenya
Somalia
	8 April 2008 Drought and food crisis - Information bulletin no.1
	Red Cross Red Crescent activities in Somalia

Video: Horn of Africa


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Related news

27 November 2009
Kenya drought: Villagers survive amongst animal carcasses
Kerro Huka, 49, used to have 300 goats and sheep. He now has just twenty. His story is repeated by the one thousand villagers of Badana in north-eastern Kenya, who haven’t seen rain in over a year. (...)
Read full story

More related news

	15 October 2009 Kenya: Preserving health in drought-affected village
	25 September 2009 Kenya diary III: A whole village benefits from water kiosks
	18 September 2009 Kenya diary II: Scarce resources have caused unrest
	15 September 2009 Kenya diary I: Drought continues through rainy season
	19 June 2009 Risk reduction in Kenya: a new dawn at “Borehole 11”
	26 March 2009 Ethiopia: Pastoralist stories - Adin Aden, grandfather
	19 March 2009 Pastoralist stories: Medina Abdulahi, mother of six
	26 February 2009 Livestock in Ethiopian lowlands decimated by climate-change impacts
	24 February 2009 Ethiopia: Pastoralist stories: Ute-Muda Garero, herdsman
	13 February 2009 Kenya: Red Cross Red Crescent needs solid back up to save lives
	2 February 2009 Ethiopia: March rainy season “critical” for southern pastoralists
	27 January 2009 Horn of Africa: IFRC redoubles efforts as famine threatens millions
	9 January 2009 Ethiopia: Greg Jack’s field diary
	16 December 2008 For Djibouti Red Crescent water is life, not a slogan
	11 December 2008 In the Ethiopian lowlands, a struggle to survive "environmental shock"
	12 November 2008 Ethiopia’s rain-lashed Wolaita zone holds its breath for the harvest
	5 November 2008 Djibouti: Pastoralists’ way of life at risk
	3 October 2008 Anteshe’s story: A widow scraping by
	19 September 2008 Ethiopia: fighting the deadly drought
	26 June 2008 Ethiopia: battling the green drought
	More International Federation news

Regional operation updates

Horn of Africa - Regional documents
	10 November 2009 Horn of Africa: Exceptional food security crisis - Operation update no.3
	23 June 2009 Horn of Africa: Food insecurity - Revised emergency appeal no. MDR64003EA (Appeal and Budget revision)
	11 December 2008 Horn of Africa: Food insecurity - Emergency appeal no.MDR64003
	21 October 2008 Horn of Africa: Food insecurity - DREF bulletin no.MDR64003
	8 April 2008 Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia: drought and food crisis - Information bulletin no.1
	24 January 2008 Horn of Africa: Food insecurity (MDR64003) - Operation update no.1

Press releases

	11 December 2008 IFRC: 20 million lives exposed to real risk of famine in the Horn of Africa
	20 August 2008 Ethiopia: drought victims increase as situation worsens
	4 July 2008 Food security: IFRC’s new secretary general urges G8 to invest more in long-term action
	16 May 2008 International Federation takes swift action to help 40,000 Ethiopians facing starvation
	More International Federation press releases

Key documents

	22 June 2009 Horn of Africa: Food security crisis - Revised Emergency appeal no.MDR64003
	Assessment report on the Horn of Africa food crisis
	2008 Ethiopia Food Crisis Logistics Planning
	Position paper

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