07/12/2011

ELCA Generosity Eases East Africa Drought Crisis; More Help Needed

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- A severe drought in East Africa—the worst in 60 years—has reached crisis levels, putting 10 million people at risk. Funds provided by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) late last year are already at work in the region, but a larger global commitment is needed to stave off a significant famine in the region.

Hard hit by drought conditions are people in Djibouti, Ethiopia and Somalia in the Horn of Africa, along with central and northern Kenya, where refugees are seeking food, water and shelter. Two years of sporadic rain, and the driest year since 1951, have resulted in severely reduced access to drinking water combined with significant crop and livestock losses. The result is skyrocketing food prices and food shortages. Thousands upon thousands are leaving their homes to meet basic needs for water and food and are heading to refugee centers. Some have traveled two months on foot to reach the centers.

Many refugees arrive exhausted and dehydrated at the Dadaab refugee complex on Kenya's eastern border, which is managed by The Lutheran World Federation. The refugee center was built to hold about 90,000 people and is now accommodating about 380,000 people, according to United Nations reports. The high influx of new arrivals has caused the camp to expand beyond its borders, leading to increased tensions between refugees and the local population as the continued drought makes water scarce for both.

The ELCA is working through its partners in the region to provide assistance. For example, in December 2010, ELCA Disaster Response sent $250,000 to The Lutheran World Federation for a new East Africa emergency preparedness fund. The fund enables The Lutheran World Federation to respond quickly to floods, droughts and human-induced disaster in the region, said Lita Brusick Johnson, ELCA director for diakonia.

By contributing early, ELCA dollars are helping The Lutheran World Federation provide water now as some 1,300 new Somali refugees arrive each day at the Dadaab refugee complex. The ELCA contribution is also helping the Lutheran World Federation fill a gap in food distribution by providing enriched porridge to children and elderly people who are too weak to eat dry food. The funds are "helping to prevent this huge crisis from becoming an even greater calamity," Johnson said.

The Rev. Daniel Rift, director, ELCA World Hunger Appeal, asked members to pray for people affected, study and learn about how the ELCA is engaged in East Africa and give to ELCA Disaster Response.

"Because of the shared mission support and giving to ELCA World Hunger, the church is present and able to initiate a response," Rift said. "It is because of additional gifts to ELCA Disaster Response that the response can continue, with 100 percent of the funding given for the East Africa Drought directed for this specific response."

Information about the Horn of Africa drought is at http://www.ELCA.org/disaster.

Gifts for the East Africa drought may be contributed at https://community.ELCA.org/netcommunity/page.aspx?pid=679. Gifts may also be contributed by calling 800-638-3522, or by mail to ELCA Disaster Response, 39330 Treasury Center, Chicago, IL 60694-9300. Please write "Horn of Africa Drought" on your check's memo line.