07/28/2011

ELCA Contributes $400,000 to Horn of Africa Drought Relief

CHICAGO (ELCA) -- Through gifts given by members to ELCA Disaster Response, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has been able to distribute $400,000 for immediate drought relief efforts in the Horn of Africa.

For the second year in a row, the rainy season has failed resulting in the worst
drought conditions the region has witnessed in 60 years. “Rain is the lifeblood
of everything in the region,” said Megan Bradfield, program director for International Disaster Response with the ELCA. “Without rain, crops fail, livestock perish and the security of families is jeopardized, because they are unable to adequately protect themselves from the harsh realities of famine.”

The current drought situation affects more than 11 million people throughout Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia, and calls for urgent action. Rapidly shrinking household assets, largely held in livestock and crop production, have drastically hurt the average family’s ability to buy what necessities may be available locally. Thousands of people have resorted to selling material possessions, removing children from school and even leaving their homes in search of food and water.

Of the most concern is information coming from refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, reports Bradfield,“where Somali refugees have reportedly traveled up to 30 days to reach safety. Malnutrition rates of newly arriving refugees are high, creating a life-threatening situation for young children who have sustained the long journey to safe refuge.”

After two years of crippling drought, over 500,000 people, primarily from Somalia, have migrated into Kenya searching for food, arriving at a rate of 1,200 per day to Dadaab refugee camps. Earlier this week, hundreds of new refugees were settled into tents in a new complex at IFO, one of the Dadaab camps.The Lutheran World Federation is the primary camp manager for the Dadaab camps in Kenya.

Half of the ELCA’s distribution of emergency funds will be used to respond to the immediate needs of Somali refugees arriving at the Dadaab camps. These needs include tents and tarps for shelter, clothes, shoes and sanitary kits. The funds will also be used to educate the local staff allowing them to provide the best care possible for the refugees.

The ELCA will also provide relief, through The Lutheran World Federation, to the local Kenyan community in the Turkana region of Kenya. A targeted 2,400 Kenyan families affected by the drought will be assisted through the provision of water, rehabilitating existing water facilitiesand emergency care of livestock through vaccination, de-worming and branding.

The Ethiopian Evangelical Church Mekane Yesus, a companion church of the ELCA, will implement $100,000 of the funds in Ethiopia. Beginning in August, this money will ensure food security to 26,000 hungry individuals for three months and Famix, a corn-based supplement, for 9,100 malnourished children and elderly that are too weak to eat solid food.

“Through generous contributions to the undesignated ELCA Disaster Response fund for international disasters, this urgent distribution has been made possible,” said Bradfield. The ELCA is accepting donations to continue relief efforts in the region; 100 percent of contributions designated for the Horn of Africa Drought Relief will be used for continued response in the region.

The ELCA is a member of the global ACT Alliance working cooperatively for positive and sustainable change in the lives of people affected by poverty and injustice through coordinated and effective humanitarian, development and advocacy work.

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