HC Progress Report 2012


Greetings | East Africa | Partners | Plan Canada Joins | Pakistan | Japan | Updates from the Community


Update: Drought in East Africa


Care - dadaab Kenya, Oxfam - east Africa, Save - Kenya

In the Borana region of Ethiopia there are deep wells used by the pastoralist livestock herders to get water for their families and animals in times of drought. They are often called the “Singing Wells” because people have a generations-long tradition of singing as they pass the buckets of water up from hand to hand. The Singing Wells were silent for the first time in remembered history; your support and the recent rains have brought back the singing at the wells.

Although we saw high levels of malnutrition across east Africa this past summer and fall, we did not see a corresponding level of mortality. The members of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION were there and ready to respond to prevent this crisis from becoming more catastrophic. Members support communities to adapt to climate change and become more resilient in times of drought by creating contingency plans; setting aside conservatively estimated stockpiles of grain, and by encouraging growing investments in education and health services and sanitary infrastructure. Some villages where drought resistant programs were in place managed a successful harvest and their livestock survived whereas surrounding villages failed and were forced to migrate to camps.

None would disagree, more still needs to be done, but self-reliance in this region is stronger now than three generations ago. And with your help, the people of east Africa have not lost a generation; they have gained a future.

Oxfam’s local partner organizations are operating the single largest public health program in Somalia, providing clean water to displaced Somalis in camps outside Mogadishu, and providing sanitation and public health education to prevent diseases like cholera and acute watery diarrhea. In the Dadaab camps in Kenya, which have swelled to over 450,000 people displaced by the drought, CARE is the primary provider of food, water and primary education and is also supporting the specific needs of women and girls who have experienced sexual and gender-based violence. With feeding programs, Save the Children is fighting malnutrition in Somali children under five as well as for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Plan is delivering child protection training and strategies have been provided to parents and community members to help keep children safe during a difficult time. CARE is helping communities maintain their livelihoods through measures such as the distribution of subsidized crop seed and animal feed and by implementing cash-for-work programs and cash relief to the most vulnerable households. Save the Children’s cash and voucher program for vulnerable Somali women is ensuring they have access to food and medicines without having to sell family assets. While Oxfam supports pastoralists and refugees in Kenya with essential water, sanitation and hygiene activities as well as desperately needed livelihoods support.

In response to the drought, new HUMANITARIAN COALITION member, Plan Canada, has continued its work in Ethiopia, Kenya and South Sudan, with a focus on the specific needs of children – especially girls and young women, who are often the last to eat. This includes providing high-protein and calorie-rich food supplements to children, breastfeeding moms, and pregnant women suffering from malnutrition. Plan’s school feedings have ensured that young people aren’t distracted by hunger while trying to learn in school. Seeds and livestock have been provided to families that lost crops and farm animals. Plan has also been facilitating health promotion in communities, medical training for health workers, and medicines. Clean water has been provided to health facilities and schools. Now that some rain has finally begun to fall in parts of East Africa, Plan continues its emergency response, while at the same time supporting the region’s early recovery from a months-long drought that had far-reaching effects, like delayed or lost food crops. Even while in the stages of early recovery, Plan recognizes the need to also focus on longer-term and sustainable recovery solutions. Which is why, for example, Plan is now installing and re-building water infrastructure (like boreholes) to sustain access to water now - and in weather cycles to come.  Together, the members of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION will continue to work, supporting communities in adapting to the effects of climate change to reduce the impact of future droughts.

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