Members’ Respond to East Africa Crisis

15/07/2011

Canada’s leading humanitarian organizations and members of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION are present in East Africa and are providing urgently needed relief to the most vulnerable people affected by this crisis, including women, children and the elderly.

The East Africa Drought Crisis continues to spread. At least 11 million people are now affected across the region, particularly in Somalia, southern Ethiopia and northern Kenya.  The population of the world’s largest refugee camp, Dadaab in Kenya, has now swelled to over 380,000. Because of the number of people affected and the probability of worsening conditions, this crisis is the largest humanitarian emergency in the world.

Here are just a few examples of what HUMANITARIAN COALITION members have done so far in response to the crisis:

  • CARE is providing food, water, health, education and livelihoods support to nearly one million people in Ethiopia, Northern Somalia and Kenya, including over 1,000 new daily arrivals at the Dadaab refugee camp. To respond to the particular needs of women and girls at the camp, CARE is identifying and supporting those who have suffered from sexual and gender-based violence.
  • Oxfam is managing a water and sanitation project in Afgoye, Somalia, providing 11.5 million liters of portable water to 30,000 internally displaced persons (IDP) residing in 55  IDP camps.  Oxfam is also leading rehabilitation and construction of new water sources in Somaliland (Togdheer region) to reach 16,000+ people.
  • Plan has provided supplementary feeding to 3,400 children, school feeding to 4,275 children and assisted 1,300 households with livelihood support in Ethiopia.  In Kenya, immediate aid will target 114,000 people and will involve providing clean water, medicine, delivering nutrition programs including supplementary feeding at 414 schools, shelter and hygiene promotion.
  • Save the Children is distributing food and life-saving water to areas severely affected by the drought and improving water supply and sanitation. For example, we are feeding 9,000 children at 60 feeding centres, are giving family rations to the families of children in our supplementary feeding program and have distributed over 24 million litres of water in South Central Somalia, reaching over 70,000 people.

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About the HUMANITARIAN COALITION

 With a combined presence in over 120 countries, the joint efforts by the members of the HUMANITARIAN COALITION provide a widespread and effective response to emergencies. The group has one phone number and a joint website for online donations in order to make donating easy for Canadians.

To donate to THE HUMANITARIAN COALITION, call us toll-free at 1-800-464-9154, log onto our website at http://www.together.ca or send donations to THE HUMANITARIAN COALITION, P.O. Box 7023, Ottawa, ON, K1L 5A0.