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Record numbers of people are facing extreme hunger due to the looming threat of famine in Africa. We must act now.
The current drought is the worst that Bute has ever experienced in his lifetime. Photo: Zacharias Abubeker/Caritas Australia
Latest figures
81.6 million people
are facing acute food insecurity across the Horn of Africa.
18 million people
are facing severe hunger.
7 million children
under 5 years are acutely malnourished in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.
Over 1 million people
were forced to flee their homes due to flooding in late 2023.
Our partners are on the ground providing vulnerable communities with:
Emergency food rations and nutrition support
Safe, clean water and hygiene facilities
Emergency cash transfers for essential needs
Support to families forced from their homes by conflict
Ayoyo, a complaints volunteer in her community in southwestern Ethiopia. Photo: Zacharias Abubeker/Caritas Australia.
Key Issues
- The region faces multiple crises: drought, flooding, rising food/fuel prices, locust plagues, conflict, and displacement.
- Ethiopia is suffering from severe drought in the Horn of Africa, after failed rainy seasons.
- Food and fuel prices are unaffordable for most rural families.
- Displacement is widespread, with large camps lacking proper shelter, sanitation, and food.
- Displaced families are unable to sow crops, further reducing next year’s harvest.
- Subsistence farming is collapsing: crops are failing, livestock dying, leaving families without food or income.
- High cost of emergency supplies threatens vulnerable communities; partners work to deliver food, clean water, and aid swiftly.
Donate now to provide support where it’s most needed today Donate Now
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Woman with her family in an IDP camp in northern Ethiopia. Photo: Caritas Australia.
With your help, we’re working with our partners on the ground to bring vital aid to vulnerable families in the Horn of Africa
- Food distributions to households at risk of malnutrition
- Support to children impacted by malnutrition
- Clean drinking water and support for sanitation
- Cash transfers to households at risk of poverty
- Hygiene supplies, including soap and hand sanitiser
- Seeds and household items for families impacted by conflict and displacement
- Environmentally sustainable and drought-resistant farming training and support
The current drought is the worst that Bute has ever experienced in his lifetime. Photo: Zacharias Abubeker/Caritas Australia
Bute's story - the impact of the food crisis on families across Ethiopia
Bute is a village elder living in southern Ethiopia with his wife, Burre. Bute was elected by his community members to represent their voices. They have a story they want to share with the rest of the world: they need urgent humanitarian aid now.
Before the current drought, Bute and Burre had 2,000 livestock in two stables, including donkeys, goats and cows. The grass was green and there were plenty of pasture for their livestock. They used to harvest sorghum and maize, with enough water from the nearby river to irrigate their crops.
“We used to have lots of milk and meat to eat, and now we have almost nothing. We feel very sad and frustrated. The life we used to live and enjoy is completely gone,” Bute said.
During the last three years, rainfall in this area of southern Ethiopia has been erratic, with long periods without any rain. This meant that farmers and pastoralists are unable to grow any crops or feed their livestock.
Bute and Burre’s seven adult children have left in search of food and it has been more than a year since they last saw them.
Photo: Lulu Mitshabu and Jeannot Kassa/Caritas Australia.
Where does my donation go?
The funds you donate to this appeal go to Caritas Australia’s Emergency Response Fund and will be used to provide humanitarian assistance to communities affected by this crisis. Should circumstances prevent us from delivering aid to this emergency, or if excess funds remain after the crisis, donations will be directed to other emergencies where Caritas has humanitarian operations.
