Years of drought, failed harvests, rising food prices and ongoing conflict have forced more than 20 million people across East Africa to the brink of starvation and left them in urgent need of help. Peoples’ lives are at risk across Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and south Sudan as rates of malnutrition and disease continue to rise. Those most at risk include children, pregnant women and the elderly. Over the last five years, cyclical and deepening drought as a result of climate change across the region has eroded peoples’ ability to cope with food shortages. The worst affected are the pastoralists and rural poor who depend on agriculture and their livestock for food and income. Islamic Relief is already working in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and south Sudan where we are providing thousands of people with life-saving aid including food, healthcare and clean water. But with your help we can do even more. South Sudan South Sudan is currently in the grip of a humanitarian crisis with more than 40 per cent of the population facing severe food shortages. In many of the most remote areas people are consuming just one meal every other day and one third of the population are malnourished. The UN has warned that south Sudan is now on the verge of famine. This has been caused by poor rains, failed harvests, rising food prices and an escalation of inter-ethnic conflict, as well as pervasive and crippling poverty. Kenya In Kenya, around four million people are on the brink of starvation. In Mandera in northern Kenya where Islamic Relief works, one third of children are malnourished, and 70 per cent of households desperately need emergency assistance. The food shortages have been caused by years of drought, poor harvests and the rising price of basic food items. Most people in Mandera are pastoralists but their herds of animals have been decimated, impacting on their ability to feed themselves and make a living. In desperation some pastoralists have even migrated to war-torn Somalia in search of food and water for their animals. The crisis has been exacerbated by flash floods that have washed away remaining crops and killed even more precious livestock. The flood waters have also left people vulnerable to serious waterborne diseases. Ethiopia In Ethiopia the government has appealed for aid for 6.2 million people affected by the drought and food shortages. One of the areas worst affected by the food crisis is the Somali region where Islamic Relief works. Here child malnutrition is already at critical levels in two districts, and rising in other areas. Water shortages are also forcing people to drink from dirty ponds and wells, and our aid workers report that this has led to high levels of diarrhoea which is potentially fatal for malnourished children. Somalia Somalia is facing its worst humanitarian crisis in 18 years, with half of the population, or 3.7 million people, now in need of humanitarian aid. Somalia has one of the highest rates of malnutrition in the world, and an estimated one in five children are malnourished. Five years of drought and rising food prices have been exacerbated by ongoing conflict and displacement that has left more and more people in need of food aid. In the last year the cost of some cereals rose by 350 per cent. However, the volatile security situation across the southern and central parts of the country has made the distribution of food increasingly difficult. Recent flash floods in some parts of the country have forced 15,000 people from their homes and have compounded the already severe food shortages, leaving even more people in need of emergency aid. 
East Africa Food Crisis
IR Response to East Africa Food Crisis
Islamic Relief is currently working in Mandera District which have been seriously affected by the drought and food crisis. We are currently running 27 supplementary feeding centres which are providing emergency food and nutritional support to thousands of malnourished children and pregnant women. Our teams of health workers visit local communities to identify those in need of support and then refer them to our health centre where they receive rations of highly nutritious food as well as essential medical care. To help communities affected by drought we have repaired and constructed new water systems, providing more than 75,000 people with clean, safe water. We have also set up water committees and trained local people as health and hygiene promoters to reduce the incidence of waterborne diseases. By providing training, equipment and seeds, Islamic Relief has also been successful in helping hundreds of farmers to irrigate their land and to grow crops on previously arid land. We have also set up grain and fodder banks to help pastoralists and farmers cope with the ongoing drought and lack of pasture.
Islamic Relief has been working in this region for many years, assisting people affected by drought, conflict and food shortages. We are currently providing thousands of people in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia with food, water and healthcare, but we need your help to do more.
Kenya
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia we are working in the Somali region and the Afar region in the east of the country. Here we are helping communities affected by water shortages by repairing and cleaning water sources. Most people in these regions are pastoralists who are dependent on their animals for food and a source of income. To help local communities preserve their herds we are providing community-based veterinary services, vaccinations and training to improve the health of their animals, which is benefitting more than 10,000 people. We have also constructed new water sources which are providing more than 1,000 people with clean drinking water. However, the needs in Ethiopia are vast and people in these regions desperately need access to food and clean water, as well as assistance for those who are malnourished. With your help, we can do even more. Somalia Islamic Relief is currently working in South-Central Somalia providing support to those displaced by the violence in Mogadishu, as well as in Puntland. Our work in Somalia focuses on providing food aid, healthcare, clean water and sanitation facilities. We have constructed three boreholes which are providing 2,660 people with clean, safe water. Islamic Relief is working in camps for displaced people in the Afgoi corridor where we are providing emergency food aid to 3,425 households. We have also established health clinics in Puntland and South-Central Somalia where our health workers are providing medical care to more than 5,000 displaced people. Years of conflict and drought have left 3.7 million people in Somalia in desperate need of food aid. Despite ongoing security problems, staff are able to provide people with lifesaving water, food and healthcare. More still needs to be done to prevent a humanitarian crisis.