PWRDF Responding to the Horn of Africa Drought July 14, 2011

The worst drought to hit the Horn of Africa in six decades is currently affecting up to 10 million people. The United Nations describes the situation in the region as the most severe food security emergency in the world today, with the Famine Early Warning Systems Network warning that the response is “inadequate to prevent a further deterioration”. Levels of severe, acute malnutrition in this area, particularly among children, are also of great concern. The mix of drought, skyrocketing food prices, food shortages, and deaths of livestock in large numbers has combined to make this situation a devastating one for millions of people in the region.

PWRDF, through the ACT Alliance, is responding to this emergency. ACT is a global coalition of 111 churches and agencies engaged in development, humanitarian assistance, and advocacy. The current needs as discussed with ACT members are as follows:

Kenya: Food distribution; supplementary feeding for nutrition targeting children, the elderly and nursing mothers; and water supply are the needs during the crisis phase. Farmers will need seeds, fertilizers and livestock restocking for the recovery process.

Ethiopia: Food distribution, water supply-- including the rehabilitation of water points and water harvesting; livestock restocking, and rehabilitation of pasture and growing of future animal feed.

Somalia: The Programme Coordinator for the Somali Refugee Program who was in the Dadaab refugee camp, which hosts 370,000 people and is currently receiving about 1300 new arrivals a day, communicated on July 13, “Here, things are changing by the hour and the situation has never been this bad”.

You can donate to support the relief efforts in several ways:

On-line
At the CanadaHelps website you can designate “Horn of Africa Drought”.

By Phone
For credit card donations contact:
Jennifer Brown
416-924-9192 ext. 355; 1-866-308-7973
Please do not send your credit card number by email or fax.

By Mail
Please make cheques payable to "PWRDF", mark them for "Horn of Africa Drought" and send them to:
The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund
The Anglican Church of Canada
80 Hayden Street
Toronto, Ontario M4Y 3G2

PWRDF Donations Contact:
Jennifer Brown jbrown@pwrdf.org
416-924-9192 ext. 355; 1-866-308-7973

PWRDF Humanitarian Response Coordinator:
Naba Gurung ngurung@pwrdf.org
416-924-9192 ext. 321