The response to the Horn of Africa appeal within the Church of Ireland has seen a substantial sum of money released to Christian Aid and their partners working on the ground in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Over €92,000 and £32,500 has been raised in parishes around the country to combat the devastating effects of the drought. It has been noted that this is approximately two thirds of the amount released by the Irish Government to Christian Aid.
To date, nearly 14 million people have been affected by the failed rains in the region. Entire river beds have dried up, and many communities have been displaced in their search for water. The provision of emergency water tanks and boreholes has enabled families to feed their livestock, which in turn has provided them with milk for their children, who are battling malnutrition.
A community member in Northern Kenya, Botu Utani, commented that the provision of a water point has kept them alive: ‘Without the water….most of us would have died, especially the pregnant women and feeding mothers. Even our camels are dying. And when the animals collapse, we as people also collapse. We are so grateful for the water. We can drink the water and cook with it. But we haven’t washed for weeks.’