The current food and nutrition crisis in Ethiopia has led to their Government announcing that 6.4 million people in the country are now in need of emergency assistance. An estimated 84,000 children are desperately in need of feeding brought about by the failure of seasonal rains and the global rise in the cost of food and fuel.
The next harvest is not due in affected areas until next September, plus many parts of the country have not yet been reached by UNICEF UK immunisation campaign making measles a threat, particularly among malnourished children.
Immediate measures have been taken to provide feeding centres across Ethiopia, along with trained medical professionals to cope with the increasing demand for food and clean water. To prevent outbreaks of diarrhoea, UNICEF has also provided community treatment centres and transported medicines to affected communities.
UNICEF UK currently needs an additional 4,000 tons of food, emergency medicines and measles vaccines just to cover the next three months. Whilst a great deal of work has been done to feed the malnourished, progress is being compromised by a shortfall in funds. UNICEF still needs another £15 million, of which £9 million is needed to secure food supplies until the end of the year. Any donations will go along way to help the suffering of the thousands of poverty stricken children in Africa.
