Appeal for funds to help people facing hunger in Ethiopia

Catholic charity CAFOD, has today launched an emergency appeal to help millions of people facing hunger in Ethiopia.

CAFOD is appealing to its supporters across Plymouth for urgent funds to help more than 10 million people across the East African country who are in dire need of food, clean water and basic sanitation.

CAFOD’s partners in Ethiopia have been responding to the crisis since last year reaching people with emergency food assistance and clean water. The charity is appealing for £3 million which will allow CAFOD to scale up its current emergency response work across four of the worst affected areas; SNNPR Region State, Oromia Regional State, Tigray and Afar Regional States.

The charity has already received incredible support from the local community. Parishes in Plymouth have been building a relationship with an Ethiopian villiage called Sebeya for over five years. Two years ago, Abba Teum, Abba Solomon and Tamiru Legesse travelled from Ethiopia and visited Plymouth to thank and meet the people who had fundraised for their community.

The charity’s representative based in Plymouth, Abigail McMillian said: "Ethiopia faces a food shortage that has left millions without enough food to survive the months ahead. We’re already responding to the crisis through our local Ethiopian partners and we’re asking people here to support us and them so we can escalate our on-going emergency response.

“We already have 5 parishes that have been supporting a community in Ethiopia for five years. Our supporters here in Plymouth have always been generous both in times of emergency and for our ongoing work. We already know that they are out fundraising and praying for the communities in Ethiopia. Because of this, we will be able to get more emergency aid to those who need it most.”

The devastating food shortage has been caused by two failed rainy seasons that has led to a severe drought, fuelled by one of the strongest El Nino weather patterns recorded.

The epicentre of the drought has hit some of the poorest people in the country - agro-pastoralists, farming and pastoralist communities – these families rely heavily on subsistence farming and livestock. The two failed rainy seasons, supply over 80 per cent of Ethiopia’s agricultural crops. The lack of a harvest this year has exhausted people’s ability to cope and they have simply run out of options for feeding their families and animals.

Herit lives in the village of Arato, just outside of Mekelle, in Ethiopia’s northern Tigray region. She has been supported by CAFOD’s local church partner, ADCS Mekelle, with a direct cash transfer, allowing her to buy a family food basket in the local market, and without it her options would be desperately bleak.

Herit said: “If I did not get this assistance, I and my children would be dead here. Because I have been able to buy food, my children are living and we are surviving.”
Ethiopia’s long rains are due in a month’s time and CAFOD is supporting farmers with seeds as they prepare their land. But even if normal rainfall occurs, it will take time for people to harvest their crops and replenish their livestock. These will be critical months as families face a deepening ‘hunger gap’.

CAFOD's country representative in Ethiopia Patricia Wall said: “People have already lost everything, and have no reserves left. These will be critical months as people wait to see if they will have a harvest. We thank everyone in Plymouth, their support and generosity really will save and change lives.”