World Food Day: Inside the hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa

This World Food Day, Islamic Relief’s Charles Njanga reports from Nairobi, Kenya, on the devastating crisis in the Horn of Africa, where people are dying from hunger.

The Horn of Africa continues to face a devastating drought after 4 failed rainy seasons. Hopes are fading fast as hunger continues to bite. Millions of people across Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia don’t know where their next meal is coming from. The most affected are children, women, and older people, many of whom are going to sleep hungry.

Current statistics from United Nations agency OCHA indicate that over 36 million people in these 3 countries have been affected by the ongoing drought. These are not just statistics but human beings who are going without food. They have names and are just like you and me.

Heartbreakingly, children are particularly suffering. Nearly 5 million children in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are malnourished. The bubble of children’s laughter is quiet in many homes across the region.

As a humanitarian worker, nothing prepares you to see fellow human beings suffering this much. Pictures coming from Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are simply harrowing.

Displaced by drought

During a visit to Somalia, I saw many people who have either been displaced by the drought or who left their homes to try to find pasture for their animals. They are living in temporary camps near main roads, hoping for help.

At Hera Mudul village of Bari Region of Puntland State Somalia, I met 40-year-old Faduma outside her temporary shelter. There are no neighbours near her home, where she has lived for 4 months, that is in an open field by the road. The fireplace where she cooks her food is cold, indicating that it has not been used for some time.

“The current drought is very serious, tough one. Even to get food is hard as there is inflation”, Faduma tells me, describing the impact of global inflation on soaring food prices. She talks in a soft voice and her eyes are sad.

Faduma tells me that she has lost 110 goats to the drought. Her family now has only 90 animals left, and more are dying every day.

Hungry and dying animals

It is not just people that are going hungry – the animals are too. At Hera Mudul village of Bari Region of Puntland State Somalia, I met Khalif at his home. I found him feeding pieces of a carton to his cow. The cow’s ribs jutted out and with nothing else to eat, it was hungrily chewing on the pieces of cardboard.

“The drought has taken 400 animals of my animals. There are dead bodies of our livestock everywhere in the village”, Khalif tells me as he points to a heap of animal carcasses not far from his home.

Close to 9 million livestock in the Horn of Africa have died due to the drought, shattering the livelihoods upon which so many pastoral families depend. I saw many carcasses of animals, some quite fresh, during my travel in Somalia and Kenya.

No food to eat

The situation is the same in Kenya. During my trip to Kilifi County along the coast of Kenya, I came across acute cases of hunger. In one homestead at Kasangatifu village, the family had nothing to eat and were depending on food being cooked at the local mosque. That evening it was porridge made from maize floor. Each family gets just one jug of porridge to share among themselves.

In a nearby home, Saida’s family was preparing a dinner of boiled bananas and a cup of tea made from local herbs. This was their only meal for the day, pitifully little to sustain the family.

In Garissa County of Kenya, people have been forced to share their food with animals. At Shimbire Village, Garissa County, I saw thin, weak goats being fed on maize. Camels that are known to be very hardy and can survive droughts are also dying.

When I talked to Mohamed, he told me that they have lost very many animals and that has affected their diet. “We no longer have the meat and milk that we used to get from our livestock.”

In Ethiopia, nearly 10 million people do not know where their next meal is coming from. Their stories are like those in I heard in Kenya and Somalia.

Islamic Relief is a lifeline in the Horn of Africa

I have witnessed first-hand the effects of drought. The food that we sometimes take for granted is a privilege for millions of people. As we mark World Food Day there are many people in the Horn of Africa – and indeed, around the world – who cannot afford a plate of food.

Islamic Relief is on the ground working in these 3 countries. We are providing water through trucks, digging and repairing boreholes. We are also giving nutritional supplements and cash to families so that they can buy some food and other essential items.

To reach more people who have been affected by the drought, Islamic Relief has launched the Horn of Africa Appeal. We are calling upon you for support. Please donate now.