NEWS

Over 10 million people are affected by a severe drought in Somalia, Kenya, Djibouti and Ethiopia.
The Bulgarian Red Cross is very concerned about the situation across the Horn of Africa. Therefore, the National Society is contributing 5 000 CHF from our own funds to support the efforts of the Kenyan Red Cross and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

The drought situation remains severe and vulnerability is increasing across the Horn of Africa.

This severity is caused by conflict, insecurity, poverty and then made worse by drought. In some parts of the Horn, the drought exacerbates poverty and creates food insecurity through loss of livestock and income. While some of the immediate stress can be relieved through emergency food and water interventions, there is a responsibility to understand and address the causes of the persistent vulnerability, by building long-term resilience.

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies Response:
The IFRC is currently supporting National Societies in their respective, country-led response.

The IFRC is supporting National Societies across the Horn of Africa to meet both the emergency needs of this drought, and long-term needs for the on-going cycle of droughts. The Kenyan Red Cross Society launched an APPEAL 22 July 2011 ‘Drought & Food Insecurity’: CHF 14,692,020 in cash, kind, or services to assist about 1,000,000 beneficiaries for 12 months.

Appeal activities include:

• Emergency assistance including water and food to the most affected communities

• Access to healthcare – particularly for mothers and children

• Food for children attending schools

• Maintaining local water supplies with irrigation and borehole initiatives

• Support to pastoralists in their transition to more viable livelihoods such as irrigated agriculture

• Assistance for rural migrants

• Year-round operations that aim to build community resilience and mitigate the impact of future droughts

International Committee of the Red Cross Response:
The Somali Red Crescent and the ICRC are providing assistance in the drought affected areas of southern Somalia. ICRC BUDGET EXTENSION APPEAL 3 August 2011 ‘SOMALIA’: CHF 120,502,000

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