Text A Donation To Fight East Africa’s Famine
East Africa is currently facing its worst drought in more than 60 years. The Untied Nations has declared a famine in the region, the first in a generation, which is expected to affect 11 million people. 800,000 children could die of malnutrition.
Further exacerbating the famine is the slow response from Western governments, local governments and militant groups blocking access to aid, violent attacks that hinder distributuon of aid, and short-sighted anti-terrorism laws that restrict who aid groups can deal with.
One immediate way to help is to text “FOOD” to UNICEF (864233) to donate $10, enough to feed a child for 10 days. Below are a dozen alternate relief organizations also working in the region. Please donate what you can.
1. International Medical Corps has teams on the ground in Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya to provide food, water, hygiene, sanitation and mental health services to people in refugee camps. Visit the website to donate from various countries or text “AFRICA” to 80888 to donate $10 to the group’s drought relief response from the United States.
2. In central Somalia, the International Rescue Committee is giving cash and other assistance to families whose livestock, pastures, and farmland have been decimated and helping to repair boreholes and wells for those left behind. In overcrowded camps in Kenya, the group has helped establish reception centers for newcomers to receive food, health screenings and medical referrals. In Ethiopia, the organization is bringing in water and installing water-supply systems in three camps serving 82,000 refugees. Visit the website to make a donation from various countries.
3. The United Nations World Food Programme has plans to airlift high energy biscuits and highly nutritious supplementary foods for children and pregnant or nursing mothers into southern Somalia. Donations can be made from various countries online or via text. To donate $10 from the United States, text “AID” to 27722.
4. World Vision is working to regain safe humanitarian access in south central Somalia where millions of children are in urgent need of food and assistance. The organization continues to implement programs in Somaliland and affected areas in Puntland. For families fleeing the drought, World Vision is providing nutrition supplements to malnourished children and improving healthcare and sanitation. To donate to relief efforts from the United States, visit the website, call 1-888-56-CHILD or text “4AFRICA” to 20222 to donate $10.
5. Oxfam America is responding to the crisis by providing life-saving water, sanitation services, food and money. The organization aims to reach 3 million people, including 700,000 in Ethiopia, 1.3 million in Kenya, and 500,000 in Somalia. Visit their website to donate from various countries.
6. Staff members from Catholic Relief Services are visiting a refugee camp in Dadaab in eastern Kenya and in surrounding communities that are hosting refugees. Workers are on the ground determining the level of food, water and sanitation needs. In Ethiopia, the group is leading a Joint Emergency Operational Plan that is feeding more than 400,000 people. Visit their website to make a donation from around the world or call 1-800-736-3467 in the U.S.
7. Mercy Corps has teams in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya distributing food and water and expanding critical relief efforts. The group is currently on the ground helping more than 150,000 people in the region survive. Visit the website to make a donation from various countries.
8. ShelterBox, which provides tents and essential supplies to people who have been displaced after disasters, has a response team in Ethiopia and a second team on the way to Kenya. The teams will be working with the Norwegian Refugee Council and Rotarians to establish how they can be of assistance during the crisis. To help, visit the website to donate from various countries or text “SHELTER” to 20222 from the U.S. for a one-time $10 donation.
9. Save the Children has launched a major humanitarian response in Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia feeding underweight children, providing life-saving medical treatment, and getting clean water to remote communities. Visit the website to donate from various countries or text “SURVIVE” to 20222 to donate $10 from the United States to Save the Children’s East Africa Drought and Food Crisis.
10. AmeriCares is preparing to send urgently needed medical aid to areas of East Africa. The organization will ship medicine and supplies to help medical teams serving refugees in Mogadishu. Visit the website to make a donation from various countries or call 1-800-486-HELP from the United States.
11. Doctors Without Borders is operating nine medical-nutritional programs in south-central Somalia. These programs, along with three projects in refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia, provide thousands of medical consultations each day. Teams are treating more than 10,000 severely malnourished children. Donations can be made online in the U.S.
12. CARE is reaching a million people affected by the food crisis in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia and working to provide emergency relief to another million. The organization is providing food, water and sanitation facilities in Ethiopia. In Somalia, CARE is rehabilitating water pans and shallow wells and operating cash-for-work programs. Visit the website to make a donation from various countries.
Four-year-old Luli Nunow, suffering from severe acute malnutrition, sits in a ward of the Medecins Sans Frontieres in Dadaab, Kenya, on July 22, 2011. (Phil Moore, AFP, Getty Images)
