AFSC Responds: Drought in the Horn of Africa

Somali refugees arrive in Dadaab

Somali refugees arrive in Dabaab Refugee camp hoping to find shelter like the structure at the rear.
Photo: UNHCR/A. Njuguna

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An escalating food crisis is taking place in the Horn of Africa, creating a situation where at least 10 million people are in need of emergency relief in the region. United Nations officials are calling this "the worst drought in the area in 60 years."

The American Friends Service Committee is working in the Dadaab refugee camp on the Somalia-Kenya border and with local partners inside Somalia to support lasting peace efforts before this food crisis began. Now, our work is adapting to help people survive the humanitarian crisis.

Your tax-deductible gift of $50, $100, or $250 – or whatever you can afford – can help us support Africans and others who are trying to survive the food crisis and the ongoing conflicts.

Our Somalia staff report that more than 1,000 people a day are arriving to the Dadaab camp. The Horn of Africa is facing the worst food crisis in the world today and Somalia is the hardest hit. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the combination of drought, conflict, and skyrocketing food prices has created the most acute crisis that Somalis have faced in the past 10 years.

In the short term, we will be coordinating work with our local partners to provide assistance and assessing the situation to see how we can best be of service in addressing local needs.

By making a gift to AFSC, you can help us respond to this growing humanitarian crisis and maintain our programs that provide the skills for quality livelihoods and conflict resolution that helps lead to lasting peace in Somalia and in the surrounding region.

We will keep you updated as our plans evolve. In the meantime, please join with us in holding all those living in the Horn of Africa in the Light.

Update: The United Nations has declared famine in five regions of southern Somalia.