Maryan Mohamed from Somalia. Photo: Abdullahi Hassan
Hunger crisis in East Africa
Millions of people are at risk of starvation. Oxfam is on the ground.
The people of the Horn, East and Central Africa are facing a deeply alarming hunger crisis. Extreme climatic conditions have caused widespread food and water shortages and more than 45 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. One person currently dies of hunger every 28 seconds and more than six million children are facing, or already suffering from, acute malnutrition.
"We had to leave our village because my daughter's condition was getting worse"
Says Maryan Mohamed from Somalia who had to leave her home to look for water and food because her daughter - like 1.8 million children in Somalia - is suffering from malnutrition.
A combination of extreme climatic conditions, covid-19 and conflict
Climate change has caused severe drought and exacerbated an already dire humanitarian situation, in a region plagued by conflict, covid-19 and the worst invasion of locusts in 70 years. Rising food and fuel costs due to the war in Ukraine further complicate the situation.
Many harvests have failed and millions of livestock - on which nomadic families depend for food and livelihoods - are emaciated or dead. More than 13 million people have been displaced in search of water and pasture, while millions more have been forced to flee their farmlands and homes by conflict.
Nearly 30 million people are at risk of extreme hunger, and more than 45 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. The situation has worsened in 2022 and if aid is not forthcoming, it is feared that the situation will get even worse in 2023.
"In my 40 years, I have never seen anything like what is happening here in Akobo. In the last four years it has been either flood, drought, famine, violence or COVID-19. It is just too much. I am tired of living. If it continues like this, I doubt my girls will grow up."
Nyadang Martha, South Sudan
Millions are in need of urgent support:
Kenya
In Kenya, crop production has fallen by 70% and the country has declared a national disaster. 1.4 million livestock deaths have been recorded. 3.1 million people are living in acute hunger and in need of assistance. Women and children are hardest hit, with gender-based violence and child marriage on the rise.
People from Rawana village collecting water, Kenya. Photo: Mark Wahwai/Oxfam
South Sudan
In South Sudan, people eat leaves from bushes to survive the day. For the sixth year in a row, the country has been hit by severe floods that have destroyed crops, homes and infrastructure. It is estimated that 2.3 million people have been forced to leave their homes. Half the population - over 7 million people - are already suffering from extreme hunger.
Mammy lives in a refugee camp after fleeing her home village with her four children in South Sudan. The extreme drought has caused food shortages and violence. Photo: Dominic Kango/Oxfam
Somalia
In Somalia, the rains have failed for five consecutive seasons. 90% of the country is suffering from severe drought, the worst in nearly half a century, leading to crop failure and livestock deaths. People are dying of hunger, malnutrition and disease in the worst hunger crisis in living memory. The number of people living in famine-like conditions is already higher than during the 2011 famine, when more than a quarter of a million people died. Almost half of all children under five are acutely malnourished.
Ali, a farmer, sits by his fields. The crops are growing poorly due to the drought. Photo: Pablo Tosco / Oxfam Intermón
Ethiopia
In Ethiopia, food availability has not been so uncertain since 2016 and 9.4 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance. In the Somali region alone, water and food shortages are critical for 3.5 million people. Nearly a million animals have died, and nomadic families, who rely entirely on livestock for their survival, no longer have anything to live on.
Shamis Ali Dahir with his family. Due to the drought, all their livestock has died, and they have had difficulty growing crops. Photo: Petterik Wiggers / Oxfam
What Oxfam does in East Africa
Together with our partners, we are supporting millions of people with life-saving activities in the region. Our goal is to reach over 1.5 million people with emergency food, clean water, sanitation, cash assistance, shelter and roofs.
We also support communities to become more resilient in the face of climate change, by working on resilience building programs and providing sustainable and durable solutions for the future. Read more about our work on climate equity here.
Over 28 million people in the region are at risk of extreme hunger if the drought continues. People need your support! The easiest and most cost-effective way to support people affected by crises is to become a monthly donor. You will ensure that we can plan our work for the long term and support where the needs are greatest.
Act in solidarity
Shaima Ali with her baby Fahima, in South Sudan. Shaima and her family have fled the violent conflicts in Sudan. Photo: Herison Philip Osfaldo/Oxfam
Shaima Ali and her family are among the many Sudanese who have been forced to flee to South Sudan due to the violent conflicts. After a long journey, the challenges continued, and life in the camp where Shaima and her family live is fraught with hunger, disease and uncertainty. Oxfam is on the ground supporting people like Shaima, who sells charcoal to support her family.
"I used to have to go to the forest every day to collect firewood to sell. The journey is three hours long - and I was pregnant. With the cash support from Oxfam, I stopped going to the forest and started a small business instead."
Shaima Ali
