Rising prices and shortages are worsening Ethiopia’s food crisis, according to latest assessments.
Reports from the UN and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network shows that people living in Amhara, Tigray, Oromia and the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Regions are among those being severely affected.
New admissions of children with severe malnutrition are still high in two regions.
13-month-old Abusch Arficho, who lives in the Ethiopian village of Gubana, receives a food supplement called Plumpy Nut. Picture: Eleanor Bentall/Tearfund
Every week some 3,600 severely malnourished children are being admitted to life-saving feeding programmes in the Southern Nations, Nationalities and People’s Region alone.
Many poor families are finding their problems are being compounded by their purchasing power not being able to keep pace with food prices.
Worryingly, food prices are predicted to rise by 10 per cent a month between now and January, coming at a time when millions of people are suffering hunger after crop failures earlier in the year.
Across Ethiopia, northern Kenya, Somalia and Uganda, some 17 million people are affected by food insecurity due to drought hitting livestock and crops.
Rocketing food prices at markets like this in Ethiopia have put the squeeze on hard-pressed families. Picture: Eleanor Bentall/Tearfund
Tearfund has launched an emergency appeal for the region and is working with church partners to respond in the areas of greatest need.
In Ethiopia, we’re channelling appeal funds to provide food-for-work schemes and emergency feeding programmes to severely malnourished children and their families.
With your support, we’ve so far spent £200,000 on seed distribution in Angatcha, given £50,000 towards an emergency feeding response there and provided £100,000 for food-for-work in neighbouring Wolaitta.
The hope is that seeds planted now will secure the next harvest due around October.