Tag Archives: East Africa food crisis

GLOBAL GLIMPSE — Disaster response in 5 hotspots around the globe

Posted on August 17, 2011 by Larry Short, World Vision media relations in Disaster Relief

Providing you with a quick snapshot of what’s happening in five hotspots around the globe — where your generous support is literally helping people cope with and recover from disasters and crisis situations. Thank you and please continue to stand by us as we respond to multiple disasters around the world. Drought and famine in the Horn of Africa (current) The first UN-declared famine of the 21st century, caused by a convergence of political strife, drought, and increasing global food prices, is affecting more than 12 million people in four countries in the Horn of Africa: Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti. More than 30,000 children from Somalia alone have perished of acute malnutrition and other related illnesses during the past...

Photo journal: 24 hours in Somalia

Posted on August 16, 2011 by Jon Warren in Disaster Relief

August 15, 2011 — Jon Warren, World Vision U.S. photo director, writes from Somalia during his 24-hour stay: It would be easy to write about the flight from Nairobi to Somalia — the hulk of 17,057′ Mt Kenya looming beside the airplane, the transition from cool rain to blasting desert heat, the pleasure of meeting World Vision’s dedicated Somali and Kenyan staff, and the seriousness of a security briefing that I listened very closely to. But a quick visit to nearby camps for drought and conflict refugees reminded why it’s so important that I do this blog post. Those numbers we keep hearing about — took on faces. As we drove 8 hours today over bumpy, dusty roads, Somalia seems...

Scenes from a Kenyan refugee camp

Posted on August 11, 2011 by Peter Warski in Disaster Relief

A new World Vision report indicates that nearly half of the children surveyed in drought-devastated northern Kenya had eaten no food for a full day. Those separated from their parents have fared even worse. Children are now begging by the roadside as they fight for survival, putting themselves at risk of violence and sexual abuse. Students are failing to attend class as they work on construction sites or walk with livestock to find pasture. Young girls are being married off to raise money. Jon Warren, World Vision’s award-winning photo director, is traveling in East Africa to document the emergency hunger situation and highlight World Vision’s work in the region. The photos below are from Dadaab, the largest refugee camp in...

[Bolivia bloggers] Day 4: A world apart but the same at heart

Posted on August 3, 2011 by Carla Swanson Gawthrop in Causes, Child Sponsorship, Stories

The following was written last night, on day 4 of the Bolivia bloggers trip in Cochabamba. Tonight I got an email from a colleague with a note from Charles Owubah, World Vision’s regional leader in East Africa. All I could thinks was this: my mind has been consumed with the people we’ve met here in Bolivia. Now I’m reminded of the 11.5 million people there affected by the drought. Charles tells the story of one of them: Atabo. “Yesterday I was in Lokori, Turkana East, in North Eastern Kenya where I met Atabo Ekaale. Atabo is one-year-old but looks like six months old because he has almost nothing to eat. His mother, Lorenyi, is desperate because she wants her son to...

Debt ceiling debate: Why foreign aid is an issue of ‘right-wrong,’ not ‘right-left’

Posted on July 29, 2011 by Peter Warski in Advocacy

The International Affairs Budget provides life-saving assistance to children and families living in poverty. Photo: Jon Warren/WV

Consider what you’ve heard in the news over the past several weeks regarding the ongoing impasse over the nation’s debt ceiling. You’ve probably heard a great deal about spending cuts, versus tax increases, versus any combination thereof. You’ve likely heard about the August 2 deadline for raising the limit, lest the United States default on its debts and risk an economic meltdown. In the midst of this, you’ve almost certainly observed a soap opera of political posturing and bickering among members of both parties. But what you probably haven’t heard much about in the context of this debate is the group that stands to lose the most: the world’s poorest, who literally depend on U.S. foreign aid for their survival....