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Ethiopia Could See Another Severe Famine This Summer
Eight million Ethiopians are at serious risk of famine in the next six months.
The short "belg" rains, which were due in Ethiopia from January to March, didn't come. This adds to the misery of a population for whom there
has been no normal rainfall now in three years.
Without immediate, large-scale relief, the situation will be worse in July than it was in the 1984-86 famine, whose images many remember from
television coverage of starving children.
World Vision has declared this a complex humanitarian emergency and its offices throughout Africa and around the world are mobilizing a quick
response.
World Vision's office in Ethiopia plans to provide 47,300 tons of food in the coming months to around 400,000 of the most affected people in the areas
under its care. This initial phase alone may cost $10 million; but the needs are likely to increase with time.
The key to averting this terrible catastrophe is in the swiftness and professionalism of the international response. World Vision, with a long and
respected history of community-based development work in Ethiopia, has a big part to play.
Please pray for the people of Ethiopia, for the government and aid workers, and for World Vision staff as they reach out in love to the suffering millions.
Famine and Frigid Weather in Mongolia
More than 500,000 Mongolians have been severely affected during one of the harshest winters in 30 years. The winter follows a summer of drought. This combination of weather extremes has resulted in the recent deaths of more than 1.6 million animals - the sole source of livelihood for the majority of the population affected by the disaster.
Winter temperatures dipping below -30 degrees F are usually tolerable for Mongolia's 2.7 million residents. But with the deaths of their livestock, the 1.3 million rural dwellers have become extremely vulnerable to the conditions.
They've lost their means of transportation (horses and camels), their heating material (dung), and their food, since most of the people depend heavily on milk and meat products for their dietary requirements. These conditions are likely to get worse in April and May, and economists estimate that long-term effects will continue for five years.
Spring is the harshest of all seasons in Mongolia. It is cold, dry, and extremely windy with frequent dust storms and occasional snow falls. Pasture growth does not typically begin until late May.
Snow is still covering 90 percent of the country, and animals lay scattered across the land where they have fallen from exhaustion, hunger, and cold.
Herders are desperately trying to get hay supplements to their animals. It is estimated that another 2 to 3 million animals will die in the coming months.
Following relief assessments, World Vision has launched an initial response. From its operations in the city of Bulgan, World Vision has distributed
100 tons of fodder and 500 tons of hay to the seven worst affected counties in the western provinces. Oral rehydration solution to mitigate the effects of diarrhea is also being provided.
Similar distributions will continue as resources become available.
By keeping livestock alive, rural families stand a much better chance of surviving the next two months. However, with the loss of more than a million livestock already, "creeping malnutrition" is predicted to continue for the next 12 months.
Please remember the people of Mongolia in your prayers. Pray especially for the most vulnerable groups - the elderly, female-headed households, small herders, and children.
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