Earlier this month, the United Nations declared that “famine is at the door” in Somalia, where the worst drought in four decades is currently devastating the country, leaving hundreds of thousands of Somalians malnourished and hundreds of children dead.
The Horn of Africa, which is made up of Somalia, Kenya, Sudan, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Djibouti, has been ravished by drought, political unrest, inflation, and climate change. The effects of three to four seasons with little to no rainfall have been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, which, along with Russia, is one of the top producers of wheat and grain in the world. Somalia imports 92% of their wheat from these countries, and is now struggling to accommodate for the shortage. Inflation runs rampant, and 7.7 million people are estimated to be in need of food aid in Somalia alone.
I sat down to speak with Mohamed Idris, the executive director of Twin Cities-based ARAHA (American Relief Agency for the Horn of Africa). ARAHA is an NGO that provides both immediate crisis relief through food, water, and medical aid as well as long-term development in the form of education, self sufficiency projects, and access to clean water. The organization has field offices on the ground in Somalia in Mogadishu and in Somaliland, as well as Kenya, Ethiopia, and Sudan.
Idris visited The Horn of Africa in June along with program director Jordan Greene as part of a regular visit to check on projects and talk to their teams in person. He said that he was devastated by what he saw in the Horn.
This isn’t the first famine or drought to decimate Somalia in recent years. Approximately 250,000 people died in the 2011 famine, half of whom were children. Similar to today, the famine followed three consecutive seasons without adequate rainfall. That famine was also predicted several months before its onset.
By the time the famine had reached international attention, Idris said it was too late to prevent disaster.
“You have to read thousands of people dying to make the headlines. At that time it is too late to intervene because by that time people have moved from their villages,” Idris said. “Now they need more than food and water. They need shelter, they need protection, they need help.”
Idris said that the current situation in the Horn of Africa is expected to be worse than the 2011 famine in Somalia because a greater area will be affected by drought and food scarcity. Currently in Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia, more than 15 million people are experiencing food insecurity. 3.6 million livestock have already died in Kenya and Ethiopia alone.
“You are talking about people who do not have jobs, they have livestock that they rely on,” said Idris. “Now the livestock is dying or getting very weak – this affects the whole [population] especially children and pregnant and lactating mothers because their diets rely on meat and milk.”
Idris and his team are doing what they can to prevent as many deaths and displacements as possible. Through funds raised by donations, ARAHA’s teams on the ground distribute food baskets to families in need, which normally include rice or flour purchased from local vendors, cooking oil, and milk powder for children. They also provide water in areas most affected by drought. Over the past 20 years, ARAHA has installed 500 simple hand-pumped water wells across the Horn, as well as building solar water wells, installing water catchments at schools, and building Sand dams.
Minnesotans (and others) are able to help ARAHA continue to provide aid to the region through donation packages on the organization’s website. A donation of $100 will provide food baskets and water and is able to sustain a family for an entire month. Other donation options are also available on their website.
Other organizations around the Twin Cities are also mobilizing to provide aid to those in the Horn. Here are other organizations you can donate to:
- Humanitarian African Relief Organization (HARO): HARO provides urgent humanitarian relief as well as long-term solutions to systemic issues throughout the Horn of Africa. Fields of assistance range from emergency response, orphan care, education, to unexpected situations such as drought or floods. They also help find employment opportunities for youth across the region.
- Read Horn of Africa: This Minnesota-based organization aims to provide life-sustaining services to the Horn of Africa, focusing on women and children. Read Horn of Africa partners with local communities to find local solutions to local problems, mainly by providing access to education, water, and basic health services. During times of drought and famine, they provide food, shelter, and other assistance to rural communities and internally displaced people.
- Somali Famine Relief Fund: The Somali Famine Relief Fund, a partnership between Somali Week, Super Eid, and HARO, focuses on bringing resources to people and places in greatest need of support. They work with local organizations on the ground to deliver supplies.