Help for the people affected by the ongoing hunger crisis
Your donation to combat famine in Africa
More than 35 million people are at risk of hunger in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa. The people in this region lack everything. Many children are undernourished or malnourished. Caritas helps those affected to ensure their survival. Let us tackle this humanitarian catastrophe - together against famine.
«There is really a lack of everything»
Chad is one of the poorest countries in the world. Climate change is further exacerbating the nutrition situation. The recurring hunger crises demand everything from the families - including that of Bourdjo Albachar.
«We have neither enough food nor enough milk or water. There is really a lack of everything. For us and for the animals.»Bourdjo AlbacharMother of Eight Children
Bourdjo Albachar tells us this thoughtfully. When her children are big enough, she sends them – with a heavy heart – to Ati to beg so that the family does not starve.
The nomadic shepherdess used to roam the countryside with her family. But since the drought took hold, life has become different. The cattle found less and less food on the parched pastures until they eventually died. Since then, the family has settled down and lives from farming. A remendous challenge, because even the barren fields bring less and less harvest.
Parched soil, rising prices and malnourished children
The climate crisis is threatening people in Chad and other countries in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa more than anywhere else in the world. Hardly any rain has fallen in this region for five years. The soils have withered. Under these circumstances, farming families are no longer able to do agriculture or keep livestock.
The emergency situation is further aggravated by increased food prices due to high inflation and the effects of the war in Ukraine.This is because Ukraine is one of the world's largest grain exporters.
Many people no longer know where to get their next meal. According to the UN, one million people are at acute risk of starvation. Even basic staples have become unaffordable. Due to the lack of food and nutrients, many children are chronically undernourished and malnourished.
The emergency aid of Caritas
In order for the population to survive and secure their nutrition, Caritas and its partner organizations provide urgently needed emergency aid in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa:
- Thanks to emergency cash assistance, people can buy food and meet urgent basic needs, as well as provide for their protection and livelihood restoration.
- At training sessions, families learn how to strengthen their children with local food and preserve their health. In this way, malnutrition in children can be identified and prevented at an early stage.
- The distribution of millet and drought-resistant seeds for corn, sorghum or onions contributes to people's food security.
- We also give goats and fodder to families, because milk strengthens the health of the whole family.
With emergency aid, we bridge the acute period of hunger for the people. But climate change is progressing steadily. That is why Caritas Switzerland remains at the side of the people in these countries for the long term. Please support our work. Thank you very much for your generosity.
Further Information
Header image: Malnourished and undernourished children abound in the region due to food and water shortages. © Simon Huber