Dear Friends and Partners,

We are writing to inform you that unfortunately the Horn of Africa is facing another incredible drought and famine emergency due to El Nino climate event, that is affecting many African countries like Somalia, Northern Kenya and Ethiopia. The current emergency is even worse that the last of 2011 and till now there is not enough communication about it in the international media. The UN Dispatch has defined it has the worst drought in 60 years, affecting harvests, livestock and of course human beings.

Today, more than 10.4 million of Ethiopian people in different regions are affected by this severe drought, and this is documented by official international documents (OCHA – UN, and others).

Due to the climate change and its negative consequences on the land, millions of people are leaving or are planning to leave the countryside and so pouring into cities, especially Addis Ababa or Mekelle, where they cannot find any assistance, neither shelters or basic services. In this vulnerable situation, where they cannot find any alternative, many of them become desperate and easily fall into the networks of human traffickers and become victims of exploitation and of a path that leads to death, in the desert, in Libya or in the Mediterranean see. This situation contributes to increase the flows of illegal migrations and to enrich human traffickers.

SDB and VIS have received many heartfelt appeals by local organisations and institutions working on the field (Diocese of Adigrat, Diocese of Meki, Don Gianmaria Memoria Development Association in the Somali Region, Salesian institutes in Soddo and Dilla, etc…). We have collected information about the situation of the crisis in Somali Region trying to put in place an emergency action plan.

Thanks to their partners, SDB and VIS have been constantly updated about the situation in the concerned areas and last news have confirmed that there is an urgent need of humanitarian aid especially in the most remote areas of Tigray, Somali Region, Oromia and Southern Nation.

In front of such a big crisis, VIS and SDB will be working together to help people overcoming the problems linked to the shortage of food and water, by involving all the local partners (other religious congregations, schools, kindergartens, clinics, women centers, and so on), who can help us assisting the needy.

Please find below some important information concerning the emergency situation and the related action plan. If needed, we can provide you with further details.

We hope that we can count on your generous help as it was in the past, and that our urgent request of help will be considered by you as soon as possible.

Sincerely yours,

Cesare Bullo Nico Lotta

Chief of PDO Ethiopia President of VIS