10 million face starvation due to East African drought

“More than 10 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and the newly-formed Republic of South Sudan have been left in need of food, water and emergency healthcare because of one of the worst droughts in 60 years. Hundreds of thousands of people have fled Somalia due to the drought and conflict, parts of the country are now afflicted by famine.”From DEC.org.

I don’t know about you, but reading something like this makes me feel unbelievably lucky to be British. I have had a free education up till the age of 18, I have had free medication as a child when I needed it, free dental health care, and always had a hospital available to me. My parents have always been able to afford to get groceries in, and even when my father was out of work, the government supported him. These are things which I often take for granted, as I’m sure many others also do. But reading something like this, along with all the other articles and reports on the news, and what I have learned in my geography lessons, makes me stomach turned. The contrast in lifestyles between mine and someone living in Somalia or Ethiopia is just devastating.

Healthcare is a human right. Education is a human right. Food and clean water is a basic human right. And yet these are things which many people in African countries go without. Malnutrition levels are as high as 50% in some regions of Somalia following two years of drought.

“Somalia is hardest hit, with the UN declaring a famine in its Bakool and Lower Shabelle regions. At least six out of 10,000 children are dying every day in Somalia, the UN says.”From the BBC News website.

After receiving an email from the Conservative party this morning about making donations via the DEC website, I promptly headed on over. I donated £100 – hopefully that money will be able to help feed some of the millions of starving people, where it would have otherwise have only been spent on taxis and alcohol. I feel like it was a fare compromise on my behalf.

Please, even if you can give as little as £5, every bit helps. Donate today at DEC website.


This has been copied from my external blog.