Save the Children has appealed for additional funds to support longer-term resilience programming as millions of Ethiopians face hunger.
According to the child rights organisation, of the 22.6 million people estimated to be facing severe food shortages, more than half of them are reeling from climate-induced shocks.
Ethiopia is currently experiencing the fifth consecutive failed rainy season which has pushed the country into one of the world’s worst food crises as 3.9 million children are reported to be malnourished.
The crippling drought, according to Save the Children, is likely to lead to widespread and severe levels of food shortages through at least mid-2023 despite ongoing humanitarian aid.
This could lead to a spike in people facing the crisis or emergency levels of food insecurity in most parts of Ethiopia, and fuel high levels of malnutrition and even death.
‘There is no end in sight for the hunger crisis and hope is slowly fizzling out as families enter the January to March dry season with little hope for rainfall’, Save the Children’s Country Director for Ethiopia, Xavier Joubert, said.
‘Estimates show that the March to May 2023 rainfall will also be below average, leading to a dramatic increase in the number of people in need of emergency food aid and driving many into catastrophic levels of hunger.
‘While our teams are on the ground and doing whatever they can for children, there’s no doubt that the need has grown to an enormous scale’.
Photo source: Save the Children