Press releases
9th Aug 2017
In response to new figures released by the Government of Ethiopia, which show that 8.5 million people are facing severe hunger, Oxfam’s Humanitarian Program Manager in Ethiopia, Manish Kumar said:
‘Yet another poor rainy season, the third in a row, has plunged 700,000 more people into crippling hunger and are on the verge of starvation in southern Ethiopia. People are fast running out of food. A deadly mix of severe malnutrition coupled with acute watery diarrhoea could put thousands of lives at risk, particularly the elderly and children. People will have to wait until the next rains in October for any reprieve. Urgent action is needed to prevent this crisis from turning into a catastrophe.
“Whilst the government has responded to the crisis, the scale of need is overwhelming and rising. Of the $1.25 billion needed to provide food, water and other life-saving assistance, less than 40 percent is funded. The international community needs to step up their efforts and fully fund the humanitarian appeal so that people can get the help they need now.”
/Ends
Notes to editors:
Full details of the Humanitarian Response Document by the Government of Ethiopia can be found here: http://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/ethiopia_humanitarian_requirements_document_mid-year_review_2017.pdf
Oxfam is providing life-saving aid in the most remote locations in seven zones of the Somali region, south of the country. As of 07 August, we have delivered clean safe water and cash assistance for over 653,000 people as well as provided treatment and vaccinations for 212,000 livestock. Our response has various integrated WASH and livelihood actions that involve constructions of strategic bore-holes, latrines and sanitation and hygiene awareness.
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