Jersey sends £375k to combat drought in the Horn of Africa

Tuesday 10 January 2023

Jersey is sending £375,000 to help people in the Horn of Africa as they deal with one of the most severe droughts in almost 40 years, which has left more than 20m people with limited access to food.

The money sent by Jersey Overseas Aid - the island’s publicly-funded relief and development agency - is heading to Care International, the British Red Cross and UNICEF, which are providing assistance to those impacted by the drought.

“A fifth consecutive failed rainy season is significantly impacting livelihoods leading to acute food insecurity and a sharp rise in malnutrition, including 6.5million children who are severely malnourished,” said Jersey’s Minister for International Development, Deputy Carolyn Labey.  

“Jersey funds will enhance ongoing humanitarian interventions and provide a lifeline to thousands who are at the forefront of this crisis, the scale of which has not been seen in decades.”

Pictured: Deputy Carolyn Labey, Minister for International Development.

The desperate situation, which has placed millions at risk of not being able to access enough food, has been worsened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, with both countries being major sources of wheat, and sharp increases in food and fuel prices.

The drought also comes at a time when the region is already vulnerable from the shocks of recent conflict and subsequent mass displacement, locust infestations, extreme weather events, and the pandemic.

£200,000 of JOA funding will go towards Care International to help approximately 36,000 refugees in Dadaab with cash transfers, the rehabilitation of key water systems, and the distribution of menstrual hygiene kits and therapeutic supplements to combat malnutrition.

Care International’s Assistant Country Director - Program, Mwende Kusewa, said: “This is a crucial time for Kenya. They have endured four consecutive failed harvests, with predictions that unless immediate action is taken, a fifth will follow.

"With support from Jersey Overseas Aid, this project will respond to the immediate humanitarian need, providing families with food and essential services, and strengthen community resilience to drought, providing clean water and helping farmers adapt to the changing weather to improve crop production.”

The British Red Cross and UNICEF will both receive £87,500 to help people in Kenya and Somalia respectively.

Pictured top: Ladies collecting water in Dadaab, Kenya (Care International).