East Africa Hunger Crisis: Concern's Response

For years, communities across the Horn of Africa have endured recurrent humanitarian crises stemming from a combination of factors such as conflict, food insecurity, displacement, and the profound effects of climate change.Countries in this region, including Somalia, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and parts of Sudan and South Sudan, have experienced challenges in providing necessities like food, water, and healthcare to their populations. There are high levels of food insecurity across the region, with the number of internally displaced people (IDPs) continuing to grow. 

On April 15, 2023, violent clashes between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in Sudan’s capital of Khartoum sparked a nationwide conflict that has quickly become one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises. Over a year later, nearly half of the country’s population requires some form of humanitarian assistance and the situation shows no signs of improving. In March of 2024, the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs warned that the country will soon be the site of the world’s worst hunger crisis. 

Conflict and political instability play significant roles in exacerbating humanitarian needs in the region. Armed conflicts disrupt livelihoods, displace populations, and strain resources, making it difficult for humanitarian organizations to access affected communities and provide aid.There is a domino effect of humanitarian crises created by conflicts. Our multi-faceted response to this complex crisis includes: 

• Supporting healthcare facilities 

• Providing emergency cash transfers 

• Mainstreaming protection services for children 

• Providing cholera response kits and related supplies 

• Providing medical supplies and medicine, including RUTF 

• Distribution of food kits 

• Cash support  

We work with local partners and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs) in response to various emergency situations in Sudan. Our team completes comprehensive needs assessments in partnership with local community stakeholders and provides non-food item (NFI) kits. These distributions may include items like plastic sheeting for shelter, cooking utensils and mosquito nets. Our team in West Darfur successfully moved ten tons of medical supplies to equip health centers with vital medicines, vaccines, equipment, and PPE. We've also expanded our health and nutrition programs to the Red Sea state, operating two mobile clinics with the aim of reaching tens of thousands of people with vital medical support. 

The ongoing war in Sudan continues to worsen an already existing humanitarian crisis and affect millions. As we enter the summer months of 2024, over 10.7 million people have fled the ongoing war in Sudan, including 1.7 million into neighboring countries like Chad and South Sudan– despite these countries also facing major challenges of their own. Many of those forced to flee the violence have found themselves caught between a war and a flood.  

“The situation in northern South Sudan is dire, exacerbated by the continuous influx of refugees from neighboring Sudan, where conflict rages unabated,” said Concern’s South Sudan Country Director, Zlatko Gegic. 

Humanitarian organizations, including Concern Worldwide, UN agencies, and local organizations, work tirelessly to provide emergency relief, food aid, healthcare, and support for livelihoods to those affected by these crises in the Horn of Africa. However, challenges persist due to ongoing conflicts, logistical difficulties, and funding shortages. We continue to grapple with new challenges as they arise and remain steadfast in our commitment to uplift vulnerable communities across the region, but the truth is that we need as much support as we can get.  

As we embark upon a new year, an unfortunate truth we face is that the catastrophic humanitarian crisis in East Africa, also known as the Horn of Africa, continues to persist--and while insecurities are rising, international attention and funds for this region are dwindling. Overlapping crises are working together to increase hunger. The complex crisis faced in East Africa today stems from a combination of the effects of climate change, global conflict, and widespread food insecurity. 

It is estimated that 40 million people across the region rely on humanitarian assistance, many of which depend on it as their lifeline. Concern Worldwide has maintained a presence throughout the region for decades, and in 2024 we remain committed to alleviating the undeserved suffering of those that may have been forgotten about by the world. This ongoing emergency relentlessly impacts tens of millions of people, underscoring the urgent need to act swiftly to save lives. 

The ramifications of the worst drought the region has experienced in the last 40 years will impact affected communities for generations to come. Rain shortages destroyed crops, caused widespread livestock deaths, and dried up water sources. In a region where pastoralism and agriculture are heavily relied on as sources of livelihoods, this has had detrimental effects on families and their food sources. As though one climate-induced crisis was not enough to cripple this region, another was caused by the opposite of a drought...too much rain. When the much-anticipated rains finally did arrive in some parts of the region, they came in excess amounts, creating another crisis entirely. Heavy rains in parts of Ethiopia and Somalia caused dangerous flash floods in 2023, affecting over 2 million. In Somalia, excess rains caused the banks of the Shabelle River to break, causing hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes in search of safety. Over 312,000 Somalians were displaced by drought in the first four months of 2023, and over 408,000 were displaced by flooding in the last few. 

Concern supports over 500,000 people in the Horn of Africa through health and nutrition programs to navigate the impacts of these dangerous floods, distributing hygiene kits to affected households and aiming to reach thousands with cash transfers in coming months. Health and nutrition treatment, access to hygiene facilities and clean water sources and cash transfers are just a few of the ways Concern has helped mitigate the effects of this emergency. These erratic weather patterns are caused by climate change, and the way the Horn of Africa has been affected can be explained by the climate injustice experienced in the region. The combined carbon emissions of Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya contribute to a mere 0.1% of the global total, whereas the carbon emissions of the G20 accounts for 76%. In simpler terms, millions of people in East Africa are suffering the consequences of a climate emergency that they did not create. 

Various factors, including the lasting impacts of COVID-19, the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, and outbreaks of violence in the region, have disrupted supply chains, caused price spikes and exacerbated levels of insecurity. The region's prolonged history of conflict and decades of instability have weakened health systems and undermined key infrastructure. Insufficient sanitation facilities have created conditions for disease outbreaks such as cholera and diarrhea, emphasizing the importance of implementing WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programs to address public health emergencies. Amid ongoing conflicts and power struggles, governments struggle to respond effectively, underscoring the vital role of NGOs like Concern in supporting communities until they can achieve sustainable self-reliance. Our response is tailored to the everchanging needs of vulnerable communities across East Africa as they face one emergency after the next, and some of our activities across the region include:  

• Supporting healthcare workers in the screening and treatment for severe acute malnutrition across 870 health centers   
• The trucking of water, rehabilitation of hygiene facilities such as boreholes and latrines, promotion of best hygiene practices and the distribution of hygiene kits   
• Distributing food, shelter materials, emergency livestock feed and non-food items such as blankets, sleeping mats, cooking items, jerry cans, buckets, soap, and detergent  
• Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programming, disaster risk reduction, and climate resilience building interventions 

Concern remains resolute in our dedication to working closely with local partners and communities to put a halt to the worsening crisis in the Horn of Africa. Our work, enabled by the generosity of our institutional and individual donors, plays a crucial role in uplifting affected communities. With existing resources falling short of meeting increasing needs, there is another year of uncertainty ahead as we grapple with this multi-faceted emergency, and urgent support is paramount to saving lives.