Hunger Crisis in East Africa

In East Africa, millions of families are battling hunger, malnutrition, destroyed livelihoods, and poverty, brought on by COVID-19, floods, mass displacement, and the most aggressive plague of locusts in seven decades.

Saving livelihoods and food sources

To help the region deal with locusts:

• World Vision equipped community leaders to train others on diversifying crops, managing livestock and crops to reduce loss, and implementing a low-cost land regeneration method to restore farmlands.
• More than 1,000 farmers in Kenya impacted by locusts received drought-tolerant seeds to help rebuild their livelihoods.
• Households received cash assistance to help them meet their basic needs.

Recovering from floods

In response to floods that have left thousands of people in makeshift shelters, World Vision distributed food, non-food items (such as kitchen utensils, blankets, and hygiene supplies), seeds and farming equipment, and cash vouchers.

In displacement camps, we focused on providing proper sanitation facilities and ensuring people had access to clean drinking water, whether through new water systems or water purification methods. For example, 3,872 people in displacement camps in Somalia received wheelbarrows, rakes, brooms, and protective gloves to improve sanitation conditions, and 3,000 people learned about proper hygiene.

Protecting families in South Sudan

Since 2016, intercommunal fighting in South Sudan has forced many people out of their homes. The situation has put children at risk of abduction, violence, and psychosocial distress. We also are witnessing a significant need for women and girls to access gender-based violence-prevention services.

Our response included:

• Training social workers on child protection and gender-based violence
• Informing 52,514 people about child protection issues through health centers and door-to-door visits
• Setting up Child-Friendly Spaces, giving 1,429 children outlets to play, learn, and express their feelings
• Empowering 149 women with literacy and life skills, and distributing feminine hygiene kits to 218 women

Photo caption

Since floods forced Elseba (seated) and her family from their home, they have been staying at a makeshift camp. They were cold and hungry until they received food, blankets, sleeping mats, cooking utensils, and money from World Vision. Elseba no longer struggles to feed her family, and she is saving money to rebuild her home.