More than 18m people in Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Chad & Burkina Faso face struggle for food

The Disasters Emergency Committee is extremely concerned about the worsening food crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa. There are more than 18 million people under threat in arid areas of Mauritania, Niger, Mali, Chad and Burkina Faso. Erratic rainfall has contributed to a lack of grazing for animals and below average harvests in some areas. This in turn has resulted in unseasonably high market prices for grain, putting staple foods increasingly out of reach for many people.

DEC member Age International is supporting older people in southern Ethiopia affected by the 2011 drought with cash payments to help them recover and rebuild their lives. The project has been funded by the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal and led to the building of water capture ponds as a resource for the community while providing paid work for for family members of local elders.

Executive Summary

1. Background to the RTE

An evaluation by independent experts published today has found that overall the early stages of the DEC-funded response by its member agencies to the crisis in East Africa was efficient and effective. It also found however that the global response to the crisis which preceded the DEC Appeal had been slow and late.

Using DEC funds our member agencies have provided assistance to over 1.8million earthquake survivors in Haiti.

Kath Hindley, Deputy Chief Executive of the DEC, recently visited Borena, in south Ethiopia with DEC members Oxfam, Merlin and Age UK partner HelpAge International to see first hand how donations to the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal are being spent delivering aid to communities affected by the drought in East Africa.

Appeal one of the most generously supported in DEC history after 100 days.

Brendan Paddy DEC Communications Manager

The DEC has announced that the East Africa Crisis Appeal has raised £72m in the 100 days since it was launched on 8 July.

DEC appeal funds and money from other sources has allowed the DEC member agencies and their partners to provide aid to nine million people in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.

The DEC launched the appeal in July to help the people of East Africa who are suffering in the worst drought of the last 60 years. The latest figure for donations raised by the UK public is £53 million.

The DEC launched the appeal in July to help the people of East Africa who are suffering in the worst drought of the last 60 years. The latest figure for donations raised by the UK public is £53 million.

The DEC continues to raise money for the 12 million people in East Africa suffering through the worst drought in 60 years which has resulted in a famine in parts of south Somalia.

Through the great generosity of the UK public the DEC East Africa Crisis Appeal has now raised £45 million. Part of this total represents a new milestone of more than £1 million raised from text donations sent from mobile phones, a 500% rise, signalling a stronger appetite to give to good causes in a new way.