Once again hunger is threatening the lives
of many in southern and eastern Ethiopia. According to the World Food Program,
more than 15 million people in Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan, Kenya,
Djibouti, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda and Tanzania are facing a humanitarian
crisis.
Ethiopia last faced a tragedy of this
proportion in 1984 - 85 that, when 1 million people starved to death. Steps
taken since then have ensured sufficient food, but three years of drought
have destroyed crops and killed off livestock.
Baptist World Aid (BWAid), the relief and development arm of the Baptist World Alliance is working with partner agencies to bring relief.
The Mekane Yesus Ethiopian Evangelical Church is involved in relief work, and this is being supported by churches around the world through the Action by Churches Together (ACT) network. Christian Balslev-Olesen, the general secretary of DanChurchAid was recently in Ethiopia and reported "Ethiopia has the infrastructure in place, a very good monitoring system, experienced nongovernmental organizations, and a very organized society at local level. There's no excuse for the international community to let people die here."
ACT has issued an appeal for $32 million in relief supplies for Ethiopia, including food, seeds and tools.