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Ethiopia

Christian Children's Fund Ethiopia alert

Dear Sponsor,
As we enter the New Year, CCF urgently needs emergency contributions for the emerging famine and humanitarian disaster in Ethiopia. Perhaps you have already read the first news reports:

Children are beginning to appear malnourished and thin; families are selling possessions to buy food; and cattle carcasses litter the landscape. Now should be the height of the Ethiopian grain harvest but the fields are barren.

As you know, Ethiopia has experienced a series of devastating droughts and accompanying famines since 1978 with the last one being in 2000. The nation's infrastructure is near collapse.

More than 11 million Ethiopians face serious food shortages and possible starvation -- without help, we anticipate that tens of thousands will die given the current dire predictions.

CCF Ethiopia gained valuable experience during the famine of 2000, and was able to institute long-term community based solutions including water resource development, food storage and seed banks. But now, most CCF-assisted communities have gone into emergency mode, with their resources being taxed by internally displaced people who are migrating to areas where there is water.

And outside CCF communities, we found mothers walking three hours one way to finally dip their buckets into the muddy remains of an open watering hole.

CCF needs to assist those communities that have an influx of migrating people and also reach out to new communities by first responding to the hunger needs. Then we will concentrate on long-term sustainability of communities continually facing drought conditions.

Immediately, approximately $500,000 will be needed in CCF-affiliated communities to help famine victims survive. This is in addition to the help CCF already provides to 26,000 children in a total of 32 rural and urban projects.

Will you make an emergency contribution of $100 to CCF to help with this project?

If you can find it in your heart to help, click on the following link and make a contribution: http://news.ccfusa.org/L/www.christianchildrensfund.org/donate/index.cfm?MX'5&H=0

If you would like to read more on the emerging tragedy in Ethiopia, click here to go to http://news.ccfusa.org/L/www.christianchildrensfund.org/emergencies/ethiopiafamine2003.cfm?MX'5&H=0 at the CCF site.

Thank you in advance for your help -- may you have a blessed New Year.

Sincerely,

Heather Fignar,
Editor, CCF Childwire