A re-assessment of the food crisis in Ethiopia
has revealed that the situation has deteriorated since January 2003, when
the Ethiopian government announced that the number of people requiring
food assistance increased from 10.2 million to 11.3 million, with three
million of those under close monitoring. The assessment was completed in
April 2003 by eight multi-agency teams.
Nutritional surveys conducted by different
agencies, including ACT members, identifying acute malnutrition in different
parts of the country, and have observed an increase in hunger strategies
including dilution of food ration at household level, increased number
of school drop-outs, increased level of social disruption including begging
and theft. An alarming level of Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) was reported
in Afar, Tigray, Oromia by the Special Early Warning Report.
Taking into account all the findings of the assessments and re-assessment reports of January and April 2003, Ethiopia's Disaster Prevention and Preparedness Commission (DPPC) revised the number of needy people, period of intervention and quantity of food or resources required up to the end of December 2003.
PWS&D continues to need your help to support food programs in Ethiopia through Action by Churches Together and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank.