This website uses cookies for anonymised analytics and for account authentication. See our privacy and cookies policies for more information.





The voice of Scotland’s vibrant voluntary sector

Published by Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

TFN is published by the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations, Mansfield Traquair Centre, 15 Mansfield Place, Edinburgh, EH3 6BB. The Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO) is a Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation. Registration number SC003558.

Charity launches appeal to combat devastating Horn of Africa famine

This news post is over 2 years old
 

Human Appeal will shortly dispatch a team to the region

A UK NGO has launched an emergency appeal for aid to fight famine conditions affecting the Horn of Africa.

In Somalia and Kenya, a long-term and severe drought combined with a lack of grain aid due to interruption of supplies from Ukraine are combining to create an emergency need for food supplies.

This situation has been exacerbated by recent low rainfall which has sharpened drought conditions in the entire region.

Human Appeal has launched an appeal, saying that its mission is to be there for every human being, helping to alleviate poverty and suffering.

The faith-based charity, which is inspired by Islamic values, says it is escalating its aid efforts to the region, where people are dying of hunger every 48 seconds. The area has 18 million people immediately facing the threats of starvation or malnutrition.

Human Appeal will shortly dispatch a team to the region to conduct an urgent humanitarian emergency assessment, allowing the organisation to coordinate and target immediate relief efforts through effective distribution of food parcels and malnutrition packs within each country.

The NGO has been actively involved in east Africa since its inception 30 years ago. In Somalia, its work has focused on supporting people with food parcels and medical aid, as well as longer term projects promoting sustainable livelihoods for farmers.

Raya Homsi, institutional funding manager, said: “The situation in these countries has been incredibly difficult for some time, but the ongoing lack of rainfall alongside the worldwide grain shortage have combined to make circumstances in the region reach an acute humanitarian crisis. It is imperative that assistance reaches these countries swiftly to stop this widespread malnutrition and hunger which is killing people at an alarming rate. We must act swiftly, or this could become one of the greatest humanitarian aid tragedies in recent times.”

For more information or to support Human Appeal’s efforts, go to www.humanappeal.org.uk