CARITAS Australia chief executive officer Kirsty Robertson has called for an immediate response for urgent famine prevention relief after meeting with Caritas Ethiopia to discuss responses to the famine crisis in the Horn of Africa.
“The food crisis is acute, and it is here now,” said Ms Robertson.
More than 14 million people across Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia are starving after poor rainfall seasons, locust plagues and fallout from the Ukraine war.
Ethiopia is heavily reliant on grains and fertilisers from Russia and Ukraine, which are no longer available.
With food prices increasing, Ms Robertson said the effects on vulnerable countries will only intensify.
“I am seeing first-hand the effects of this crisis.
“Parents who cannot feed their children, families without access to clean water, the elderly and sick who are literally wasting away.
“We must act now because without immediate intervention things are going to get much worse,” she said.
Caritas Australia has already provided $1.5 million in funding for food distributions, support for paediatric malnutrition, clean drinking water, hygiene supplies and household items for displaced families.
Ms Robertson said while Caritas is supplying “essential support”, much more is needed.
“We are calling on the Australian Government to commit an additional $150 million to address critical hunger response.
“We must ensure that vulnerable communities are supported for the long-term.”
For more information, please visit the Caritas Website https://www.caritas.org.au/donate/emergency-appeals/africa-food-crisis/
