UNICEF to assist Ethiopia's drought victims

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is intensifying joint efforts to assist hundreds of thousand children in Southern Ethiopia coping with a severe drought exacerbated by El Niño conditions.

More than 10.2 million people are in need of urgent relief assistance including six million children stalked by thirst, hunger and diseases. The United Nations now fears that the number might double in a few months if no immediate measures are taken.

“We have 80 thousands cartons of ready to use food. This is going out on regular quarterly bases, in monthly bases to some parts of the country to supply every health post and every health center. And it means all children in Ethiopia with health extension workers diagnosed with acute malnutrition have got the remedy to put them back into a good health,” Gillian Mellsop, UNICEF representative in Ethiopia told AFP.

Ethiopia is facing its worst drought in 50 years, but it's barely hitting the headlines. Our interactive story > https://t.co/aa1JYj5aXl

— Save the Children UK (@savechildrenuk) April 23, 2016

According to the United Nations, 400 000 children are at risk of severe malnutrition because of the drought.

“In terms of life value it can save thousands of children who received acute malnutrition. As drought is exposing these kids to malnutrition as a result of lack of food supply at household,” Dr Kebede Worku, Ethiopian health minister told AFP.

Floods and failed rains caused by the El Nino weather phenomenon have sparked a dramatic rise in the number of people going hungry in large parts of Africa, with southern Ethiopia an area of special concern.

AFP