Christians "falling out" of aid programmes in Horn of Africa food crisis

Barnabas Aid directing emergency supplies to Christians in Kenya and Ethiopia

“We are so moved by your concern for us… it has been getting worse by day… the pressure people living here are facing is increasingly growing out of hand.”

Kenyan Christian leader

As parts of the Horn of Africa are gripped by the worst drought in the region for 60 years, Barnabas Aid is helping Christians affected by the crisis.

Barnabas Aid helped Christians in Kenya during previous droughts in 2000 and 2009

More than 10 million people are in need of aid in what the UN has described as a “humanitarian emergency”. Large areas of Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya are in a crisis situation, while parts of Uganda are also suffering from the drought.

Barnabas Aid is directing emergency drought and food relief to north-east Kenya and Ethiopia to help Christians affected by the crisis. Our partners in Ethiopia said that the Christian community in the south of the country, where an emergency has been declared by the UN, is suffering because of prolonged poverty and soaring food prices: up by between 60 and 100 per cent since March. They said that Christian families cannot afford to buy food from the market, and that children are the worst affected by the shortages; they are suffering from various health problems and diseases, which are compounded by poor sanitation and hygiene.

Among our relief efforts in the region is the supply of wheat flour to feed Christian families in Ethiopia. It costs £10 to provide a 25kg sack of wheat flour that will allow a family of six to make enough bread for a month.

The international community is providing relief, but there are fears that Christians, as a minority group in parts of the region, will miss out in the distribution, as happened during the Pakistan floods of 2010. A Christian leader in north-east Kenya told Barnabas Aid that church leaders were concerned because the Christian minority there was “falling out” of the existing aid programmes.

Give Today

If you would like to help Christians affected by the drought in the Horn of Africa, please send your donation to project 25-359 (Drought victims in the Horn of Africa). Please click to donate online using our secure server.

If you prefer to telephone, dial: 0800 587 4006 from within the UK or +44 1672 565031 from outside the UK. Please quote project reference 25-359 (Drought victims in the Horn of Africa).

If you prefer to send a cheque by post: Click this link for the address of our regional office. Please quote project reference 25-359 (Drought victims in the Horn of Africa).

For a quick donation of £3.00 by SMS (see terms and conditions here) text Barnabas/359 to70007 (Please note: This facility is presently only available to UK supporters).