Ethiopia

A combination of prolonged drought because of failed rains and an escalating rise in global food prices has left 4.6 million people in Ethiopia facing acute food shortages, with severe limitations in crop production, animal condition, and health.

Around 759,000 of these are children under the age of five, who are particularly vulnerable to the effects of malnutirion. Official estimates currently indicate that around 75,000 children are severely malnourished and could die if they do not receive emergency treatment.

"Young children are always the most vulnerable to severe malnutrition in situations of food shortages" said David Throp Country Director for Save the Children UK. "It is imperative that additional resources are found to ensure the rapid start up of nutrition interventions and the continuous availability of critically needed food, particularly for life saving nutritional support for children. The provision of vital health services and support to protect the livelihoods of poor households are urgent."

The poorest households are already feeling the effects of this crisis and are taking drastic measures so that they can feed themselves, such as selling tools and animals and taking their children out of school to save money.

The worst hit areas

Eastern and arid southern parts of the country have been hardest hit by the failure of the rains this year. Save the Children is responding in six of the worst affected areas including Oromia, the Southern Nations Nationalities and People's Region (SNNPR), Somali and Afar Regions, and parts of Amhara and Tigray.

Save the Children has been present in Ethiopia for 34 years and has 800 staff in country. When the Government of Ethiopia called on humanitarian partners to support their response to the crisis in June, we were well placed to give assistance across a variety of sectors including food distributions, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, livestock and agriculture support, education and child protection.

What we're doing

Our team continues to carry out assessments identifying people's needs. Our immediate response is focusing on key life saving interventions which will reduce the effect of malnutrition.

We have set up

Community based therapeutic care centres which target malnourished children. At these centres we provide them with high energy foods which contain all the essential nutrients that children need replenishing in this crisis. At these centres we are also able to respond to the needs of children who are showing health complications from the effects of malnutrition.

We are providing:

emergency health care, clean water, and sanitation items such as soap to nearly 160,000 children.
school materials and safe play spaces for at least 25,000 children, so they can lead as normal a life as possible.Food to more than a quarter of a million people across Afar and Amhara.
veterinary drugs and animal feed so that families can protect their livelihoods
schemes which will provide parents with a way to earn money and food.

We are protecting children by

Setting up Child Friendly Spaces near feeding centres where children can play safely and where we can support their emotional needs.

How you can help

Your money can help Save the Children provide life-saving assistance to hundreds of thousands of Ethiopian children.

20p will buy one sachet of oral rehydration salts for a malnourished child
£1 will buy a litre of vegetable oil for a family
£10 will cover one month emergency nutrition feeding for a malnourished child
£30 will feed a family of five for a month
£90 will buy six goats for a poor family to provide milk and meat for their children and sell the surplus for extra income
£1,500 will build a well that can provide water for 500 people and 4000 animals

Donate to Save the Children's Ethiopia Food Crisis Emergency Appeal online or by calling 0800 8148 148 in the UK, or find your national Save the Children organisation.

More about our response

Press releases

Emergency $20 million appeal for the children of Ethiopia

Lack of international funding creates hole in aid effort for Ethiopia