Churches in eastern and southern Africa are appealing for humanitarian
aid in the region, as 36 million people grapple with the worst drought
in decades.
Linked to extreme El Nino weather conditions, the drought has hit
countries such as Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Malawi and
Zimbabwe, among others. The conditions have reversed normal weather
patterns, upsetting people’s livelihoods.
“In parts of Somaliland, where people live on livestock and
agriculture, the problem is serious,” said Roman Catholic Bishop Georgio
Bertin of Djibouti, a country in the horn of Africa.
In 2011, a drought made worse by Islamic terrorism forced thousands of Somalis into a refugee complex in northeastern Kenya.
“We are intervening,” said Bertin who is relying on the help of Caritas, the Catholic relief organization. “We are providing food to very poor families. It is a gesture of solidarity.”
Over 10 million people face hunger in Ethiopia. Agencies are also
racing to save the country from falling into a famine similar to the
1983-1985 one, which killed an estimated 1 million people. It was the
subject of the December 1984 Band Aid charity single “Do They Know It’s
Christmas?”
The Catholic Bishops Conference of Ethiopia said nine dioceses are
affected by what they see as the worst-ever effects of climate change
and environmental degradation.
“The severity of the situation is continuously increasing the number of
people affected,” said Cardinal Berhaneyesus D. Souraphiel, the
archbishop of Addis Ababa.
In February, Malawian Bishop Martin Mtumbuka of the Karonga Diocese stopped taking tithes and offerings due to the drought.
Fredrick Nzwili is an RNS correspondent based in Nairobi
Courtesy: Religion News Service
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