What is the current crisis situation in East Africa?

For the second time in 12 months, expected rains (March, April, May) across the region have either completely or partially failed. There is a serious shortage of water for children and their families, leading to widespread devastation of farmland, failed harvests and livestock death. Families have lost their incomes and food supplies. Food, water and fuel prices have soared. Over 9 Million people are in need of humanitarian assistance (3.5 million people in Kenya, 3.2 million in Ethiopia and 2.5 million people in Somalia).

What is Dadaab?

The Dadaab camps are the world's largest refugee settlement. Dadaab is a collection of three refugee camps - Ifo, Hagadera and Dagahaley - that are collectively known as ‘the Dadaab camps'. The Dadaab camps are 90 kilometres from the Kenya/Somali border. They were built 20 years ago to house around 90,000 refugees. There are now over 360,000 refugees living in the three severely overcrowded camps, with thousands more arriving every day. The number of people arriving into Dadaab has more than doubled since this time last year. On average there are now around 1,300 new arrivals every day - of which 800 are children, with the majority under 12.

What is the impact on the children and their families?

There are approximately 200,000 Children living in Dadaab, comprising more than half the refugee population. Around 30% of all new arrivals are under 5 with two thirds under 18, the majority being under 12. 80% of all children arriving are barefoot with 70% wearing only one item of clothing. Many of the children have severe sores and wounds from walking through harsh shrub land.

Families throughout this region are struggling to support themselves - many are only eating one meal a day at most, and eating the cheapest food available - which is often not very nutritious. Without adequate food, they are weak and vulnerable to illnesses. Many people have resorted to drinking only highly sugared tea to keep themselves and their children going. Many families are dependent on livestock for both meat and milk and as a result of the drought livestock have been dying in their thousands across the region.

Children are always the most vulnerable in a food crisis - without enough to eat and the right nutritional balance, they are at high risk of malnutrition. Malnutrition, through insufficient supply of both macronutrients(carbohydrates, fats and proteins) and certain micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) is incredibly serious. It can cause:

• Stunting

• Impede mental and physical development

• Increase the risk of developing other illnesses and ultimately cause death

It remains one of the biggest killers of children under five around the world. In some parts of Somalia for example, 30% of children are malnourished - which is double the emergency threshold.

Chronic malnutrition will have severe consequences affecting the child for the rest of its life:

• It significantly increases the likelihood of premature death

• Greater risk from a variety of afflictions including heart disease, diabetes and kidney damage

• Less able to withstand infection

• Failure to grow and reduced body size can also result in a lower physical capacity and energy for work as an adult

Help the children and families being affect by the East Africa Food Crisis by supporting Save the Children's emergency programs,which ensure the children and their families have continued support, helping them through the crisis and then to rebuild their lives. Please donate today.