East Africa Famine Relief

In the Summer of 2011 drought engulfed parts of East Africa, the worst to hit the region in 60 years. According to the United Nations, over 11.6 million people are facing starvation, with entire families and communities abandoning their homes in desperate search of food and water. Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia remain the most badly affected. Political instability and infrastructural problems further complicate the situation.

By early Autumn many of the regions were declare Famine zones which means that 30% of the children are acutely malnorished.

Ann Speak

SOS Children’s Villages Canada sent Ann Speak, a Canadian studying in Addis Ababa, to visit the SOS Children’s Village in Gode, Ethiopia, where SOS is conducting relief efforts.

Gode lies in one of the driest areas of Ethiopia. Thanks to the existing infrastructure and expertise of SOS Children's Villages co-workers, we are able to provide relief aid in this location for children and families in this area. SOS is distributing food and working on sustainable development work to secure families' survival in the long term.

Ann has blogged about her experiences in Gode. Photos and videos accompany her stories about the families and children affected by the famine in East Africa and the work SOS is doing in the region.

To make a donation to SOS Children’s Villages Canada’s work in Gode and East Africa.

Dispatches From Ethiopia - Collecting Firewood

He had to go far from home to find this much wood and he would have been struggling through the heat of the day, and on rocky pathways through the plains. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - What the town children do –3

Of all the jobs I saw children doing, this is the one job that I would have enjoyed doing. The boys sell water to households around town. They wander through the main and back streets of town with their barrel of water strapped on a donkey cart calling out to neighbours. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - What the town children do – 2

These girls have already started their day collecting wheelbarrows full of gravel for the family. It could be sold or collected for family use. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - What the town children do

The shoe shine boy walks around town with an empty paint can containing his brush, shoe polish and rags. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - Town Life in Gode

But life in town was very difficult and many lost their lives and livelihood because of the prolonged drought. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - Housing in Gode

In a community with a collapsing economy, housing is amount the last things a family will spend money on- the need for food and water take priority. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - Families in Gode

For people in Gode and the surrounding area, families were vulnerable due to extreme poverty. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - The woman living inside town

Rakoop lives in Gode and has five children. They received emergency food provisions from SOS. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - The woman living outside town

This is the most disturbing story I encountered – while SOS had provided her a great service, she had clearly paid a high price over the years from malnourishment, illness, hunger and thirst – this woman is only 60 years old – 2 years older than me. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - The people whom SOS help in Gode

Hungry people from the surrounding community would arrive at the SOS children`s village gate asking for food. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - The SOS School in Gode -2

The SOS school is better equipped and it is considered a higher standard of teaching by most including playground featuring stimulating maps and drawings. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - The SOS School in Gode -1

School plays a bit part in the life of a child in the village, unlike many poor children in town who do not have the privilege of school. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - A Night in the Life of the SOS Village

The evening I visited, they looked like typical children – snuggled up together on the porch mat. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - The Auntie

The auntie is there to assist the mother in any way she sees fit. She takes over for the mother on her one day off per week and fills in when she is sick or has personal business to attend to. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - The Central Part of the SOS Equation: The Mother

This mother was born in a small village not far from Gode and was happy to become an SOS mother not long after she arrived. Since she has no family, husband or children of her own, she feels like this is her her family.

Dispatches From Ethiopia - A Day in the Life of the SOS Village - 3

All of a sudden the sounds come to an end and the streets are empty again as they all head home for their meal. It reminds me of long summer days in Canada More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - A Day in the Life of the SOS Village - 2

Midday break is longer here than in Canada – with good reason. The sun is hot and the children enjoy a cool rest at home, do chores or study. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - A Day in the Life of the SOS Village - 1

The mother makes them breakfast, then lines them up to check if they are ready for school.

Dispatches From Ethiopia - The SOS Village

From the moment the vehicle approaches the village you can see that those within have a different experience of the drought than those living in town. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - The River (2)

Even though the water is not clean, there is a pumping station to service the irrigation pumps

Dispatches From Ethiopia - The River (1)

It`s also easy to see why the water turns brown – it runs off the baked ground where neither grass nor crops can grow. The fertile topsoil flows freely downstream.

Dispatches From Ethiopia - Ditches and Hope

In a farming community, soil and sand deposited in an irrigation canal does not melt. If not shovelled out in a timely basis it piles up. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - Protection From the Dust Storms

People who live in the surrounding farming communities suffer in the day from terrible heat, but still they cover their houses in plastic to keep the dust out. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - What Does Drought Look Like?

Not many Canadians remember the great dustbowl of the 1930s in the prairies. To see the ravages of drought is amazing even if the rains have started and taken the brittle edge off the terrain. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - Not everyone in Gode is happy with the arrival of the rains...

02/12/2011 - Even though the children are playing in the water, floating anything they can get their hands on, some homes have suffered damage because of the strong rain. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - Delicate strands of green

01/12/2011 - Within days of water falling on parched soil, delicate strands of grass push through the hardened soil, forming small carpets of emerald green. More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - After the Rain

28/11/2011 - In an area where rains are scarce – in this case, two years in a row- there is no need to construct or maintain sidewalks, drainage ditches or sewers More...

Dispatches From Ethiopia - Swimming in Potholes

28/11/2011 - Kids play enthusiastically in small pools encased in potholes. Floating objects provide hours of entertainment and naked children splash through the copper coloured water. And some potholes are big enough for them to swim and cool off in the afternoon sun. More...