Geneva, November 25, 2002
Members of the global alliance, Action by Churches Together (ACT)
International, have joined forces under the umbrella of the Joint
Relief Partnership (JRP) to tackle the growing humanitarian emergency
in Ethiopia. Conservative estimates put the number of people affected
by the food crisis at about 6,2 million people.
The Ethiopian emergency has been brought about by a number of factors
- recurring and lingering drought in some districts (known as woredas),
sporadic rainfall or no rainfall at all and the resulting decimation
of entire crops.
All of the 24 districts targeted by the JRP/ACT as being in urgent
need of help have a history of suffering from chronic food shortages,
minimal or erratic rainfall and devastating drought cycles. Earlier
this year, in a report written for ACT member Lutheran World Federation,
local farmers were quoted as saying that "the land and the crops have
been in conflict … the land is tired of the people". The worst affected
regions are Afar, Somali and Oromia. In Afar alone this year, more
than half the cattle herds have been wiped out.
The Joint Relief Partnership (JRP) is an ecumenical consortium of
the three Ethiopian churches, two church related international agencies
as well as the Lutheran World Federation and Catholic Relief Services.
The ACT members, Ethiopia Orthodox Church, Ethiopia Evangelical Church
Mekane Yesus, Lutheran World Federation/World Service, Norwegian Church
Aid, and Christian Aid, as well as the Ethiopia Catholic Church responding
to the crisis, have issued an appeal with a target of just over US
$2,4 million. (Christian Aid and Norwegian Church Aid will work through
local partners in Ethiopia under this appeal.)
