East Africa Emergency

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Extreme weather plunges East Africa into dire humanitarian crisis

Recently, Somalia, Ethiopia and Kenya experienced severe flooding, killing more than 100 people and displacing over 700,000 people across East Africa, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

This flooding has further crippled the already struggling region, which also experienced some of the worst droughts in history between 2020 and 2023, and left millions of people not knowing where their next meal would come from.

Over 20 million people face starvation, with millions of children expected to suffer from malnutrition. The flooding has caused significant damage to clean water facilities, leading to the risk of water-borne diseases and malaria. Affected families are in urgent need of humanitarian aid.

To make matters worse, the healthcare systems in Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia are on the brink of collapse, and many hospitals have been damaged by the floods.

What is happening in Somalia?

Somalia was among the hardest hit by recent drought in East Africa. Almost 90% of the country’s districts have been struck and approximately 4.3 million people are in desperate need of immediate aid.

According to the United Nations, 271,000 people in Somalia have been forced to abandon their homes in a desperate attempt to reach food, water and pasture – exposing them to many more terrifying dangers, including gender-based violence, disease outbreaks due to a lack of access to sanitation and hygiene facilities, a lack of adequate shelter and more.

Meanwhile, 1.24 million people have been affected by flooding in Somalia, with 32 people killed and 457,000 displaced from their homes. Flooding has caused road blockages, making it difficult for aid to be delivered.

The humanitarian situation in Somalia is dire, and families are in urgent need of aid.

Islamic Relief’s response in Somalia

Islamic Relief is supporting nearly 5,000 people affected by the floods, with cash grants. With your support, we will also be providing affected families with hygiene kits and other essential items, as well as cash support to additional families in several regions, such as Badhere and Beledweyne.

We are also planning to distribute food packs to 100 families, and to construct emergency toilets for displaced families.

What is happening in Ethiopia?

An estimated 15.8 million people are in dire need of food aid in Ethiopia, making this one of the world’s most extreme hunger crises.

In the Oromia region, which shares a southern border with Kenya, 69,000 livestock have died due to the effects of drought, cutting off livelihoods and provisions for thousands of people who have nowhere else to turn for food and income.

Adding to the terrifying circumstances unfolding in Ethiopia, the northern region continues to be one of the most dangerous places to deliver aid. Conflict-related blockades prevent essential food and medicine from reaching people in need. As a result, many hundreds of thousands of people are starving to death.

Meanwhile, over 760,000 people in Ethiopia have been affected by heavy rains, floods and landslides, with 43 people killed. Families have also been displaced as a result of the flooding, and are in urgent need of aid.

Many flooded areas remain inaccessible and hard-to-reach as multiple routes and bridges have been damaged.

Islamic Relief’s response in Ethiopia

Islamic Relief is providing vulnerable families with cash grants and hygiene kits in the worst-affected areas of Afder and Borana. We also run eight mobile health units which are a crucial source of wellbeing for displaced people in the conflict-affected region of Afar, in the north, with plans to extend our reach to those in the south.

What is happening in Kenya?

The worsening drought in Kenya has been a devastating blow for many vulnerable communities in the northern, north-eastern and coastal areas of the country. For the millions of people who depend largely on agriculture for income, the drought has destroyed their livelihoods and plunged them into dire circumstances. More than 1.4 million cows, sheep, goats and camels have already died, causing milk production to drop to less than half of normal levels. Food insecurity across the country poses the biggest threat to the survival of children, the elderly, women and men.

With livestock rapidly declining, many have been forced to walk to source pasture, food and water supplies. Currently, 2.9 million people are in need of urgent food aid and humanitarian assistance.

Meanwhile, 19 of the country’s 47 counties have now been affected by flooding which began in late October 2023. Forty-six people were killed and 58,000 people have been displaced from their homes across the country.

Many communities have been left isolated, with flooding damaging or destroying roads and bridges. Homes, schools, hospitals and public buildings have also been destroyed.

Islamic Relief’s response in Kenya

Islamic Relief is providing affected families with cash grants, as well as seeds and animal vaccinations to help rebuild livelihoods. We have also been providing thousands of drought-affected families with cash transfers to help people in remote areas.

Support climate-affected communities in East Africa

Islamic Relief has worked in East Africa for over 15 years, providing sustainable solutions and response mechanisms to the devastating impacts of climate change. However, the frequency and intensity of the droughts are leaving these resilient communities with no time to recover in between disasters.

The boreholes, micro-dams and new irrigation systems that Islamic Relief has provided over the years serve as effective long-term solutions for communities who are able to access them. However, with hundreds of thousands of people fleeing from the devastations of climate change, we urgently need your help to provide lifesaving aid, like food, water and shelter.