The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has said that the number of children affected by severe drought conditions in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia had more than doubled in just five months.
Climate change, conflict, global inflation and food shortages are wreaking havoc on the region, putting 20.2 million children at risk of extreme hunger, dehydration, and sickness, up from 10 million in July.
According to UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa, Lieke van de Wiel, children in the Horn of Africa are still experiencing the worst drought in more than two generations, even though faster and coordinated efforts have lessened some of the worst effects of what had been feared.
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The most dangerous kind of hunger, severe acute malnutrition, is predicted to require urgent care for about two million children in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia.
As a result of the severe water shortages now faced by over 24 million people, water insecurity has more than doubled.
Over two million people have also been internally displaced as a result of the drought, and 2.7 million children have stopped attending school, with an additional 4 million at risk of doing so.
“Humanitarian assistance must be continued to save lives and build the resilience of the staggering number of children and families who are being pushed to the edge – dying from hunger and disease and being displaced in search of food, water and pasture for their livestock”, said Ms. van de Wiel.
Story was adapted from UN News.
