More than 3.2 million who live in Ethiopia’s south-eastern pastoral areas (Ganna and Hageya in the South, Gu and Deyr in Somali region) have been affected by two consecutively failed rainy seasons; the forecast for the coming season is to be as bleak as the past.  This has threatened the food and water supply for people, as well as their ability to grow food to support their families and livestock.

At this time, only 30% of farmland is being cultivated because due to few or no seed to replant. Crops that are grown are failing to yield enough food to provide for their own tables let alone support families’ livelihoods. The number of malnourished children continues to grow in affected areas.

A severe lack of water has created shortages resulting in a large number of livestock deaths. In Oromia, at least 29 schools have been forced to close because of the lack in water, resulting in approximately 3,700 children losing the opportunity for full-time education.

Lack of water and crops make it difficult to access other food supplies from local markets. Many households have had to resort to surviving by foraging wild vegetables and fruits, begging and migrating because food prices have doubled or tripled in these areas. This has stretched the livelihoods of these people to the edge and many face starvation.