Catholic agencies part of aid campaign in Horn of Africa

(August 04, 2011) Catholic agencies are reported to be among the leading organizations providing humanitarian aid to the drought and famine-ravaged Horn of Africa. The Association of Member Episcopal Conferences in Eastern Africa reports that Jesuit Refugee Service, Catholic Relief Services, Caritas Ethiopia and Caritas Kenya have helped thousands of refugees in northern Kenya and internally displaced people in Somalia since the water crisis hit in November. AMECEA spokesman Father Chrisantus Ndaga said that Catholic humanitarian agencies also have worked in Djibouti and Ethiopia, running programs that address agricultural and water needs. Despite the efforts, Father Ndaga expressed concern that the drought's severity and insufficient funding are overwhelming the agencies' ability to make much progress against what the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs calls the region's worst food crisis in 60 years. About 12 million people across Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya are in dire need of food, clean water and basic sanitation, while about 3.7 million people are at risk of starvation in southern Somalia, the worst hit area. Father Ndaga said teams from Catholic organizations are on the ground, particularly in eastern Kenya, home to the sprawling camp at Dadaab that houses about 390,000 refugees and sees 1,300 people arrive each day from drought-stricken Somalia. The agencies also are working in collaboration with international aid organizations such as the World Food Program.