The Drought Ravaging East Africa

Last week I mentioned the drought in Tanzania, but in the advent of Giving Tuesday, it may have lost some of the importance of our request for prayer for this crisis.  Thanks to many of you, our supporters, we were able to send money this past week to our partners in East Africa to help mitigate the challenges to farmers because of this drought.  But let me share more about the situation now.

We are told that Kenya has received only 30% of their normal rainfall at this time, making it the worst rainy season in decades.  Many have lost up to 70% of their livestock and the remaining are too skinny or sick to be sold.  The price of cows has gone from $357/cow to $45/cow.

Droughts often happen on a five-seven-year cycle in this area, which allows for water bodies to fill up again.  But the last drought was just three years ago, which was not enough time to regenerate the water supply.  Women in Northern Kenya are often responsible for fetching water, and it is estimated that they now have to travel an average of 14km or 8.7 miles to get water (‘We will all die’: In Kenya, prolonged drought takes heavy toll | Climate Crisis News | Al Jazeera)

From the BBC, this short report and then a link to a video, which may be disturbing to some as it contains images of dead animals:

A t least 26 million people are struggling for food following consecutive poor rainfall seasons in the Horn of Africa.

Drought conditions in northern Kenya, much of Somalia and southern Ethiopia are predicted to persist until at least mid-2022, putting lives at risk.

The situation is already so bad that wild animals are dying in their hundreds and herders are reporting losses of up to 70% of their livestock.

The BBC’s senior Africa correspondent Anne Soy reports from Wajir in northern Kenya.

WARNING: This video contains images of dead animals which some people may find distressing.

The drought ravaging East African wildlife and livestock - BBC News

Please pray for rain for this region.  If you are a business owner or work in a business, you can imagine the devastation of watching your hard work die before your eyes.  The poor are often those most affected by the impact of climate change.  If droughts are expected to be more frequent and longer, there are things that can be done to mitigate those challenges, but they do take a lot of money and infrastructure.  But our God is also able to hear the prayers of His people and send rain where it is needed most.