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The frequency of drought in East Africa over the past few years has made life very difficult for the local population.
Prolonged and frequent dry periods make it hard to grow crops and raise livestock since neither the land nor the animals can recover sufficiently between dry periods. In previous times, periods of drought were not unusual every ten years or so but nowadays the drought cycle is much shorter.
More than 20 million people are affected by these droughts in an area which includes Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania and Somalia. Drought means crops are lost, food is scarce and people risk becoming dependent on aid. Where electricity is powered by water and rivers run dry, towns lose power. And with no vegetation to feed their animals nomadic peoples cannot sustain their traditional way of life.
Long awaited rains did come at the end of 2009 and lasted into January 2010. This may have averted a full scale emergency in the region but though one good harvest might be expected in many areas, it is not the end to the problem.
‘The weather has changed completely. There used to be a lot more rain but now it is dry. The weather started changing about thirty years ago.’
Since many younger people migrate to find work, older people are often left in the drought-affected areas with limited access to water or food or the means to support themselves. When older people are also looking after their grandchildren, they tend to focus their energy and what little resources they do have on the children, leaving themselves even more vulnerable. With our partner, HelpAge International, we are working with older people in drought-affected communities around Borena and other areas in Ethiopia to reduce long-term risks and ensure there is enough food at all times. These projects will benefit 75,000 people and 230,000 livestock.
In Borena one community is being supported by a specially built water reservoir and generator. 64-year-old widow Teso collects water from the reservoir when her own water pond, known as a haro, dries up.
Teso says ‘If the haro dries up, we would be dead in two months without the generator and water. The haros are not enough for the population. … There is less rain now and we can grow nothing. Some years we were able to grow sorgum, maize and haricot beans, but not for many years. … Before there was no medicine for our animals and we had to search for water, but now we have both, so things are better.’
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