wfn.org | ELCA Aids Worsening Ethiopia Drought

[Brenda Williams <BRENDAW@elca.org>]

Reply-To: ElcaNews <ELCANEWS@ELCASCO.ELCA.ORG>
ELCA NEWS SERVICE

September 12, 1997

ELCA AIDS WORSENING ETHIOPIA DROUGHT

Action by Churches Together (ACT) reports that 4.6 million people need relief assistance in
Ethiopia, according to government sources.  ACT calls the situation desperate due to the failure of
the rains and grim forecasts for anticipated rains. The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America has
issued a "Disaster-gram" to its 11,000 congregations, alerting them to the needs of drought
victims throughout sub-Saharan East Africa and Korea.  The church has contributed $20,000 to
relief efforts to date.  Since ACT began planning in March to provide relief assistance in Ethiopia,
the number of people in need has increased from one million to 3.4 million.  "It is evident that
Ethiopia is facing a serious food shortage, which is expected to grow worse in the coming months
unless international donors intervene," says ACT.  ACT is a worldwide network of churches,
including the Lutheran World Federation, meeting human need through coordinated emergency
response.  More than 330,000 metric tons of food aid is needed, ACT reports, of which slightly
more than 50 percent is available in Ethiopia.  According to the Drought Monitoring Centre in
Nairobi, the food gap is expected to become wider. The elderly, children, lactating mothers and the
disabled constitute 20 percent of the vulnerable population, ACT reports.  ACT's partners in
Ethiopia said, "May this be a call for help to all our sisters, brothers, partners and donors. Let us
help the helpless before it is too long and too late."

For information contact:
Ann Hafften, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://www.elca.org/co/news/current.html