(ANS – Madrid) – The Salesian Missions Office in Madrid is launching a campaign “If the drought expands so too does our help.” From Madrid comes an appeal that the over 27 million people needing help to survive should not be forgotten and that the International Community does not close its eyes in the face of this humanitarian crisis with the excuse of the economic crisis.

Over 18 million people in the Sahel region and over 9 million in the Horn of Africa cannot feed themselves. The continuing drought in these areas and the high price of cereals have left 27 million people in a very dangerous situation for lack of food and water.

“Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and e Jiubuti, in spite of the help received in the years past continue to need humanitarian assistance, for over nine million people,” reports Rosella Ferrari, with the International Voluntary Service for Development (VIS) and Project Coordinator of the Planning and Development Office of the Salesians in Addis Abeba.

Drought and famine are spread from the Horn of Africa to the Sahel, where according to Unicef, over a million children could die of hunger​. “In many parts of the country there is no food and the farmers in this area are without resourses. The situation is not easy and we need to send out an SOS”,  says the Salesian missionary Fr Guillem Tortosa in Touba, a small village in Mali, where the shortage of food is particularly acute.

The camp for the displaced and the refugees are filling up more and more  on account of people fleeing the drought and famine. For example in the Kakuma camp, in Kenya, the population is growing daily and now has reached over 98,000 refugees. “We need all kinds of help: food, water, material to build houses...” say the Salesian missionaries working in Kakuma. “There are thousands of  children and youngsters with nothing to do so we need to open schools and training centres for them.”

Published 05/07/2012