(ANS – Addis Ababa) – The condition of the thousands of people threatened by drought in Ethiopia remains a serious cause for concern. VIS – International Voluntariate for Development – an NGO run by the National Centre for Salesian Works, is continuing to work in the Somali region in the east of Ethiopia. Even more critical is the condition of Somalian refugees in the Ethiopian camps. There is also the risk of a new emergency in other parts of the country.

"Because of the drought, people and animals are dying every day", reports Gloria Paolucci, who is in charge of the VIS project in Ethiopia. "Not even the camels, traditionally adapted to face this type of emergency, are surviving and this is a sign of how critical this year’s drought has been." Another sign is the fact that in the past, requests for the tanker lorry which distributes water have come from 10 to 15 of the 51 districts in the Somali region; this year all the districts have asked for help.

Working with Rapid – an Ethiopian NGO with which VIS has collaborated for several years – VIS volunteers are distributing water in two of the worst hit districts, having hired a 10,000 litre tanker lorry. At various points, agreed with the local authorities, they distribute, morning and evening, two litres of water each to a total of 5000 people. However there are also urgent requests from another district. "As soon as the first funding arrives we will go into action in the third district", said Mrs Paolucci.

A further emergency is developing in the region in the shape of Somalian refugees. Mrs Paolucci reports: "800, 1000, 1500, up to a peak of 2000 persons arrive each day and settle in the camps in the Dolo Addo area. This week a fourth refugee camp has opened and it is expected that within 30 or 40 days this too will be full." In spite of this many refugees are dying in the reception centres while waiting to be added to the lists.

VIS, which spent 2009 running the reception centre at Lafaissa and saving many human lives, is being asked more insistently by the local authorities to manage these camps. Fortunately there are water wells in the region; the difficulty concerns the transport of many highly necessary products which are not available locally and must be brought from Addis Ababa.

Not even in the south of the country, at Dilla, is the situation positive. Drought has not yet exhausted the people, but the little rain which has fallen is not solving the problem. The small amount of moisture has succeeded in causing the grass to sprout, but it is insufficient to grow the crops of maize and coffee, which are going to be ruined.

VIS belongs to and supports the appeal for East Africa launched by AGIRE, the Italian Agency for Emergency Response, to guarantee necessary aid and support for the emergency activities of the nine NGO’s, including VIS, which are already present in the stricken countries of the Horn of Africa.

Published 9/8/2011