Displaying items by tag: Drought

‘Children have dropped out of school due to hunger; pregnant women and the elderly are the most affected. Cattle, which are the only source of livelihood, are dying, and the remaining ones are stolen by bandits,’ cries a Kenyan pastor in East Pokot, where the last rainfall was in June 2016. From nearby Marsabit, Pastor Jeremiah Omar reports that 70% of the livestock are already dead from drought - a disaster for the many nomadic communities. The food crisis is escalating, not only in Kenya but also in northern Uganda, which has absorbed over half a million refugees from South Sudan since last July, mostly women and children. Many are widows, or do not know what has happened to their husbands. Many people have very little apart from their clothes they are wearing. Freak weather and drought, due to the El Niño climatic effect, have caused a catastrophic situation. There will be no relief until June at the earliest, and then only if the rains come at the right time. An added problem in Kenya is that many of the worst-affected areas - in the north and the coastal region - are the areas where Christians are a despised, marginalised and oppressed minority amongst a Muslim majority.

The Archbishop of Cape Town, Thabo Makgoba, has said the problem of water supply and sanitation illustrates why South Africa ‘is one of the most unequal countries in the world.’ He also described drought as one of the biggest risks facing South Africa’s businesses, causing food shortages, price increases and the loss of jobs for casual workers. He was speaking at the launch in London of an international church initiative to raise awareness and activism about challenges such as flooding, drought, rising tides, or access to fresh water and sanitation. The archbishop said a water crisis back home, with only three months’ supply left because of diminished rainfall, had concentrated his mind on how precious water is and on how devastating the effects of scarcity can be. He added, ‘Many of the threats to water are coming from companies who pollute rivers with industrial pollution. The shareholders of mining companies make a profit, but the local communities are left with water degradation. As a Church we stand firmly against fracking, since for short-term profit there is a danger of water systems being polluted for decades. Large corporate farms are also responsible, as artificial fertilisers and pesticides pollute the rivers,’ he said.

Last year’s maize crop failure is still proving debilitating: it takes more than a season to fully recover from the ravages of drought. Although the rains arrived on cue in November last year to plant this season’s crops, many farmers had either been forced to eat their seed, or had no harvest from the previous year to eat. Their livestock herds were decimated and the lack of jobs meant families also had no money to purchase their farming inputs, let alone food. Barnabas Fund has provided seed, fertiliser and training so that farmers could plant on time. Hope has returned, but the crisis still simmers and the outcome of the harvest will be critical. A new strain of stalk-borer insect attacking the maize is also a threat. How can farmers survive until the April/May harvest? Barnabas is working closely with local churches to ensure that they are not forgotten or left hungry during this crucial period. Violet, a farmer and mother of five, is appreciative: ‘We want to thank God for providing us with food for our family - our lives have changed. We have seen God’s hand through our brothers.’