Six months on from our emergency appeal for the humanitarian crisis in Tigray and the surrounding regions, we wanted to update you on the current situation, and how your support has enabled our partners to provide vital aid to those displaced by the conflict.
In June, the UN warned that nearly 400,000 people are facing famine conditions, and around 4.4 million people are experiencing severe food shortages (ACAPS, July 2021). The severe food insecurity from displacement and loss of harvests is being experienced not just in Tigray, but also in the neighbouring regions that rely on its trade and markets.
Our partner APDA report that there are 70,000 displaced adults and children living in host communities in the Afar region. An estimated additional 500,000 people in Afar villages bordering Tigray are at risk of displacement. Thousands of women and girls have reported to have experienced rape and sexual violence.
Extreme access constraints means that international agencies are finding it difficult to deliver aid. Local partners at grassroots level, including those we work with, remain active and able to reach those most in need.
To date, your donations have enabled our partners to:
- Provide shelter, food for refugees in camps on the Sudan border
- Support 603 households (estimated over 10,000 people) in Afar, hosting people fleeing from the violence in Tigray
- Provide counselling and medical assistance for victims of sexual violence
- Fund a 6-month supply of vital medicine and equipment for emergency clinics in IDP camps serving over 170,000 people
- Distribute hundreds of reusable sanitary packs to displaced women and girls at camps in and around Mekele
- Deploy 18 health workers on foot to visit remote communities on the Afar / Tigray border with malnutrition and high risk of waterborne diseases
- Supply wheat, sugar, flour and lentils to 350 people sheltering in a school who had not eaten for 3-5 days
- Provide fodder and veterinary care to keep livestock healthy and productive
As the crisis continues to deepen, our partners still need support:
- To provide 6 months of medicine and health care at two IDP camps in Axum and Adwa
- To distribute food supplement to rural displaced people unable to access aid points
- To provide shelter, blankets, cooking equipment, water purifying chemicals and soap to help people survive
- To provide medical help, counselling and rehabilitation to survivors of sexual violence
- To plan and deliver projects that will aid long term recovery of health, education and livelihoods
We cannot thank our supporters enough for enabling our partners to continue their vital, life-saving work in response to this ongoing crisis.
