Key messages

• A deadly mix of conflict, COVID-19 and the climate crisis have pushed more than 9 million people across seven countries in East Africa to the very brink of a hunger crisis. Of critical concern are vulnerable children who are experiencing high levels of malnutrition.

• Conflict is the leading driver of hunger globally. Every country where World Vision works in East Africa is either in conflict or neighbouring a country in conflict.

The region has also endured substantial climate shocks, undermining people’s ability to feed themselves, and the economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are driving hunger to unprecedented levels. Conflict and weather shocks have resulted in multiple instances of large-scale displacement in northern Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia and areas of South Sudan.

• Humanitarian needs are immense and the impact on children, including safeguarding risks, is enormous. This challenging period could also erode human and economic development gains that have been made towards the global 2030 Sustainable Development Goals across the region.

• World Vision is deeply concerned for millions of children in East Africa, who are enduring a devastating hunger crisis. According to the Food Security and Nutrition Working Group special report of 10 February 2022, an estimated 5.5 million children are acutely malnourished, including more than 1.6 million who are extremely acutely malnourished, in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia.

• World Vision has reached more than 6.3 million people, including 3.5 million children, through its East Africa Hunger Emergency Response. We are already responding with food distribution in multiple countries. World Vision has re-declared its multi-country response comprising Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia,

South Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda. We aim to reach approximately 7 million people, including 3.4 million children. World Vision has been implementing a multi-country hunger emergency response in the above-mentioned countries for the last 12 months and was able to repurpose and raise new funds, to the tune of US$ 172 million. However, the needs have insurmountably increased and we require an additional US$ 37 million.