World Vision Canada

Published purpose

(December 2011) Ethiopia is still suffering from the effects of the worst drought in sixty years, with an estimated 4.9 million people, including more than 260,000 refugees, requiring humanitarian assistance. In the worst-affected areas, in the south and east of the country, food insecurity and loss of livestock have led to high rates of acute malnutrition and the devastation of livelihoods, particularly amongst pastoralist communities. In addition, the influx of refugees fleeing conflict and famine in neighbouring Somalia has further strained the local capacity to weather the drought. With CIDA support, World Vision Canada is providing life-saving assistance to an estimated 15,700 acutely malnourished children under 5 years old, pregnant and lactating women, and other vulnerable people, in Arsi and North Shewa zones of Oromiya region, Ethiopia. World Vision is helping to reduce acute malnutrition through a combination of supplementary and therapeutic feeding interventions as well as community outreach to help identify cases and increase local knowledge of proper treatment.