Ten Reasons Women and Children in Africa Need Your Help Today Dear Friends, We just wanted to take a moment to thank you for supporting our cause to help feed children suffering from famine and poverty in East Africa and around the world. Thanks to your continued support, not only did we meet our goal of raising $1,875 — enough to provide 25 children with a warm, nutritious meal — we more than tripled it! Because of your outpouring of generosity, we're setting the bar higher. Please help us reach our new goal of raising $15,000, which can feed 200 children emergency food for a month. That's 175 more children — eight times our original goal! Since 1992, CARE has worked in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya, where Somalis suffering from the crisis seek food and shelter. We are the primary provider of several basic services — food, water, sanitation, and even schooling and psychological care — to 415,000 refugees currently living in these camps. There are also camps in other parts of Kenya and in Ethiopia, where CARE works as well. To call attention to the 12.4 million people at risk in the Horn of Africa, we've put together a list of the 10 reasons we're rushing lifesaving aid to the region: - The Dadaab refugee camp complex was built 20 years ago to hold 90,000 people. Today, it's more than 400 percent over capacity — and 1,200 more refugees arrive every day.
- Fifty percent of the children who make it to the camps are malnourished and fighting to survive.
- Among the most vulnerable to the drought and famine are children under the age of 5. In Somalia alone, 1.4 million children are affected.
- In one camp, an average of 10 children under the age of 5 has died every day. While malnutrition is the leading cause mortality, a measles outbreak is compounding the problem.
- In the famine zones in Somalia, almost 10 percent of the children under age 5 die every three months.
- Since the start of the crisis, an estimated 4,000-5,000 unaccompanied minors have arrived at refugee camps, hungry and in need of immediate care. Some lost their parents on the trek.
- Eighty percent of the refugees arriving at the camps are women and children who have made the journey without men to help protect them along the way. This situation makes women more vulnerable to sexual violence, even after they arrive at the camps.
- The drought has killed 60 percent of livestock in the Horn of Africa, where most people earn their living as pastoralists. Whole communities have lost their sole source of income at a time when food prices are on the rise.
- Today, one-fourth of Somalia's 7.5 million population is displaced within the country's borders or living outside the country as refugees because of the crisis.
- The United Nations has declared famine in five regions of Somalia. Without immediate assistance, famine is likely to spread to all regions of southern Somalia.
Please don't wait any longer to make your donation to CARE. Poor and hungry children, women and families around the world need your help to survive and thrive, even in the face of emergencies like the one unfolding in the Horn of Africa. Please make your gift to CARE today. If you have a minute, tell your friends and family about this important cause. While we're busy spreading the word to our constituents, we know that the most powerful communication tool is you! When the people you're close to understand this issue is important to you, they're more likely to take the time to learn about the famine in East Africa and support the cause. Just imagine what we could do if all our supporters and all their friends banded together in the fight against global poverty! Thank you for your generosity and support. Sincerely, CARE |
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario