February 3, 2016
Ethiopia
As a result of the phenomenon El Niño, caused by changes in the flow of ocean currents of the Pacific Ocean, in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa occurs a climate change in the form of a small amount of precipitation. With critical insufficiency of water, it is therefore visible even in the vast region of Ethiopia where it did not rain for several months already and all the crops died. Agricultural production is further complicated by severe soil erosion.
Therefore, in Wored (in the region) Kedida Gamela, Caritas CR trying to restore the soil and prevent erosion. To strengthen the ground its workers along with local residents plant trees and build the so-called gabions - piled stones that hold water and prevent soil ware. Residents here can then, for example, keep bees. Likewise, they are undergoing training on the new possibilities of subsistence.
The El-Niño phenomenon meanwhile rapidly hits all of Ethiopia, where more than 80 % locals live on agriculture. Government and international organizations (UNOCHA) estimate that the drought threatens more than 10 million inhabitants; more than 2 million have no access to drinking water, more than 400,000 people suffer from severe acute malnutrition and a further two million with moderate acute malnutrition. More than a million people, due to lack of mercury, left their homes and moved to nearby regions.
Caritas CR has worked in Ethiopia since February 2011, in cooperation with Caritas organizations from England, Scotland, Ireland and the Ethiopian Catholic Church - Hosanna Apostolic Vicarage. Aiming for improvement of agriculture production, maintaining substantial access to water and diversification of sources of food for poor population. The project was supported and financed by Czech Development Agency and Ministry of foreign affairs CR under the Program of foreign development cooperation CR.
More pictures see here.
