Over 20 Million Children in the Horn of Africa have been affected by severe drought, said UN in its official statement.
Africa is one of the world’s regions most affected by the effects of climate change, the UN says, such as drought, floods and forest fires, and is also one of the lowest contributors to global greenhouse gas emissions.
The number of children in severe drought conditions and at risk of severe hunger, thirst and disease in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia has reached 20.2 million, more than doubling in five months, according to a statement by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
The body noted that the drought is the most severe in “more than two generations” as the Horn of Africa is devastated by climate change, conflict, global inflation and grain shortages.
“Humanitarian assistance must be continued to save lives and build the resilience of the staggering number of children and families who are being pushed to the edge – dying from hunger and disease and being displaced in search of food, water and pasture for their livestock,” said UNICEF Deputy Regional Director for Eastern and Southern Africa Lieke van de Wiel.
It is estimated that almost two million children in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia are in urgent need of treatment for the deadliest form of hunger – severe acute malnutrition.
The organization also underlined that “approximately 2.7 million children are out of school because of the drought, with an additional estimated four million children at risk of dropping out.”
UNICEF has requested $759 million in funding next year to provide life-saving aid to children.
The UN has previously released its Global Humanitarian Outlook, which says that around 339 million people in the world will be in need of humanitarian assistance and protection in 2023, calling the number “phenomenal” and “depressing”.