Oxfam South West would like to thank people in the region for their donations and fundraising efforts to raise money for the East Africa appeal.

The UK public has led by example with people generously donating, even in these difficult times.  The money you have raised has already paid for water, food, healthcare and sanitation for hundreds of thousands of people in the Horn of Africa.

We would also like to let people know that they can still continue to help whether by donations or by holding fundraising events, whatever money and/or time you can spare will help us and other humanitarian agencies to reach more people in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia who are suffering from severe food shortages in East Africa.

Famine has started to take a grip in parts of Somalia, the first famine to hit the region in the 21st century.  Oxfam South West have local fundraising groups who are or can collect for the DEC appeal or organise fundraising events especially for the crisis.  People in the South West can also donate in their local Oxfam shops.  

The DEC set up an emergency appeal because of the scale of the disaster; more than 10 million people in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and the newly-formed Republic of South Sudan have been left in need of food, water and emergency healthcare.  They have also experienced the worst drought in over half a century.  Every day at least 3,500 people are fleeing Somalia and are arriving in parts of Ethiopia and Kenya that are suffering one of the driest years in six decades. Food, water and emergency aid are desperately needed.  Cattle and crops have been devastated and the coming harvest is expected to be very poor in many areas.

We need to ask why this has happened, and how we can stop it ever happening again.  The warning signs have been seen for months, and the world has been slow to act. In areas like these there is entrenched poverty and lack of investment in affected areas, as well as a broken regional and global food system, which cannot feed the world in this new age of crisis.

Much greater long-term investment is needed in food production and basic development to help people cope with poor rains and ensure that this is the last famine in the region.   See oxfam.org.uk/grow for more details.  

To donate please visit http://www.dec.org.uk">www.dec.org.uk or call the DEC 24 hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900.  If you would like help to start collections or hold fundraising events in your area you can contact Alice Butler from Oxfam South West on 07584 207128.

– Oxfam South West Team, Brunswick Court, Brunswick Square, Bristol, BS2 8PE.