East Africans steadily face many obstacles. Their present food shortage is of critical concern. Massive starvation is taking place. In the midst of alarming statistics, hope and help are near.
As we are informed about the food shortage, we take an important first step toward the region's restoration. Continue reading for a brief summary of what's happening.
Nahum 1:7, “The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him.” He is the source of empowerment.
Here are five vital things to know about the food crisis:
1. What is the Food Crisis?
Unable to feed their families, hundreds of thousands of residents in East Africa are being forced to abandon their homes and search for food. They seek to survive. Sometimes the most vulnerable are left behind, including children, widows, pregnant women, the disabled, and the elderly.
Christian leaders not only carry burdens for the spiritual health of their communities but also for their physical.
World Vision informs us that “conditions are deteriorating across East Africa, where 7.2 million people are at risk of starvation and another 26.5 million face acute food insecurity. At least 12.8 million children in the region are acutely malnourished.”
2. What Caused the Food Crisis?
Multiple variables contribute to the crisis. Here are some preeminent factors, but by no means all.
Severe Drought
Drought is perhaps the most damaging contributor to this crisis. Climate change is ruthless in this part of the world. It is not unusual for the continent to experience drought but the ongoing lack of rain is dangerously deadly. East Africa currently suffers from severe drought in many areas, and fierce flooding in others.
East African rains typically occur between April and June. The lack of rain in recent years, fierce cyclones, and unusually hot seasons have caused one of the worst droughts in decades.
Swarms of Locusts
The devastation to the land was perpetuated as severe weather conditions produced loathsome pests. Colossal amounts of locusts have devoured crops. Like droughts, plagues of locusts are not novel to East Africa. Invasions have occurred periodically for thousands of years.
A plague of locusts involves swarms attacking multiple countries simultaneously. That is exactly what happened in 2020. The East African countries most affected have been Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia, and Eritrea.
One square kilometer swarm of locusts eats the food of 35,000 people (BBC). With so many crops impacted, it’s no wonder the food sources have been so scarce.
Political Conflict
Millions have had to abandon their education due to the repercussions of political conflict. According to SOS-Children’s Villages, Somalia is one country positioned for serious levels of starvation because of the ramifications of political unrest:
“Somalia: Located in the Horn of Africa, Somalia is marked by decades of civil war and anarchy. Now Somalia has been hit by a devastating drought and related famine. This is even more drastic than the 2011-2012 famine.”
Political leadership in East African countries has a high volume of corruption, greed, and volatility. Poorly-governed Somalia poses security threats to neighboring countries and even those who would try to help.
Border disputes are constant. The core of most conflict seems to be underlined by insecurity. Insecurity and unrest arise from the desire for land and lack of order.
Population Growth Amid Existing Poverty
In Kenya alone, over three million children are estimated to be orphans. That’s only one of nine countries in the region of East Africa. Approximately 250,000 children died of starvation in East Africa last year (Save the Children).
The extreme poverty level in Tanzania is around 21.9 million. In Kenya, poverty is experienced by 17.6 million as well as 15.8 million in Uganda (The East African).
The bottom line is that the population is naturally growing. At the same time, the food needed to survive is diminishing. The math is sadly simple – there is not enough food for the existing population.
The estimated population of Eastern Africa as of May 3, 2022, is 466,155,068 (Worldometer). Uganda and Burundi appear to have the fastest growth rates with an annual rate between five and six percent.
Spike in Food Prices
Already hungry countries are unable to produce enough food to sustain their people. The next logical step would be to purchase food from other countries. Tragically, the cost of food is frightfully high globally.
The war between Ukraine and Russia is largely to blame. Both countries are key food exporters to the world. Wheat is the most stricken commodity. Eritrea receives all of its wheat from only Ukraine and Russia.
Food prices in Rwanda have doubled in since 2019. Children go to sleep hungry, hoping for some food the next day. Sometimes, they will be fed at school but it is uncertain. Security and survival are on the minds of these young ones.
The interruption of the availability of food is happening on the heels of the COVID-19 crisis. Food shipments were problematic during the pandemic because of worker shortages. Logistics, climate disasters, poverty, overpopulation, and political conflict constitute a dire moment in history.
3. Why it Matters to God
“For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor, in your land,’” (Deuteronomy 15:11).
God’s concern for the vulnerable is evident throughout the Bible. He is El Roi, the God who sees me. He sees the one who is hungry. He sees the one who is afraid. He sees the one who is mistreated. He sees the injustice. He cares. He instructs us to feed His lambs, literally and figuratively.
Because God loves, loves, loves the people in East Africa, He commands us to help and speak up on their behalf. He tells us that “whoever is kind to the needy honors God," (Proverbs 14:31).
4. Why Hope is Critical
All of this data can be overwhelming for most of us. There are global needs constantly bombarding us, tugging at our hearts. We weren’t meant to take on every battle.
We are designed to do only the things God assigns to us. God provides us with our individual paths, based on our gifts and callings. These paths are part of a brilliantly designed map.
When we view our personal assignments as part of a whole, we soon realize that there is hope.
The main reason we can hope is that God has always had a plan. His plan still stands. It is his strength that overcomes obstacles, not ours. His plan is complete redemption.
We need hope. It is the fuel for the fulfillment of the Great Commission. Every predicament provides an opportunity for God to move miraculously. We have a Savior. Jesus is the same victor who rose from the grave. He is moved by our hope and faith.
5. What You Can Do
The great news? Non-profit organizations, like I AM Provision Ministries, are seeing first-hand how prayer and generosity save lives.
IAPM is doing its part toward sustaining Christian ministries in East Africa. Psalm 82:3 instructs us to “Defend the weak and fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed.”
Since we started IAPM, we have witnessed God moving in tangible ways to bless ministries in East Africa. We have a strategy and it is making an impact.
IAPM’s strategy is to help equip local church leaders in East Africa that are already successfully responding to the crisis of orphans, widows, food and water shortage, educational obstacles, poverty, and spiritual darkness.
Our mission is to provide awareness and fundraising for our brothers and sisters who work tirelessly to meet the physical, spiritual, and emotional needs of their people. A heavy burden confronts them and they need support.
We are constantly expanding our reach. We currently support ministries in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania. This year we are taking action to embrace our friends in Burundi as well. We are guided by God’s great love for His people. Having received His love ourselves, our objective is to show compassion for those He places in our path.
Ways to Partner with IAPM:
Become a child sponsor
Donate to a specific ministry or project
Volunteer to teach and train
Give a general donation
Pray
Current Projects
IAPM invests in health, nutrition, clean water, transportation, housing, sharing the Gospel, education, and skill trade. Below are current initiatives:
Milk for Orphans at Caring Heart Breakthrough Ministries
IAPM purchased two cows for milk for the orphans. The goal is to provide 10 cows. A local outreach in Lake County, California raised enough to purchase another cow for the kids! Seven more to go.
Vocational Training at KMTC
Harrison has written a proposal for a motorcycle vocational training workshop and needs $10,000 to launch the program.
Selling Handmade Products for Pastor Frederick
Pastor Frederick trains people to make products out of soapstone. An effort is underway to sell the products to raise money for the orphans. Their budget is $157 per week to feed the kids.
*For more information on individual ministries, go to our ministry pages.
Thank you for taking the time to learn more about the food crisis in East Africa and I AM Provision Ministries. Please follow us on social media and sign up for our email list.
I AM Provision Ministries
707-972-8354
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