CEO's Message

Comprehend this: Thirteen million people at risk of starvation

The Horn of Africa famine is the worst humanitarian disaster on the planet today. This growing tragedy, and the immense size of it in countries such as Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda and Djibouti leaves me deeply unsettled and introspective.

Kenya and Somalia are the worst affected by this tragic state of affairs. Insufficient rains have created drought conditions throughout the Horn of Africa — destroying crops and killing livestock. Malnutrition and disease are on the rise as families travel long distances in search of food. Record high food prices, internal conflicts, and insecurity in the region further exacerbate the situation.

It is the slow nature of the disaster - as opposed to the immediate drama of an earthquake or tsunami – that makes it harder for the world to fully comprehended its scale.

World Vision South Africa is in the midst of focused fundraising efforts through which South Africans can make a meaningful difference to the lives of millions of threatened people — especially young children. Two million children are said to be malnourished and at risk of death.

We are known for our sense of compassion – and irrespective of our own problems, I believe that South Africans have the desire to contribute to the up to 13 million people who are at risk of starvation as a result of the region's worst drought in 60 years. With your generosity we can increase our organisation’s relief impact and tend to the provision of emergency food and health care, and also meet other urgent needs for the children and families in need in this drought-stricken area.

World Vision is among others, already distributing supplementary foods, providing medicine(s) for people, providing drugs for livestock, providing seeds and root tubers for planting, dealing with water trucking (to communities and schools), de-silting shallow wells, and looking after nutrition. But we need to do much more in order to save the millions of lives currently under threat.

For enquiries about our ‘Horn of Africa Relief Effort’, kindly send an email to [email protected] or call 0861-101-888.

With sincere gratitude for your action,

Lehlohonolo Chabeli, National Director and CEO