You are here

Ethiopia Pleads With The World: Another Famine Is Coming

Ethiopia is at risk of suffering another famine just 30-years after recovering from the 1984 famine that claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.  According to John Graham, country director for Save the Children, “The real question is do we have to see children dying like we did 30 years ago, or can we stop it happening again?“ Itv.com reports: Back then, John was a young aid worker helping to organise food supplies into the country torn apart by civil war. In the three decades since, Ethiopia has changed beyond recognition. Double-digit growth has brought roads, schools and clinics. So why, 30 years on, is there this desperate fight to stop history repeating? The answers are complex and the subject of much debate. Then, a government that tried to cover up the crisis and aid agencies slow to respond took the blame. This time, in contrast, the Ethiopian government has committed $380 million (£270 million) to combat the crisis. But it is simply overwhelmed by the scale of the drought. Some believe that pride and a determination to present the country as a success has again meant the appeal for international help was slow coming. But perhaps the biggest change since 1984 [...]