A season of below-average rainfall can negatively impact a community; however, when rain is less than normal season after season, the consequences are disastrous. Damaged crops and water shortages not only affect everyday life but also potentially lead to long-lasting devastation, including famine and forced migration. 

Twelve years into East Africa’s drought, millions of human and livestock lives have been claimed, and the landscape of a once lush terrain has been forever changed. Desperation for food, water, and basic resources has become a way of life for the people of this forgotten region. 

East Africans have demonstrated their enduring strength and determination despite the world's attention shifting toward other countries in need. While they hope and wait for intervention, the remaining inhabitants share their little resources with neighbors and support each other. 

It’s time to bring our focus back to the needs of our brothers and sisters in East Africa. 

HHRD, a registered International NGO (INGO), operates with offices and team members in Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, and Tanzania. Our mission involves offering immediate relief to combat malnutrition through healing food and providing clean water, sanitation, and hygiene services to prevent infections and disease outbreaks. In addition, numerous developmental programs and projects are implemented, including the 'School of Excellence' in Somalia, healthcare, support for orphans and children with disabilities, skill development and livelihood initiatives, youth empowerment programs, and seasonal programs. 

There are enough resources in the world to be shared and enough food to feed the entire population—it is a matter of us coming together to help those in need. 

By extending your support on the 12th anniversary of the East Africa Drought, you can contribute to life-saving assistance for families in dire need. 

By Nausheen Ahmed