East Africa Crisis Appeal 2017 Photo Credit: Christian Aid

East Africa Appeal 16 million people in East Africa are on the brink of starvation following the worst drought to hit East Africa in 50 years. Photo Credit: Christian Aid Photo Credit: Christian Aid

South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have all been badly affected East Africa Appeal South Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia have all been badly affected

People are already dying in South Sudan and Somalia East Africa Appeal People are already dying in South Sudan and Somalia Photo Credit: Christian Aid

East Africa Appeal In anticipation of your generosity, PCI has released £60,000 to Christian Aid, Tearfund and the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan. Photo Credit: Christian Aid Photo Credit: Christian Aid

Thank you East Africa Appeal Please pray and give generously - that we may play our part in saving lives and restoring hope to the many who face this catastrophic situation. Photo Credit: Christian Aid Thank you Photo Credit: Christian Aid

East Africa Appeal Please Pray: For those needing food, water or medical assistance to receive it promptly. For the control and prevention of diseases. For rain to ease the crisis. For peace in South Sudan. For all involved in the aid effort – especially our partners – Christian Aid, Tearfund and the Presbyterian Church of South Sudan’s relief and development agency.

East Africa Crisis Appeal 2017 Photo Credit: Christian Aid

Maria Ador and her twins need access to food and water East Africa Appeal Maria Ador Abuk Chang and Garang Chang are twins. Their mother, Maria Ador, has brought Abuk to the local clinic run by Premier Urgence International in Nyamlel in Northern Bar el Ghazal, north of South Sudan. “When Abuk was brought to the clinic she was unconscious,” says her mother, with a worried expression on her face. Maria and her three children have been eating wild leaves for the last  week to get by. This, she believes, has significantly affected the health of her three children, with Abuk affected the most.   At only 22 years of age, Maria has three children. Her husband is long gone. She believes he has married another woman. The local culture allows a man to marry up to five wives. Since her husband’s departure, Maria has been the sole provider for her children. With Abuk being unwell for a relatively long time, she has had limited time to look for odd jobs in the village to make ends meet. With no income, their food situation is worsened. Among their most urgent needs is access to food and water. Photo Credit: Christian Aid Maria Ador and her twins need access to food and water

James Mayen, a farmer from South Sudan East Africa Appeal James Mayen James is a farmer in Barmayen Village, which is 60 km from Aweil town and located north of South Sudan. His last harvest was in September 2016. He was able to harvest nearly a bagful of sorghum, which lasted till the start of November 2016.   Since then, their food situation has deteriorated significantly.   The scarcity of food has put a heavy strain on the river as villagers have had to intensify their fishing efforts. This ‘overfishing’ and the capturing of premature fish has seen the river run out of fish. “If my family is lucky, we may catch one fish which will cater for our day’s meal. Our last successful catch was 10 days ago,” said James. His greatest concern appears to be his children. The absence of food has especially taken a toll on his son. Adut, who is 5 years old, does not look his age. With prolonged cycles of inconsistent rain and absence of food, coupled with civil war, malnutrition has become prevalent among children. If the situation gets worse, James explains that he will have to move with his family to Sudan. Many people from his village have already begun migrating to Sudan as they cannot access food. Photo Credit: Christian Aid James Mayen, a farmer from South Sudan

Akon Akok – two of her children have already died East Africa Appeal Akon Akok is one of the millions of people affected by the food crisis in South Sudan. Her situation is so dire that it has claimed the lives of two of her children. Her four-year-old son Awut and her six-year-old daughter Agu passed away two months ago. “We went without food for many days, eating only wild leaves,” said Akok. After the death of her two children, Akok and her husband left their home in Mangara which is in Central Equatorial near Juba in South Sudan. They began the journey to Sudan in the hope of finding a fresh start. Akok is now with her eldest son Geng, along the way to Sudan, her husband fell sick. “We left him in Aweil (which is a town in Northern Bar el Ghazal) undergoing treatment. He was so sick that the doctors kept saying he would die. I could not afford to go through the ordeal of seeing another person in my family die,” said Akok emotionally.  The fear of watching her husband die made Akon leave her husband in Aweil.  It has now been more than a week since they left Aweil. She and her son are resting under a tree in Nyamel which is north of Aweil. Next to her is luggage which they have been carrying since they began their journey. She is exhausted and hungry. Her son has gone to the nearby homestead to look for food for them as they prepare to continue with their journey to Sudan. Photo Credit: Christian Aid Akon Akok – two of her children have already died

Tesso and her husband have no access to food East Africa Appeal Tesso Yattani Abudo, 65, and her husband Abudo Hurri, 85, have no access to food. The elderly couple live in a village in northern Kenya which has been hit by the severe drought. The rest of their family have migrated with their livestock to keep the cattle alive. Left behind, they are now caring for their grandchildren, including their grandson (pictured), but struggle to find enough to eat each day. The couple are surviving on relief from the county government. But this help comes irregularly – and because of their age, they find it hard to chew the maize and beans they receive. Photo Credit: Dub Guyo, project manager, PACIDA Tesso and her husband have no access to food

East Africa Crisis Appeal 2017 Photo Credit: Christian Aid