1. Prayer for the East Africa Food Crisis For Parish groups

2. Background information:
23 million men, women and children in East Africa and Yemen are experiencing severe food crisis. Millions of people in South Sudan, Kenya, Malawi, Somalia, Ethiopia, Yemen and Nigeria are affected.
Though South Sudan has been officially declared famine free by the United Nations (as of June 21), the situation facing the country and the other parts of East Africa, is critical. Almost 2 million people are on the brink of starvation and an estimated 6 million people face extreme food insecurity. Women and children are most at risk, where 1 million children are acutely malnourished and children are at imminent risk of death. Somalia is on the brink of famine, with 6.7 million people requiring immediate humanitarian assistance.
This was the first official famine to be declared since 2011 in Somalia where more than a quarter of a million people died. This is the biggest humanitarian crisis currently facing Africa and may be the worst famine globally since the Ethiopian famine of Climate change, conflict and inflation have all increased the severity of the crisis.
The global Caritas network is providing emergency assistance to people in affected countries. Caritas Australia's partner agencies in South Sudan, Kenya and Malawi are delivering emergency relief in the form of water and food items such as beans, sugar, salt, oil and maize flour, and sanitation and emergency supplies. We will continue to monitor the situation.
We stand with our brothers and sisters in Africa and offer a special prayer of peace and mercy for its people. Please take your time to reflect and dwell on the images. Further information about each photo is provided in the notes section, and there will also be an information resource available for download on the website.
See for more information.
Donations can be made to the ‘Africa emergency appeal’.

3. A quote from the pastoral letter from the South Sudanese bishops.
Read the full letter here:

4. God of Love, We gather as one human family, turning to you in our distress. We pray for our brothers and sisters in East Africa who are suffering through conflict, drought and famine today. May your spirit of love bring comfort and hope. For this we pray to you God.
Photo information:
Joseph, 39, photographed with his daughter in his tent in Bidi Bidi refugee camp in northern Uganda. Malis fled his home in Gimono village, South Sudan, after government soldiers burned it down and killed three people there in August. Joseph already harvested the first of his crop of cow-peas, grown from seeds donated by Caritas, which he used to supplement the family’s diet of maize and beans. Photo by Tommy Trenchard for Caritas
Photo credit: Caritas Internationalis Network

5. God of Compassion, you fed the 5000 with five loaves and fishes
God of Compassion, you fed the 5000 with five loaves and fishes. We ask that vital food and water quickly reach the millions of children, women and men in South Sudan, Malawi, Kenya, Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Yemen. For this we pray to you God.
Photo information:
Children carry water through Bidi Bidi camp (re in the evening. Bidi Bidi is a refugee camp in Uganda, where many South Sudanese are living. Photo by Tommy Trenchard for Caritas
Photo credit: Tommy Trenchard Caritas Internationalis Network

6. God of Peace, bring an end to violence in those countries in conflict
God of Peace, bring an end to violence in those countries in conflict. Protect our brothers and sisters who are wounded and displaced. May East Africa experience freedom in their lands. For this we pray to you God.
Photo information: Women and children uprooted by the drought in Somalia built makeshift houses on the outskirts of Baidoa and will receive aid from Caritas Internatioanalis partners.
Photo credit: Catholic Relief Services

7. God of Justice, help us be more open and sensitive to the cry of the poor and marginalised. Awaken us all to the causes of injustice. Guide the Church to become a stronger voice for justice and peace. For this we pray to you God. Amen
Photo information:
In September 2016 Viola, pictured here with her son, fled her home in Lanya village, South Sudan because of the fighting in her village. In October, Viola received seeds and tools from Caritas, and is now cultivating vegetables to supplement the refugees’ daily diet of maize and beans.
Photo credit: Trocaire (Caritas Ireland)

8. Good of Mercy, sustain those providing emergency aid, that they may continue to be a source of hope. May we in Australia respond to this crisis generously and without tiring. In your name, we ask for the end of hunger in Africa. For this we pray to you God.
Photo information: South Sudanese refugees attend a Sunday church service in Bidi Bidi refugee camp, Uganda. Photo by Tommy Trenchard for Caritas.
Photo credit: Tommy Trenchard Caritas Internationalis Network

9. YOU CAN DONATE ONLINE TO THE ‘AFRICA EMERGENCY APPEAL’.
Last updated March 2017