An emergency appeal has been launched with millions of children on the brink of starvation in Ethiopia.
The impact of the Tigray War has left millions of people in the East African country facing emergency levels of food insecurity and hunger.
The Ethiopian government has projected that 15.8million people will require food assistance in 2024, including four million internally displaced people and 7.2m needing emergency help.
International school feeding charity Mary’s Meals has been working in Ethiopia since 2017 and feeds 24,320 children every school day. With its local partner, it provides daily school meals to marginalised and disadvantaged children in the impoverished Tigray region in the north-east of the country, close to the Eritrean border.
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During the civil war, Mary's Meals provided community feeding programmes to 30,000 people while schools were closed and families were displaced.
The emergency appeal will look to ensure that children in Tigray have food and try to get them back into education, with over seven million believed to be out of school due to the conflict.
Matt Barlow, Executive Director of Mary’s Meals, said: “The stories we are hearing from our partner in Ethiopia are simply devastating.
“The two-year civil war has caused widespread destruction and left physical and mental scars on people all over Tigray, including children – many of whom have missed years of schooling and who are now starving.
"The war has undone years of progress in Tigray’s education system and we know the impact of children missing years of learning is huge.
“With your support, we can bring these hungry children back to the classroom and give them a nutritious meal which will allow them to focus on their lessons and give them an education.
"Ultimately this will help to lift them, their families and communities out of the extreme poverty they are living in.
"The situation is urgent. But there is something you can do. You can help to bring these desperate children back from the brink of starvation.
“Throughout the UK, I have witnessed people respond with incredible acts of kindness in moments of crisis and when all hope may seem lost. Now, we need your support.
“Please donate what you can today – even the smallest donation can help to save a life.”
To find out more about the Mary’s Meals Crisis in Ethiopia appeal click here
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