Problems in the Horn of Africa!

Hello everyone,

You see, I was going to write a blog post about how we should all go to Free Rice and try to earn thousands of grains of rice for people in the Horn of Africa, around Somalia, and Ethiopia, however, to my dismay, I have discovered that even though it is run by the World Food Programme, Free Rice is unable to give their earned rice to those people. This is sad, but I figure that the least I can do now is to help educate others on the problem, and how we can all help!

The main problem lies in southern Somalia. A famine has been declared in that region, and now millions of lives are at stake. A famine being declared means that at least 20% of households are currently facing extreme food shortages. Apparently there is currently a drought in this region that has helped to cause the problem. There are also very high food and fuel prices in this region. Another problem was with a group called the Shebab, which forced aid out of the country. Now, finally, they are allowing people to help again, but were resistant because they believed that we were sending spies and Christian crusaders.

Now that we can help again, I urge you to look into your options. For those of you with a few dollars to spare, go check out this page. Your donations are tax deductible in the United States, and you'd be giving one of the most direct forms of help. However, if you do not have money, you can help by spreading the word. Most of us have Facebooks, Twitters, or are part of some social network. Post a status about the famine, with a link to how someone can help if they so choose. Education on the issue could help speed up the process of aiding these people, and it takes less than a minute to post a status update!

One more thing you can do is take this quiz. It's five questions long, and takes about two minutes. It doesn't matter if your answers are wrong or right, and you can learn more about the situation as well. Taking the quiz will help to feed a child in need. Also, once you've finished, it gives you the opportunity to send out the message to your Facebook or Twitter feed.

All the help you can give would be greatly appreciated. I know that this problem doesn't affect myself, and it may not affect you. Many people's lives are at risk though, and if you can take a few minutes of your day to spread the word, or donate to the cause, it'd be a great thing to do.

Thank you for reading.

A News Article on the Famine
The WFP Crisis Page with Up-to-Date Information on the Situation