This Is Our World

This is a map of our world.

(I apologize for the blur.)

If you head over to Africa - the colourful continent - and head east then slightly south you'll find Ethiopia. It's the pale blue, landlocked (does not touch ocean/ports) one bordered by a yellow, orange, green, pinkish, light green, then dark green.


Here's a close up of Africa. It'll give you a better mind's eye.

Can you see it a little more clearly now? It's bordered by Sudan, Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, and Somalia. Due to a (border) war in the nineties, Ethiopia no longer uses the port (for imports/exports) in Eritrea. It is landlocked. Djibouti is now the only country through which food aid can be brought in to help fight famine.

The battle for food and against famine isn't going well.

Ethiopia is one of the countries in the Horn of Africa. And they are desperate for food. The African Horn countries include Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda. "There [is] little prospect of supplies [food] arriving for the next five months." (UN spokesman)

Harvest season is about 3 months away.

The final shipment of food aid has been cut by 1/3 since July 2008.

Here is the BBC article reminding us that the UN is about to run out of aid for Ethiopia.

And if you check this out, I know you'll be moved, educated, and more fully understand this crisis...

Crisis in the Horn of Africa