The Canadian Foodgrains Bank has launched an African Drought Appeal stressing that 24 million people are at risk, and Canadians are invited to help.

The growing food crisis in Ethiopia continues, where a prolonged drought from one of the most powerful El Nino events in recent history, has resulted in the country’s worst drought in 30 years. This could lead to as many as 10 million people requiring food assistance. And experts say El Nino is likely to affect food security for the next two years.

The country of Ethiopia is the 27th largest nation in the world with a total land area just under 1,000,000 Km2 (385,925 sq miles) and is located in the Horn of Africa. Based on the latest United Nations estimates, as of this month, the current population of Ethiopia is over 101 million people, with population density a staggering 102 people per square kilometre, or 264 people per square mile.

Killarney farmers, Dennis and Betty Turner, witnessed first-hand the devastation El-Nino has wrought upon the country of Ethiopia during their recent visit with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank during the month of February. The Turners have been farming in the Killarney area for over 30 years and are members of the Killarney Foodgrains Bank Grow Project. Betty Turner says seeing the results of Canada’s community grow projects, and the outreach to suffering countries, like Ethiopia, was truly overwhelming.

According to an early March media-release from the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, over 25,000 people in nine countries will benefit from nine projects totalling $3 million committed by Canada’s Foodgrains Bank in February, including Ethiopia. These projects are undertaken with support from the Government of Canada.

The Turners were part of a 12-person team travelling to Africa, and represented a cross-section of Canadian farmers of various agricultural backgrounds, and were ambassadors for the country, from coast to coast. Betty Turner says they visited two grow projects during their recent visit to Ethiopia with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, noting that families worked side by side, whether it be digging trenches, carrying rocks or pulling weeds.

“The Canadian Foodgrains Bank people work through the grassroots in Canada,” says Turner. “And in Ethiopia they work through the grassroots people in Ethiopia. So we grow crops here in Canada to help the Ethiopian people. But they train Ethiopian people about conservation agriculture so that they can help their own people. So, its farmers teaching farmers.” “It’s a hand up, not a hand out,” she adds.

Turner noted that wherever they went, they witnessed couples farming together.

Both Dennis and Betty expressed the great difficulty they had in not being able to help more. “It would be so easy to just hand over money to help them,” says Dennis. “But we weren’t allowed to, even though we really wanted to. That would set a precedent for the next group that would come through and make it very difficult for those teams, as the people would expect them to give money as well. They’re trying so hard and just because the rain doesn’t come it’s out of their hands and what do they do? I was thinking about myself and our family and how Canada has so much and how the world isn’t very equal. Why couldn’t it be more equal where everybody had enough to eat with a roof over their heads.”

Betty says there are many organizations in the country to help in numerous different ways, but the Canadian Foodgrains Bank has developed strategies to help those most in need, as well work-projects to enable them to help themselves.

Betty shares a postcard they sent from Ethiopia to their family and friends back in Canada. It reads:

We had an amazing trip in Africa. We started out with the Canadian Foodgrains bank in Ethiopia. It was such a mentally and physically draining journey. From the jet lag to wanting to help these people, to understanding how they just want food to grow. The people were so happy, and their faith so strong. And they help one another but there is not enough food. There are so many people and there is a drought. The sharing sessions at the end of each day were so hard. But it gives us some comfort to know that the little efforts that we do, help them.”

Dennis and Betty remember the relationships that were built during their visit. They asked their new Ethiopian friends, “What more can we do for you?” because they all wanted to do so much more. ‘“What more can we do for you when we go back home?” we asked. And they simply said, “Pray for us.”’

For more information on the Foodgrains Bank African Drought Response, Canada Foodgrains Bank Grow Projects, as well as government incentives to match money raised, visit their website at foodgrainsbank.ca or call 1-800-665-0377.