Gode lies in one of the driest areas of Ethiopia. Thanks to the existing infrastructure and expertise of SOS Children staff, we are able to provide relief aid in this location for children and families in this area. SOS Children are distributing food and working on sustainable development work to secure families' survival in the long-term.

Ann has blogged about her experiences in Gode. Photos and videos accompany her stories about the families and children affected by the famine in East Africa and the work we are doing in the region:

SOS Children's Villages Ethiopia

Ethiopia has been badly affected by the recent drought and estimates suggest that 4.5 million people in the country are in need of urgent humanitarian aid. The southern regions of the country have been worse-hit, where a prolonged lack of rainfall has had a devastating impact on farmer’s livestock and businesses, as well impacting on the availability and cost of food.

SOS Children already have a Children’s Village and Medical Centre in Gode, in southern Ethiopia. In the past three years, we have participated in two emergency relief projects in Gode town, so we are well placed and experienced to provide emergency relief in this area. We are currently:

• Providing maize, wheat and cooking oil to vulnerable families;
• Providing preventative and curative health care services;
• Using staff from the SOS Medical Centre in Gode to conduct essential outreach interventions.

You can make a one-off donation directly to our Emergency Relief Programme, or take out a child sponsorship to help us to focus on the long-term welfare of children who have no one to care for them as a result of the famine.

Dispatches from Ethiopia