H&M Foundation donates $600,000 to the recurring drought crises in Ethiopia
Following the worst drought in decades, a major food security emergency is ongoing in southern Ethiopia. The H&M Foundation now makes their third donation to Save the Children – totaling $600,000 – to support their work in this region.
The 2015 drought in Ethiopia, caused by the strongest El Niño phenomenon on record, affected crop production and access to clean water. This resulted in high levels of malnutrition, increased spread of disease and livestock deaths, amongst other things.
Due to the government-led response, and the support of several international and national NGOs, a crisis was averted and fortunately, towards the end of 2016, some of the regions began to receive rainfall. In 2017, however, there is a new drought in the southeast of the country and it is estimated that 5.6 million people will require food aid and 9.1 million people will not have regular access to safe drinking water, resulting in dehydration and health complications. The lack of food and water also results in children dropping out of school. Many of these children will be at risk of abuse, neglect and violence and will require child protection assistance.
H&M Foundation already donated to the first response in 2015 and 2016, totaling $500,000. However, since the drought is recurring in other parts of the country and the crisis does not receive enough global attention to get the financial support that is needed to save people’s lives, the H&M Foundation will provide further support amounting to $100,000.
“The new donation will continue to support the ongoing work to provide immediate lifesaving humanitarian assistance to those directly affected by the drought.”
Diana Amini, Global Manager H&M Foundation
“With our previous donation, over 300,000 people in Ethiopia were supported to meet food, water, health and livelihoods needs and 6,000 children were successfully treated for malnutrition. The new donation will continue to support the ongoing work to provide immediate lifesaving humanitarian assistance to those directly affected by the drought”, says Diana Amini, Global Manager at the H&M Foundation.
“In 2016, the Government of Ethiopia and humanitarian partners like Save the Children were able to prevent a massive natural disaster from becoming a massive humanitarian disaster, thanks to the generous support and contributions of humanitarian-minded individuals and organizations around the world. Unfortunately, nature has struck again with a new drought in the south of the country that has put millions of lives at risk again, and we call on all of our supporters to help once again as we face this new crisis”, says Charlie Mason, Humanitarian Director at Save the Children in Ethiopia.
MEDIA CONTACTS
Diana Amini
Global Manager, H&M Foundation
diana.amini@hmfoundation.com
+46 (0)729 804 802
hmfoundation.com
Anders Maxson
Media Manager, Save the Children Sweden
anders.maxson@rb.se
+46 (0)8 698 67 55
savethechildren.net
ABOUT H&M FOUNDATION
The H&M Foundation is a non-profit global foundation, privately funded by the Stefan Persson family, founders and main owners of H&M. Its mission is to drive long lasting positive change and improve living conditions by investing in people, communities and innovative ideas. Through partnerships with organizations around the globe, the H&M Foundation drives change within four focus areas; Education, Water, Equality and Planet. In addition to this, the Foundation can also provide emergency relief. Since 2013, the Stefan Persson family has donated 1.1 billion Swedish kronor (USD 154 million/EUR 123 million) to the Foundation. For more information, visit hmfoundation.com.
ABOUT SAVE THE CHILDREN
Save the Children believes every child deserves a future. Around the world, we work every day to give children a healthy start in life, the opportunity to learn and protection from harm. When crisis strikes, and children are most vulnerable, we are always among the first to respond and the last to leave. We ensure children’s unique needs are met and their voices are heard. We deliver lasting results for millions of children, including those hardest to reach. We do whatever it takes for children – every day and in times of crisis – transforming their lives and the future we share. Learn more by visiting: savethechildren.net.