Historic drought in Namibia - 1.4 million people in Namibia affected by acute food insecurity
Namibia is being hit by a historic drought this year. As one of the driest countries in sub-Saharan Africa, people are struggling to find enough water and food every year. Historically, because not only densely populated cities like Windhoek are particularly affected, but the water reserves in rural areas are also barely sufficient. Due to the fact that it rained considerably less, maize, which is produced exclusively with rainwater, could not be harvested and pastureland also offers significantly less biomass as a food source for animals in a drought. This is a serious problem, as these conditions lead to food insecurity and economic difficulties for farmers.
The crisis is affecting all 14 regions of the country, with grain production down by 53 % compared to the previous year and water levels in dams down by 70 %. As a result, vital farmland has already dried up and livestock can no longer find water, causing them to die.
According to the latest analyses by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), around 1.4 million people, i.e. Almost half of the population is affected by acute food insecurity. This figure has almost doubled since last year.
Through our soup kitchens we try to, the threat of malnutrition and regularly provide our steps children and, at two locations, external children with hot meals to ensure a healthy diet.
