Drought, Ethiopia, Texas, and Charity

This year's drought in east Africa is still bad. Folks in Kenya and Somalia are hurting, and it's the worst drought in Ethiopia in a half-century. About 4,500,000 people in Ethiopia face "severe hunger."¹

That's the bad news. The not-so-bad news is that Catholic Relief Services and others have been working to get at a source of water in Ethiopia that hasn't been available:

"...'When people hear the word drought, they automatically assume that there is no—or very little—water in an area. And while it is true that we're dealing with the aftermath of poor rain seasons, the truth is that there is water in Ethiopia,' says Bekele Abaire, CRS water and sanitation program manager. 'There is a solution to this problem of recurrent drought that has left millions to face severe hunger. The challenge is that the water runs below the surface in underground caverns as deep as 1,000 feet. This water is difficult but not impossible to access.'

"During the past 8 years, CRS—with generous funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.N. Office for the Coordination of International Affairs, and donations from concerned Catholics and others of goodwill—has helped fight the effects of recurrent drought in Ethiopia...."
(CNA) [emphasis mine]

"CRS" is Catholic Relief Services. As the article points out, CRS isn't the only group helping folks in east Africa.

Can't 'The Government' Do Something?

This article concentrates more on strictly governmental aid programs:

"The United States is stepping up aid to the drought-stricken Horn of Africa in spite of deep deficit problems, while the countries that have snickered on the sidelines about America's cash crunch, specifically Russia and China, are giving pennies on the dollar to what the U.S. has committed.

"The United States has approved $565 million in humanitarian aid for the region so far this year, according to the Obama administration. Included in that is the $105 million announced by the White House Monday...."
(FoxNews.com)

That half-billion earmarked for the region will help - but I think non-governmental organizations ("NGO" in bureaucratse) can help, too. Maybe more efficiently - and that's another topic.

Faith, Works, Prayer, and Aid

I've got two suggestions:

• Pray for folks affected by this drought
  • And those trying to help
• Help a charity that's working in east Africa
  • Pick one you know that's reliable
    • Or find one
  • Figure out what you can reasonably give
  • Praying about that couldn't hurt, either

A few aid agencies:

• CAFOD
  (the official Catholic aid agency for England and Wales)
• Catholic Relief Services (CRS) (the official international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States)

Remember: all that's just a suggestion. I've prayed about this situation, by the way: but haven't discussed the 'charitable giving' thing with my wife yet. I've learned to trust her judgment: and that's yet another topic.

What About Texas?

Folks in eastern Africa aren't the only ones with a bad growing season this year:

"How bad is it really?"
Janet Gregg, Jacksonville Daily Progress (August 1, 2011)

"At the end of June, John Nielsen-Gammon, Texas A&M Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Texas State Climatologist, declared Texas' drought to be the third most severe statewide on record, going back to 1895.

" 'The severity is surpassed only by the 1950-1957 and 1916-1918 droughts,' he said...."

That was at the first of the month. Here's where Texas is at, now:

"This is the second-worst drought on record for Texas"
The Associated Press, via The Houston Chronicle (August 9, 2011)

"Officials say that Texas is now in the midst of its second-worst drought on record.

"National Weather Service meteorologist Victor Murphy said Tuesday that this year's drought has now usurped the one in 1918 as the second driest period in the state...."

The Texas drought is serious, too: and will affect the state's economy. Here's something the Diocese of Austin passed along recently:

• "Pope urges aid for drought-stricken eastern Africa"
  Catholic News Service, via Diocese of Austin, In Our World, Catholic Spirit (July/August 2011)

Why encourage folks in one drought-stricken area to help folks in another that's facing the same sort of problem?

I don't know what the Diocese of Austin's reasoning is.

My take on that article is this: Even during a massive drought, Texas is better off than Ethiopia. Texas already has the resources to dig new wells - if necessary. Are Texans hurting? Yes: I think so. Is Texas facing famine? Probably not.

Under the circumstances, I think it's reasonable to pass along what the Pope said about helping folks in eastern Africa.

Isn't Giving Money 'Worldly,' or Something?

I've opined about faith and works before:

• "Death, Judgment, Heaven, Hell, and Warm Fuzzies"
  (August 8, 2010)

Somewhat-related posts:

• "Drought, Starvation, Death, Request for Help - But No Pressure"
  (July 18, 2011)
• "But - They're not Catholic"
  (June 17, 2011)
• "Charity, Nuns, and an Overloaded Helicopter"
  (April 28, 2011)
• "Sustainable African Development: And Swift's Modest Proposal"
  (May 6, 2010)
• "Good News from Africa: But Some People Won't Like It"
  (March 17, 2009)

In the news:

• "East Africa drought solution runs deep"
  Bekele, Sara A. Fajardo, Catholic News Agency (August 9, 2011)
• "U.S. Shells Out Aid for Africa as China, Russia Hold Back"
  FoxNews.com (August 9, 2011)

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¹ Excerpt from CNA:

"...The East African drought of 2011 that is hitting Kenya and Somalia so hard is also proving to be one of the worst that Ethiopia has faced in 50 years. Currently more than 4.5 million people in Ethiopia alone are facing severe hunger due to the La Niña-induced rainfall shortage. The work that CRS has been carrying out in Ethiopia for more than 50 years is paying off in this drought...."

"...'When people hear the word drought, they automatically assume that there is no—or very little—water in an area. And while it is true that we're dealing with the aftermath of poor rain seasons, the truth is that there is water in Ethiopia,' says Bekele Abaire, CRS water and sanitation program manager. 'There is a solution to this problem of recurrent drought that has left millions to face severe hunger. The challenge is that the water runs below the surface in underground caverns as deep as 1,000 feet. This water is difficult but not impossible to access.'

"During the past 8 years, CRS—with generous funding from the U.S. Agency for International Development, U.N. Office for the Coordination of International Affairs, and donations from concerned Catholics and others of goodwill—has helped fight the effects of recurrent drought in Ethiopia...."
(CNA)