Famine resilience
Battered by drought and civil wars, more than 20 million people from Yemen to Tanzania are at risk of starvation in what aid workers call the largest humanitarian crisis since World War II.
But over the past two decades, nations that once produced searing images of famine's toll have moved to thwart it by strengthening community resilience.
Our reporters traveled to Madagascar, Ethiopia, and Somaliland to investigate the daunting challenges as well as the long-term efforts that are saving lives.
Cover StoryCan famine be checked as Africa faces its worst crisis since the 1980s?Here's what Africa has learned about building ‘community resilience’ as millions in Africa’s arid zones gird themselves to cope better with drought and the threat of famine.
Part 5How a 20-million-person crisis goes unseenShining a spotlight on far-away problems is always a challenge for aid groups – even amid drought and famine in Africa, which is being called the worst humanitarian crisis in decades. But when they succeed, public awareness often translates into action. Part 5 of our series on famine resilience.
Part 4Amid persistent drought, a nation of herders plots a new courseIn Somaliland, part of famine prevention means keeping people at home, rather than wandering for help. It also means laying the ground for a major shift to lessen dependence on livestock, the backbone of Somalis' survival for centuries. Part 4 of our series on famine resilience.
In drought-stricken Somaliland, age-old challenges meet WhatsAppSix months ago, a handful of people in this self-declared republic had a novel idea: create a WhatsApp group to quickly connect donors with relatives' communities enduring drought. Now other sub-clans are using it as a model.
Part 3Madagascar fights the subtler side of hunger: chronic malnutritionDroughts and famines tend to afflict countries in cyclical fashion. But where chronic malnutrition is endemic, such as in Madagascar, they strike harder. Health education is a start, aid groups say – but adjusting priorities is important, too. Part 3 of our series on famine resilience.
Part 2Madagascar skirted famine – barely. Now, it's boosting resilience before drought returns.Where persistent drought is the new normal, communities will have to adapt – a challenge across eastern Africa. But Madagascar’s success, and the lessons that it learned from its brush with disaster, point to how crises might be averted elsewhere. Part 2 of our series on famine resilience.
Part 1In Ethiopia, model drought defenses are put to the testThe country's booming capital, Addis Ababa, sits in stark contrast to rural areas struggling against two severe droughts in three years. But innovative aid has helped farming communities manage the crisis. Part 1 of our series on famine resilience.
In Ethiopia, drought shoves the ordinary – even marriage – just out of reachFailed rains have disrupted life here in ways seismic enough to register – if barely – on the Richter scale of global disasters. The government estimates that nearly 8 million people are in urgent need of assistance. But at close range, drought does even more than leave people hungry or far from home.
