According to the UN’s Hunger Report, “around the world more than enough food is produced to feed the global population—but as many as 828 million people still go hungry.” This implies nearly one in every 9 people go hungry with some of them being at the blink of starvation. The report defines hunger as period when populations are experiencing severe food insecurity. Going on entire days without a meal due to lack of money, lack of access to food, or other resources.

The current state of hunger and drought has been largely contributed by the extreme and unpredictable changes of the climate. Civil society groups have called for a global urgent action to avert the prevailing climate change in the Horn of Africa. The groups also want governments to address the humanitarian crisis to the 21 million facing high level of food insecurity and malnutrition across the region.

“We need to put in place various mechanisms, early warning sign systems, where communities will be able to identify drought as it comes. Then also put in place resilient mechanisms to help these communities withstand the shocks of the climate crisis,” Samson Orao- Programs and Strategy Action Aid.

The civil society groups also shared findings from their report stating that there has been a high dropout of children in the hunger stricken regions with girls being married off by their struggling families to cope up with their dire situation.