Families on the Kenya/Ethiopia border are living exposed to extreme weather and increasing conflict.

Extreme weather is making life harder for families like Galgalo and Guyatu’s*. Their community is caught in a cycle of longer, harsher droughts followed by floods and high winds. The roof of their two-room house blew off and they can’t afford to repair it.

During the last drought, all Galgalo’s livestock and crops died and the family often go hungry. Their nearest water source is an open dam 10 kilometres away, which is shared with animals.

The weather on the Kenya/Ethiopia border is becoming more extreme, bringing a new threat. There’s a growing competition for water, land and other limited resources, and the result is conflict.

Armed groups from Ethiopia also spill over the border, bringing more violence with them. Last year, Galgalo and his family had to flee their home five times.

How you can help people build peace and safer, more secure lives

Providing safe, clean water

Your support could help provide a community with safe, clean water. With your help today, VSO could install 10,000-litre water tanks to serve a whole village offering protection during periods of drought.

Adapting to climate change

You could help families adapt to the changing climate, so they can continue to grow crops and keep livestock. With your support, VSO volunteers can train farmers in the practice of cutting grass after the rains and storing it as hay.

By donating today sickles could be provided to cut the grass, and the hay produced could feed their herds of goats through drought. Excess hay can be sold, providing much needed income. For Galgalo and Guyatu this may mean having funds to repair their roof.

Building peace

With your support VSO volunteers could bring communities together to discuss the problems they share to create change and build peace together. More peace committees could be set up to create understanding between different tribal groups and open a dialogue between local and national government and people who previously felt voiceless.

I have learned to make peace. Peace is very important for everything” says Galgalo.

But peace doesn’t just happen. People need to work for it. And you too can play an important role.

By donating today, you could give a community living in fear the chance to build peace, and with those firm foundations in place, safer, more secure lives.

Please will you give a gift today and help families like Galgalo and Guyatu’s build a brighter future?

Donate now

*Pseudonyms have been used to protect identities.

We value every gift that you give, and will always put it straight to work as quickly as we can. 

In 2022-23, 87p  of every £1 you gave went directly towards tackling poverty worldwide. 13p was spent on the day-to-day running of the charity and raising the next £1 so that we can help even more people this year.