Anglican Communion News Service

By Anglican Alliance staff

Anglicans are to meet in Nairobi next week to launch an appeal and advocacy campaign on the food crisis sweeping East Africa.

The meeting which will bring together primates and bishops from the worst hit areas, comes as the UN announced a deepening of the famine in southern Somalia.

The meeting is being organised jointly by the Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa and the Anglican Alliance for development, relief and advocacy, through its Africa facilitator, Emmanuel Olatunji.

Short term relief for famine victims, and longer term measures to improve food security will be on the agenda for the meeting which will also receive a briefing on the state of refugees living at Dadaab camp in the east of Kenya. It is also expected to consider ways to highlight the need for government action – both in Africa and beyond – to increase the level of aid going to the refugees, to improve food distribution through the continent and increase food security.

Sally Keeble, Anglican Alliance director, said: “Emmanuel Olatunji has brought together key people for this meeting to find ways to improve the situation for people in the Horn of Africa both now and in the longer term. We ask for your prayers this weekend for the participants at this meeting - and for the millions across the region who are suffering such acute hardship.”

Notes to Editors

• The Anglican Alliance for development, relief and advocacy is the international initiative that brings together work across the communion. Its mission is to build on the work already being undertaken across the communion, build capacity, co-ordinate and provide a clear voice for the Communion in international development.

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