El Nino has caused climate extremes around the world; drought in some places and floods in others. From Honduras to Malawi, the poor have been the worst affected and, among them, children often bear the brunt of the disaster. While some are forced out of school to work and earn money for food, the parents of others go without food so that they can eat. The hardest people to face are the children affected by this disaster.
Desu, is a seven-year-old girl, in grade one at Primary School in Ethiopia, whose family has been particularly affected by El Nino. With a low income, the area in which they live has been hit hard by the drought. “I miss school sometimes to fetch water from distant places, I watch over my younger siblings or stay in the house. My favourite subject is English and I want to be a teacher when I grow up.” Today, she is having roasted barley for breakfast, but they may be her only meal for the day. (c) World Vision/Christine Murugami
Iesua, a mother, holds her youngest, a one year old baby. Her garden ‘s ‘No good’. She eats breakfast with her family, lunch if there’s enough, and prepares dinner for the children only. She lies in Vanuatu where Cyclone Pam destroyed homes, businesses and crops. Now the country is buckling under the effects of El Nino and thousands of people like Iesua have nothing to eat. (c) World Vision/Dominica Leonard
Precious is 13 and looks at his family’s maize field in Malawi which has been completely ravaged by a dry spell. The crop will wither and die if the rains are delayed. In January 2015, his community experienced a flood, but it was the ensuing drought that delivered the worst damage, since it dried up all the crops that remained in their gardens. His mother supports him and his four brothers and sisters with their land which has yielded barely enough food to last a month this year. (c) World Vision/Charles Kabena
Three year old Manaye lives in Jeju, Ethiopia, one of the areas affected by the ongoing drought. He is the youngest of three brothers. His eldest brother Addisu, is 15 but dropped out of school and migrated to work to support the family. His father Delelegn Gebre Hiwot says, “All of my crops have been failed. We have no water and ponds we use have been dried up.” (c) World Vision/Christine Murugami
Jonathan is nine years old and sits excitedly next to a water pipe that supplies his community. El Nino is causing Honduras’ worst drought in 10 years. Nearly one million people across the country need assistance. The water supply that was built by World Vision but is managed by the community helps them avoid acute water shortages that are widespread in Honduras. (c) World Vision/Israel Carcamo
