The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and Catholic Relief Services have issued an urgent appeal to bishops, pastors, and parishioners to gather aid for countries in East Africa suffering from a devastating drought that has left more than 12 million people in need of immediate humanitarian assistance.
Lack of rainfall has caused crop failure, livestock death, and an extreme shortage of food and water around the Horn of Africa. Catholic Relief Services, which has been an active presence in East Africa for decades, is working in Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya to distribute food, provide water, and promote safety and sanitation in refugee communities to help equip displaced families with basic necessities.
“It is a humanitarian crisis that cries out for help to Christians throughout the world,” said Archbishop Timothy Dolan, the president of the USCCB, and Bishop Gerald Kicanas, chairman of the CRS board. “The Holy Father, on several occasions, has asked Catholics to respond generously to the desperate needs of our brothers and sisters in East Africa.”
Click here for more information and to donate online.
To donate by phone, call 1-800-736-3467 from 8 am to 11 pm Eastern Time.
To donate by mail, send a check or money order to:
Catholic Relief Services
Memo: East Africa Emergency Fund
PO Box 17090
Baltimore, MD 21203-7090
