With an under-five mortality rate of 173 per 1,000, an estimated 1,300 children under five die each day. With the highest population in Africa, it is one of the poorest countries, ranked 172 out of 174 last year in its overall level of development. All of these statistics mean that Ethiopia's large population is particularly vulnerable to drought. But Ethiopia is not alone. In Eritrea, Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Somalia, Tanzania and other countries of the eastern Africa region, millions of people are threatened with starvation, illness and stunted development because of drought conditions.
Some countries have large numbers of internally displaced people.
Eritrea is an example. There, some 300,000 people have been forced away from their homes by a border dispute with neighboring Ethiopia. Children's special needs To protect young children, activities such as measles vaccinations, provision of vitamin A and Oral Rehydration Salts, anti-malarial drugs and antibiotics are crucial. Approximately 500,000 school children are living in drought affected areas in Ethiopia alone. Primary schools are closing down and children are leaving schools to help support individual family incomes.