Ethiopia: 25 years on

Oct 23rd, 2009 11:02 AM EST
By Helen Palmer

It’s now 25 years since the world learned of the famine in Ethiopia that was to leave a million people dead and millions more destitute.

In October 1984, the BBC reports of Michael Buerk and Mohamed Amin brought images of biblical suffering into living rooms across the world.

A massive international response was launched. ONE advisor Bob Geldof formed the group ‘Band Aid’ whose single topped the charts from its release in November 1984, and was followed by the ‘Live Aid’ concerts in July 1985. Together these efforts raised £150 million for emergency relief.

The famine touched a generation and laid the ground for the future anti poverty campaigns in the UK and beyond.

A quarter of a century on, hunger is still stalking the Horn of Africa. More than six million people are now in urgent need of food aid in Ethiopia; 23 million in the region as a whole.

And yet, the crisis is nowhere near the scale of 1984-85. Much has changed for the better in Ethiopia, although new threats – especially the effects of climate change – threaten to derail this progress.

In coming weeks ONE will be looking at the causes of enduring hunger in the Horn of Africa, but also the progress that has taken place and potential solutions for the future.

Read our Questions and Answers to find out more.

TAGS: Climate and Development, Ethiopia 25 years on, Featured, Food Aid, Food security