In response to the deepening drought in Ethiopia — where conditions have dramatically deteriorated in the past six to eight weeks — the Church is sending 2,000 tons of food to help, among others, famine-stricken children, expectant mothers and the elderly.

Photo by Garry Flake

In Ethiopia an estimated 13 million people, such as women and children, are at risk.

Photo by Garry Flake

Malnourished children drink Atmit - a Church-produced and donated porridge - in Ethiopia, where an estimated 13 million people are at risk.

The Ethiopian government and United Nations officials issued renewed appeals for food this spring, as the African nation of 67 million people faced another dry growing season.

The Church — which provided more than 4,000 tons of food to Ethiopia in March — is responding to these new requests with an additional 2,000 tons of food — including 240 tons of Atmit, an Ethiopian porridge mix based on a centuries-old recipe. The porridge, made of oat flour, sugar, powdered milk, and a vitamin/mineral mix verified by nutritionists at BYU, will help malnourished children and the elderly who cannot digest whole grains and food made with coarse flour.

Rich McKenna, Church director of Humanitarian Services, said worsening conditions prompted the Church's latest effort. The Ethiopian government recently issued a report estimating that more than 13 million people in the African nation will be affected by the current crisis — 10 percent more than what was previously predicted.

"The need is so great," said Brother McKenna. "We could do 100 times this much and not really dent the pain and suffering that is going on."

Agriculture constitutes 80 percent of the total Ethiopian economy; the severe drought in Ethiopia has caused what some experts believe to be the worst hunger crisis in the nation's history.

In 1984, Church members joined a global outpouring of aid for Ethiopia, fasting and sending donations and food to the country. Since that time, the Church has been involved also in irrigation and potable water projects in the country, sent books and other aid, and provided medical and dental training. In June 2000, Latter-day Saints in England packaged more than 4,000 tons of wheat for the drought-stricken region.

The Church has also contracted with an Ethiopian supplier to produce an additional 1,800 metric tons of Unimix, a corn-soya mixture with added sugar, salt and vitamins. Distribution of the Church-donated Unimix has been underway since March in cooperation with both Project Mercy and Catholic Relief Services.

Church spokesman Dale Bills, who traveled to Ethiopia in March, called the Church's latest response to this "worsening, deepening international crisis," timely.

"We can't do it all," he said, "but what we can do is making a difference."

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