A woman drives donkeys to transport water in a drought-stricken area of Ethiopia in 2022 (OSV News/Michael Tewelde, World Food Program handout via Reuters)Catholic leaders across Eastern Africa are urging prayers and action this Lent for millions facing a deepening drought crisis. Church officials say 20 million to 25 million people in Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia need humanitarian aid as failed rains, intensified by La Niña and other climate factors, devastate the region. Livestock have died, wells are drying up and herding communities are on the move, raising fears of conflict. “It is a very, very dire situation,” said Bishop Kariuki, adding that even the wells and boreholes were drying up. FULL STORYAs drought strikes hard, Church leaders in Eastern Africa call for Lenten prayers (By Fredrick Nzwili, OSV News)

Source: Ethiopian News February 19, 2026 21:31 UTC