GB-CHC-285776-NAM024CAFODNamibia is currently experiencing the worst drought in 30 years. More than 40% of crops have failed, livestock conditions have deteriorated and water tables have run low. In May 2012, the president declared a national drought emergency and called for international assistance. As of September 2013, close to one million people or nearly half of the country’s 2.34 million people have been affected by the drought. The most affected populations are from the northern regions where over 70% of the population lives. As the drought intensifies, farmers who often rely on their own production are relying on external sources of food for their households. The government of Namibia (GoN) released a nine-month Drought Relief Response plan until March 2014, however most of the planned interventions are facing funding gaps including the food aid for 463,581 food insecure households and other planned food security , agriculture and WASH activities. Three years since its establishment Caritas Namibia has formed a cadre of volunteers across the country that has responded to emergencies most notably responding to the 2011 flood victims in the northern part of the country. In September this year, Caritas Namibia responded to the immediate needs of the drought-affected households through the distribution of emergency food items to supplement the government’s distribution of maize meal to severely food insecure households. Caritas Namibia conducted a food security rapid assessment from August to September. Among the key findings were that the food crisis was caused by large-scale crop failure, low harvest and the failure of social safety nets. Furthermore, while most respondents had indicated that their main food source was from their own harvest, the assessment revealed that household cereal stocks would run out by November 2013. Families have resorted to negative coping strategies such as limiting portion size of meals, reducing number of meals taken in a day and reducing expenditures on agricultural inputs. Over 80% of respondents have also reported that they have not started to stock agricultural inputs for the coming planting season. This is the first time that Caritas Namibia is submitting an emergency appeal to the confederation. It hopes that through this appeal it can respond to immediate and medium-term needs of the drought-affected communities while also enhancing their resilience to drought. Through this appeal Caritas Namibia also aims to strengthen its capacity in emergency preparedness & response as well as in disaster risk management so that it can more effectively respond to humanitarian needs in the country. The project will cost $ 845,767.38 USD or € 626,494.36, and the duration of the project is 9 months, 15 September 2013-15 June 2014, although the actual implementation period will be seven months. Catholic Agency For Overseas Development (CAFOD)Namibian Catholic Development CommissionCAFODcafod@cafod.org.uk20000.000020000.0000CAFOD General Funds20000.0000Namibian Catholic Development Commission