I’ve been reading about the humanitarian crisis in East Africa with a depressing sense of helplessness and frustration. Like much of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, East Africa is experiencing a drought like it hasn’t seen in decades. Unlike the southwestern U.S., East Africa lacks the infrastructure, resources, and stability to manage such a crisis, particularly in Somalia, the hardest-hit area. Government officials and Muslim warlords are fighting for control there. Months ago the warlords kicked out the humanitarian groups that were trying to help the suffering Somali people, and they continue to block foreign aid from reaching those in need. (If you’ve seen Black Hawk Down, you already know something about the ugly world of Somalia) Each day thousands of refugees from Somalia and Ethiopia flee to the west in search of food, water, and health care. Many wind up in a massive refugee camp outside Nairobi, Kenya. Originally intended for perhaps 90,000 refugees, it now contains around 400,000, approximately the size of Miami.

For a while I wanted to help but didn’t know what to do. I certainly didn’t want to send money to Somalia only to have it be hijacked by the warlords. I can’t stop the civil war. I can’t make it rain. I can’t share our food with them. But I can support established groups like WorldVision that are already working hard to support the refugees in Kenya. Thanks to various matching grants, for about the cost of a nice sushi dinner for two, you can provide $250 worth of emergency food, healthcare and other necessities. Visit WorldVision.org if you’d like to help.