Millions of people in East Africa face a deadly combination of climate change, political conflict and spiralling food costs. Families are faced with being unable to provide for their children and are living with constant hunger.

Peter and his wife Ekitela are one of these families. Their children are so hungry they don’t even have the strength to play. Peter and Ekitela used to keep livestock, but since the price of food has almost doubled, they’ve sold most of the animals so the family can eat.

It breaks Peter’s heart that there’s no more he can do, because now there is almost nothing to put on the table. Peter often goes without himself so the children can eat. “I get dizzy from hunger and I worry all the time,” he says.

The couple have 7 children, but Peter worries most about three year-old Lucy. “She is sick and doesn’t have the energy to speak or to sing. When I call her, she just lies there, or starts to cry. I’m afraid she’ll fall ill and die.”

“I wish I could feed my family beans, rice and meat,” says Peter. “We used to have three meals a day when we had enough animals.”

Without help, Peter may never be able to provide his family with the food they urgently need.

World Vision is working to alleviate the effects of the Global Food Crisis by providing seeds to grow their own food, tools to cultivate the land and training in productive farming techniques. In the long term, this will enable families like Peter’s to grow a sustainable supply of nutrient-rich grains, fruit and vegetables, with surplus to sell for extra income.