As rich nations showcase reluctance in releasing funds that will reverse effects of climate change in developing countries, women and children have suffered more consequences.

According to the just released “Unfair Share” report by Oxfam, women in Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia and South Sudan are the most affected by the drought caused by climate change.

The report indicates that millions of women and girls face a risk of hunger and gender based violence.

Oxfam says many women and girls in the affected countries are responsible for house chores such as walking for long distance in search of water. In some cases, their quest for clean water leads to them being sexual abused.

Also, too often, women have to eat last and least, as mothers prioritise their children when food is limited. The report further shows lack of action by the wealthy nations often leads to girls being taken out of school when the family suffers economic hardships.

Oxfam’s Africa director Fati N’zi-Hassane (pictured) says contrary to their promise to pump $53.3 billion to East Africa to fund projects that will catalyse effects of climate change, the wealth nations have only released $2.4 billion to these Global South nations.

This only represents five per cent of the promised funds by the rich nations who have been the top environment polluters and gas emitters.

“Even by their own generous accounts, polluting nations have delivered only pittance to help East Africa scale up their mitigation and adaptation efforts. Nearly half the funds (45 per cent) they did give were loans, plunging the region further into more debt,” she said.

Climate injustices

N’zi-Hassane says the climate injustices have resulted to hunger in these four nations whose major parts of the countries are arid and semi-arid.

“At the heart of East Africa’s hunger crisis is an abhorrent climate injustice. Rich polluting nations continue to rig the system by disregarding the billions owed to East Africa, while millions of people are left to starve from repeated climate shocks,” said N’Zi-Hassane.

It is estimated that the prolonged drought as well as erratic rainfalls in East Africa has resulted to deaths of nearly 13 million livestock animals and destruction of thousands of hectares of crops. Kenya is estimated to have lost 2.6 million livestock.

This then exposed millions of residents especially those from rural areas to serious hunger and without income or food.