Credit: Andy Hall/Oxfam

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More than 13 million people in the Horn of Africa are currently facing desperate food shortages following the worst drought in 60 years. Non-government organisation Oxfam is there helping on-the-ground, but individuals in Australia are also being called-upon to help out – from the comfort of their dinner table.

“Aussies have a long tradition of shouting their mates, and we hope on World Food Day they can shout some of the people caught up in the worst food crisis of the 21st century,” says Oxfam Australia Executive Director Andrew Hewett.

Oxfam has launched ‘Shout the Horn’ to help raise funds for the food crisis. On Sunday 16 October – World Food Day – Australians are being asked to dine at a nearby participating restaurant to “shout” the cost of an extra meal and make a donation to Oxfam Australia’s East Africa appeal.

Melbourne’s Cumulus Inc. was one of the first restaurants to register for Shout the Horn. Head chef Andrew McConnell said that “the response from the appeal will include life-saving aid, as well as providing long-term strategies to deal with the impact of severe and frequent droughts on the lives of people and communities”.

As well as dining out at participating restaurant, Oxfam is encouraging people to host their own Shout the Horn dinner parties on Sunday October 16 and make a donation to the appeal.

Australian food personalities from around the country including Julie Goodwin, Andrew McConnell and Mark Jensen are supporting this opportunity for Australians to share a meal with friends and family and offer a helping hand to others around the world.

Referring to the 13 million starving people on the Horn of Africa, Simon Bryant, presenter of the ABCs ‘The Cook and the Chef’ said that “in sheer numbers that’s the equivalent of half the population of Australia facing life threatening food shortages, it is not something you can just ignore.”

Bistro Molines’ head chef in the Hunter Valley in NSW says “the world has become wasteful with food weekly and we seem to forget that there are so many people starving… including children. We must never take anything for granted as we have experienced disasters with fatal and sad stories. Oxfam is the driving connection between us and the starving people, they need our support.”

Oxfam are hoping to raise funds to reach a more than 3.5 million people with emergency relief, and to continue building long-term resilience of communities by helping them to adapt to the increased challenges of more extreme weather events.

For more information on Shout the Horn, to register as a restaurant or to view the list of those participating visit www.oxfam.org.au/shoutthehorn.