drought is not just a natural disaster: the world’s most vulnerable people and wildlife are struggling to survive

The Global Drought Snapshot Report reveals how droughts are devastating the most vulnerable communities—especially women and children—while silently triggering an ecological catastrophe. Drawing on data from over 20 countries, the report paints a stark picture of human and environmental survival under extreme drought conditions.

Since 2023, the impact on women and children has been particularly severe. In parts of Africa, child marriage has surged as families struggle to survive. In several drought-hit regions of Ethiopia, reported cases of child marriage have doubled. Children are being treated as “survival currency,” traded for dowries to ease household burdens.

In Zimbabwe, many students—especially girls—have dropped out of school due to hunger, lack of fees, and poor sanitation. In the Amazon basin, dried-up rivers have cut off basic lifelines: pregnant women are unable to access medical care, communities face severe water shortages, and entire villages are paralyzed.

NDMC researcher Paola Guastello stated, “What we’re witnessing is a picture of extreme desperation: children forced out of school, girls married off early, families digging through dry riverbeds for water… These are not just symptoms of poverty, but signs of systemic collapse.”

The report also highlights the ecological toll of drought. In September 2023, over 200 endangered river dolphins died in the Amazon due to extreme heat and water scarcity. In Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park, 100 elephants died from thirst and starvation. In Botswana, hippos were stranded in dry riverbeds. Some countries, facing ecological collapse and looming food insecurity, were forced to slaughter elephants and distribute their meat to local communities.

In response to the scale and depth of the crisis, the report calls for urgent investment in drought resilience—such as stronger early warning systems, renewable energy and alternative water technologies, watershed restoration, promotion of local crop varieties, and gender-responsive climate policies to ensure women and girls are not sidelined in disaster response.

Andrea Meza, Deputy Executive Secretary of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, stressed: “Managing drought proactively is not only an environmental obligation—it is about climate justice and human dignity. 85% of drought-affected populations live in low- and middle-income countries. We must act now.”

Dr. Smith of NDMC added: “Droughts will not become less frequent in the future. We must be prepared. This is a preventable crisis—but only if we are willing to unite and act immediately.”