Compassion International is urging African Churches to prepare adequately for what weather experts say will be one of the strongest El Niño events expected to take place from October 2026. Magadi, who has spent a decade in disaster response, urged churches that “preparation cannot wait for the rains.” "With El Niño, there's always a 50/50 chance, but this one is looking more and more likely as time goes by." Asked whether a strong El Niño would produce a temporary setback or a longer crisis, Magadi described a chain reaction. During the 2023 to 2024 El Niño the two agencies reached more than three million people before peak impacts, a figure they describe as well short of assessed need.