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July 26, 2005
Niger
The food crisis situation we are facing in the north of Burkina has of course struck throughout the whole region of West Africa, and is particularly bad in Niger, where 3.5 million are at risk. 150 000 children there are suffering from extreme hunger, and less than 1 in 10 of those in need are making it to the feeding centres.
The food crisis has been caused by a combination of locust invasion and bad rains, which ruined last year's harvest. NGOs were warning of the forthcoming disaster since November last year, and calling for aid. Further appeals in January and June still failed to raise a penny in aid from international governments. The amount asked for initially to prevent the crisis - a few million dollars - was peanuts compared with the fact that "Europeans eat ice cream for $10bn a year and Americans spend $35bn on their pets each year."
Now that the crisis has hit, and it is on our television screens, governments are shamed into doing something, but it is still a fraction of what is needed. Food is now beginning to arrive, but it is too little, too late for many thousands who will die before it can reach them. And the amount of money needed to resolve the crisis now is much more than would have been necessary to prevent it several months ago.
"The World Food Programme appeal for $16 million is still only 40 per cent funded. The UN emergency appeal for $30 million has only received $10 million, although more has been pledged. Had this money been given six months ago, it would have cost $1 per person affected per day to prevent the food crisis... It will now take about $80 to save each starving person."
The Niger government also has a responsibility, since - in spite of NGO warnings - the government did announce its problems, but tried to play down the extent of the crisis. Niger is the second poorest, and Burkina the third poorest country in the world.
Information
You can read a BBC report on the situation, including a link to a video report on the arrival of aid to Niger here.
There is also a new website, Niger Watch, run by the prolific Ingrid Jones.
Help
You can send money to help to:
Red Cross
World Vision
Christian Aid/ ACT
Posted by Keith at July 26, 2005 01:48 PM
Comments
I linked to this post today. Thanks for your boldness.
Posted by: wilsonian at July 29, 2005 03:55 AM
tx for this wake up call!
Posted by: Lorna at July 29, 2005 03:20 PM
