Ten million West Africans face hunger

  1. Posted on Thursday 8 July 2010 - 17:08
    Sanday
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    Sanday Chongo Kabange, AfricaNews reporter in Lusaka, Zambia
    Ten million people across West Africa are at risk of suffering from severe hunger if no immediate response is sanctioned. This has prompted a 10-member consortium of aid agencies to join calls for an end to one of Africa's biggest humanitarian challenges. They call for a 'surge' in the humanitarian effort.
    This young boy from Mathare finds it hard to talk about the violence, hunger, pain and poverty he experiences. Cultural and social issues make it difficult to bring these problems to the surface.
    They said the imminent crisis could hit the Sahel region of West and Central Africa.

    The centre of the crisis is Niger, where seven million people, almost half the population do not have enough food. A further two million people in Chad, and hundreds of thousands more in Mali, Mauritania, parts of Burkina Faso and the extreme north of Nigeria are also suffering as a result of the crisis.

    The agencies - including ACF, Care International, Oxfam, Save the Children and Tearfund said that new malnutrition figures underlined the need to act immediately.

    The latest statistics from Niger show that nearly 17% of children under five are now suffering from acute malnutrition, over a third higher than the number last year.

    A high level political response is needed to galvanize the effective and urgent delivery of aid as well as to ensure more funding said the aid agencies.

    The agencies urged the United Nations to appoint a special representative for the crisis to help speed up the massive aid effort across several countries, and negotiate with governments both in the crisis-affected countries and the donor states.

Reactions

  1. Posted on Friday 09 July 2010 06:01
    matuju
    Image of matuju

    Onsongo Matura
    4 berichten
    Lid sinds July 2010

    Africa has enough to cater for its needy but our greedy and corrupt leaders have let their people down. They believe that whenever human catastrophe strike, it is the duty of charitable organizations to take charge in trying to tackle such crises. Till when shall the world's poor and needy try to rely and live on the crumbs that fall from the world's rich peoples' table? Wake up Africa!Let us come together and support the First World Project - THE POSITIVE MOVE ON GROUP that seeks TO EMPOWER people in Third World Nations (Africa included) with the tools relevant for the future generation. Read More...
  2. Posted on Sunday 11 July 2010 20:06
    LoveAfrica
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    9 berichten
    Lid sinds September 2007

    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!AFRICANS MUST STOP BLAMING EACH OTHER ....LETS LOOK AT THE ROOT OF THE PROBLEM !!!!!!!!!!!!
    Africa not only has enough resources to feed itself, but it has enough resources to feed th whole globe, and thats EXACTLY WHATS HAPPENING.

    The resources of Africa are being taken out to feed the former colonial countries.

    Almost all of the mining, agriculture, telecommunications, civil engineering and a host of other companies and industries are all owned by former colonial foreigners.

    MOST OF AFRICAS WEALTH AND FOOD ENDS UP ON EUROPEAN TABLES, this is the main problem.

    Many African governments simply do not have the capital (money /resources) because their wealth is in the hands of outsiders who dont even pay taxes in Africa, but to their own countries.
    African governments are sometimes forced to seek assistance from the very same people who have taken away their resources for loans and charity.
    But the loans and charity come with harsh conditions like structural adjustment policies which help to cripple the continent.


    I agree that Africans should Unite, so instead of blaming our Governments we should help and support them in BREAKING THE ECONOMIC CHAINS that are holding us back.

    STOP LOOKING TO THE FIRST WORLD TO HELP US, because there are 2 reasons why they cant and wont.

    1. If colonial and enslaving first world countries really wanted to to help us, then
    they would not have enslaved and colonialised Africa in the first place.

    2. Its not in their interests to help Africa, beacuse if Africa becomes truley
    politically and economically independent, then they (first world former colonials)
    would no longer have easy access to the wealth of Africa which means they
    would become poor and Africa would become rich. Thats not what they want,
    they want to remain rich, so it means that they must keep Africa poor in order to
    maintain their standard of living.

    3. The first world is rich because it feeds on the wealth of the third world. THIS IS
    A FACT. Therefore any aid or charity from them can only be a small token
    gesture that makes it look like they want to help.
    Its like giving a penny with your right hand, and stealing a gold mine with your
    left.
    Africa must unite with itself, control its own resources, and form trade links with others which benefit Africa.

    Thankfully I can see that there are a lot of forward thinking Africans and the continent is on the rise, lets support each other and work together to solve our own problems, clean our own house, break our colonial master/slave relationships with the first world and forge new relationships.

    Africa is about to rise again, lets be positive and help speed things up for one another.
  3. Posted on Saturday 14 April 2012 04:36
    jack88
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    73 berichten
    Lid sinds April 2012

    I cannot understand how there is so many people hungry in this country. There is so much work that needs to be done. We have to get this under control. This cannot be happening. class action lawsuit against yaz