Many Africans struggling without the basic necessities of life!
SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA - More than 10 million people face hunger
and even death by starvation in Southern Africa. The worst drought in
more than 10 years -- combined with the devastating impact of diseases
such as AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis -- has caused incredible food
shortages. In East Africa, more than 14 million are at risk of starvation due
to a prolonged drought that has seriously
affected agricultural and livestock production.
In both regions, a lack of rainfall has caused
crops to wither and die in the fields. Men and
women are desperately selling all they have,
including precious livestock such as cattle and
goats, to buy any food that is available -- but
there is little to be found. As a result of the shortages, prices for the
dwindling supply of available food in the market have soared. Those
most affected have been those who are the poorest and most vulnerable:
the elderly, the sick and children.
In the Horn of Africa (which includes the countries of Somalia,
Djibouti, Ethiopia and Eritrea), drought is a continual problem. Poor
rainfall in last year's spring and fall rainy seasons resulted in countries
producing a mere 20 percent of the previous year's output. In some areas,
the situation is so severe that agricultural production has declined by more
than half their normal levels.
"Food and water are essential elements that all human beings must
have in order to live,"
explains Fr. John
Lynch. Headquartered in Washington, DC,
Fr. Lynch is Director of Development for the
Missionaries of Africa. "Access to food as
well as having an adequate supply of safe
water are considered human rights. Without
both of these as a bare minimum -- people will die!"
"Every day," Fr. Lynch continues, "I receive correspondence from
our missionaries describing the plight of thousands upon thousands of
men, women and children -- particularly the sick and elderly -- who are
struggling just to have the basic necessities they need to live. That's why
the Missionaries of Africa are so committed to the African people."
Drought and Famine Claiming Lives
Without Rain, Shipments of Food Urgently Needed!
EAST AFRICA - Lack of rainfall, armed military conflicts and
disease have combined to create the most severe food shortage in more
than a decade in East and Southern Africa. Officials estimate that
millions of men, women and children in Angola, Lesotho, Malawi,
Mozambique, Rwanda, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe
will need urgent food assistance through the summer months.
"About 600,000 people face food shortage just in northeastern
Uganda as a result of a long drought," a report issued by the World
Food Programme stated recently. "The Karamoja region in particularly
suffers from the highest levels of malnutrition in Uganda and given the
poor 2004 harvest, we are greatly concerned about the fate of the
hundreds of thousands of people there who risk running out of food
before the next harvest in September," the report concluded. The
Karamoja region, comprising Moroto, Kotido and Nakapiripirit
districts, has been hit by drought every five years since 1980.
To fend off hunger and malnutrition, especially among young
children, the elderly and pregnant or breast-feeding mothers, relief agencies as well as missionary groups such as the Missionaries of Africa have begun an urgent distribution of food to those most in need. Food staples such as maize, beans and rice are being provided to those
most at risk of suffering long-term physical harm as a result of malnutrition. But reaching those most vulnerable can be extremely difficult.
"There are issues making this crisis worse than in previous years,"
one relief worker explained. "The number of AIDS orphans has made the problem so much worse, because the households that we're dealing with are child-headed households because the primary provider has died from AIDS. That translates into a lot of orphans, a lot of caregivers who are providing care to several children. For these families, who are already very poor, it's almost impossible to survive."
"We have more than 800 men working in 21 countries throughout the African continent," explained Fr. John Lynch. Fr. Lynch has recently been assigned to head the Missionaries of Africa's Development Office in Washington, DC. "We are putting all of our efforts into providing immediate as well as long term relief to those
who are suffering from a lack of food, medicine, water, education, clothing and shelter.
