Video: Drought causes thousands to flee Somalia & Horn of Africa region faces famine risk

Drought causes thousands to flee Somalia


http://www.euronews.net/nocomment/2011/07/18/drought-causes-thousands-to-flee-somalia/


Horn of Africa region faces famine risk


http://www.euronews.net/nocomment/2011/07/06/horn-of-africa-region-faces-risk-of-hunger/

Video: Tell Others: A 7 Billionth Child - 1 In 7 Chance Of Being Hungry

Video: Tell Others: A 7 Billionth Child - 1 In 7 Chance Of Being Hungry

This year we welcome a seven billionth person into the world knowing that there is one in seven chance that person will be born into hunger. Nearly a billion people in the world go to bed hungry each night. Yet there are more than twice as many people online. You are one of them. Just think what we could achieve if all two billion of us came together to take a stand against hunger.


http://www.wfp.org/videos/7-billionth-child-1-7-chance-being-hungry


Hungry Planet: Episode 9

http://www.wfp.org/videos/hungry-planet-9

Very Very Urgent: Famine in the Horn of Africa: How to help

Please Forward to Your Friends & Relatives

Very Very Urgent: Famine in the Horn of Africa: How to help

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43841708/ns/nightly_news/t/famine-horn-africa-how-help/

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43816249/ns/world_news-africa/t/un-officially-declares-famine-two-regions-somalia/#.Tpuy45vKu7s

A list of charitable organizations fighting famine and drought in the Horn of Africa

More than 11 million people in the Horn of Africa require food assistance due to the region's worst drought in half a century, the United Nations says.

The UN says that famine exists in two regions of southern Somalia, southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle. Across the country, nearly half of the Somali population — 3.7 million people — are now in crisis, of whom an estimated 2.8 million people are in the south.

But parts of Kenya and Ethiopia are also in crisis.

Here are some key organizations that are providing aid in the region.

CARE:
=====

The organization says it is providing food, water and primary education in the Dadaab refugee camps. Call 1-800-521-2273 or donate online.

https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?df_id=9620&9620.donation=form1

Mercy Corps:=========

The global humanitarian agency is responding to the drought in the Horn of Africa with emergency operations in northeastern Kenya, and plans to build on existing work in hard-hit Ethiopia and Somalia. We will focus our efforts on the most vulnerable people in villages and towns.

Mercy Corps is currently helping 150,000 people through programs like emergency food distributions, clean water delivery and cash-for-work activities in this area.

Want to help? Click here to donate.

https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/africahunger?source=60200

UNICEF:=======

UNICEF, the UN's children's organization, and its partners need more money to aid children in the Horn of Africa in the coming months. Immediate measures include child immunization campaigns and water and sanitation services to ward off disease.

Text FOOD to UNICEF (864233) to donate $10, enough to feed a child for 10 days or provide 321 sachets of nutrient powder to boost infant survival and development, the aid group says.

http://www.unicefusa.org/work/emergencies/horn-of-africa/?gclid=CKTynZ-2kKoCFQHu7QoddxOsxw

International Committee of the Red Cross:
===============================

Red Cross has launched the East Africa Drought Appeal 2011 to provide emergency relief, including food, water and health assistance.

http://www.icrc.org/
http://www.redcross.org.au/

Edesia Global Nutrition Solutions:
=========================
Executive Director Navyn Salem says, “You can very simply save a child’s life or change the course of a family’s life. It makes everything seem worthwhile and absolutely possible.”

The organization has a special focus on the crisis in Somalia and is using Plumpy'nut® to "make a lasting impact and save lives." Make donations online.

http://www.edesiaglobal.org/

Doctors Without Borders:
===================

In Dadaab, Kenya, Doctors Without Borders says it is treating more than 2,400 children in its ambulatory therapeutic feeding program and 130 children in its inpatient therapeutic feeding center. An additional 5,047 children with moderate acute malnutrition are enrolled in a supplementary feeding program. There are now around 10,000 people in the organization's feeding program in the Dadaab camp.

Donate here or by calling 1-888-392-0392.

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/donate/overview.cfm?ref=main-menu

Save the Children:
=============

Save the Children has launched an effort in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia to feed underweight children, provide medical treatment and get clean water to remote communities. Click here for ways to give.

http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6146369/k.95B8/Ways_To_Give.htm

The World Food Programme:
=====================

The World Food Programme said it is reaching 1.5 million people in Somalia now, and is scaling up to reach 2.2 million more in the previously inaccessible south of the country. It says airlifts to Mogadishu will start within a few days to bring in special nutritious foods for malnourished children.

Donate $10 by texting the word AID to 27722 or make a donation online

https://www.wfp.org/donate/hoa_banners

World Vision:
==========

World Vision says it has been fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa for years and will continue to provide food, clean water, agricultural support, health care and other vital assistance to children and families. Donate online.

http://donate.worldvision.org/OA_HTML/xxwv2ibeCCtpItmDspRte.jsp?funnel=dn&item=1754360&go=item&section=10366&

The International Rescue Committee:
============================

In drought-wracked central Somalia, the International Rescue Committee is giving cash and other assistance to households whose livestock, pastures and farmland have been destroyed. In Kenya's refugee camps, the organization says, it is providing medical screenings and referrals for new arrivals at reception centers where they also receive food and basic supplies. Donate online.

https://www.rescue.org/donate/drought_africa

Oxfam International:
===============

Oxfam said it is responding to the crisis by providing water, sanitation services, food and cash. The aim is to reach at least 3 million people, including 700,000 in Ethiopia, 1.3 million in Kenya, and 500,000 in Somalia. Donate online.

http://www.oxfam.org/en/emergencies/east-africa-food-crisis#donate

International Medical Corps:
=====================

International Medical Corps teams have been delivering health care services to people in Somalia, Ethiopia, and Kenya since 1991 and are working rapidly to provide humanitarian relief to victims of drought and famine in the region. Donate online.

https://www.internationalmedicalcorps.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=1350

AmeriCares:
=========
AmeriCares said it is preparing to send medical aid to areas of East Africa experiencing one of the worst droughts in decades. The organization has also established an Africa Disaster Relief Fund to help direct critical resources to the region. Donate online.

https://secure.americares.org/site/Donation2?df_id=9593&9593.donation=form1

Action Against Hunger:
=================

The organization said it's providing support for displaced and at-risk populations, treating acute malnutrition, and ensuring emergency access to clean water, improved sanitation, and hygiene programs for thousands of children and adults. Donate online or call 877-777-1420.

https://www.actionagainsthunger.org/donate/humanitarian-catastrophe-the-horn-africa?s_src=hp_button

ActionAid:
=======

ActionAid said it has already reached more than 200,000 people with emergency food supplies, water and livelihood support. In the next few months, the organization aims to reach an additional 120,000 people with much-need food and water. Donate online.

https://actionaidusa.org/donate/

Adventist Development and Relief Agency:
================================

According to the organization, the aid it's providing includes emergency water trucking, distribution of shelter materials, repair and construction of boreholes, distribution of food rations, and in Kenya special rations to 300 pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. Donate online.

https://secure2.convio.net/ccadra/site/Donation2?idb=994256713&df_id=2831&2831.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=9h5cmcea23.app207a

American Friends Service Committee:
============================

The organization says it is working in the Dadaab refugee camp on the Somalia-Kenya border and with local partners inside Somalia to support lasting peace efforts. Donate online.

https://secure2.convio.net/afsc/site/Donation2?df_id=2620&2620.donation=form1&source=donation&subssource=Dadaab&JServSessionIdr004=77o83o5v35.app202b

American Jewish World Service:
========================

The organization says it will be partnering with other organizations to ensure that aid is distributed to those who are most in need. Over the long term, AJWS will be working with its partners to address the underlying systemic causes of this crisis. Donate online.

https://secure.ajws.org/site/Donation2?df_id=4540&4540.donation=form1&__utma=1.703578135.1311693490.1311693490.1311693490.1&__utmb=1.1.10.1311693490&__utmc=1&_
_utmx=-&__utmz=1.1311693490.1.1.utmcsr=(direct)|utmccn=(direct)|utmcmd=(none)&__utmv=-&__utmk=6189363

American Refugee Committee:
=======================

The organization says it's working closely to provide life-saving relief to those in need, providing food aid and non-food items such as bedding, utensils and soap to more than 400 families. Donate online.

https://secure2.convio.net/refc/site/Donation2?idb=1923959404&df_id=2268&2268.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=57r28j2o98.app210a

Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team (AMURT):
=====================================

AMURT says it is performing assessments in Northern Kenya to better serve the affected communities. Call 301-738-7122 for donations.

http://www.amurt.net/

Baptist World Alliance:
=================

The organization says it's working with its members in Ethiopia and Kenya to formulate an adequate drought response. Donate online.

http://www.bwanet.org/bwa.php?site=general&id=4

Catholic Relief Services:
==================

CRS says it is increasing its food distributionsfrom 400,000 people to 1 million people in Ethiopia. The organization also says it has an assessment team in the Dadaab refugee camps in Kenya and is preparing 9,500 kits with plastic sheeting & jerry cans for immediate distribution. Call 1-800-736-3467 or donate online.

https://secure.crs.org/site/Donation2?df_id=4240&4240.donation=form1&JServSessionIdr004=n77dup3624.app243b

CHF International:
==============

CHF says it is responding to the crisis in the Horn of Africa through its country offices in Ethiopia and Kenya by providing continued emergency water support and other forms of aid. Donate online.

http://www.chfinternational.org/node/36358

ChildFund International:
==================

ChildFund says it is targeting its drought-relief efforts on children five and younger and their mothers, who are most at risk for nutritional deficiencies. The organization has partnerships with the World Food Programme and UNICEF. Donate online.

https://www.childfund.org/Donation/DonationHomePage.aspx

Christian Reformed World Relief Committee:
=================================

The organization says it is providing $7 million in emergency food supplies, water and fodder for livestock in five high-risk locations in Kenya and in southern Ethiopia. Donate online.

http://www.crcna.org/pages/crwrc_idr_eadrought.cfm

Church World Service:
=================

CWS says it is working on a response centered on the Mwingi and Kibwezi areas of Kenya by providing emergency food relief, water tankering and long-term disaster risk reduction programs. Donate online.

https://secure2.convio.net/cws/site/SPageServer?pagename=emergencies_dm&JServSessionIdr004=fooxeb4ta5.app246b

CONCERN Worldwide:
=================

Concern says it is reaching 400,000 in the affected regions with clean water, food and nutritional care. In Somalia, the organization says it's reaching more than 100,000 people.
Donate online.

https://www.kintera.org/site/c.jhLRJ6PMKsG/b.7564977/k.323C/2011_Horn_of_Africa_Drought/apps/ka/sd/donor.asp

Direct Relief International:
====================

According to the agency, Direct Relief has provided $30,000 in cash and $50,000 (wholesale) in medical supplies to respond to the Horn of Africa famine crisis that has affected nearly 1 million people along the northern border of Kenya. Donate online.

https://secure2.convio.net/dri/site/Donation2?idb=1135888720&1170.donation=form1&df_id=1170&JServSessionIdr004=lj2hpuk371.app243b

Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED):
==============================================

From Uganda to Southern Somalia, through Kenya, ACTED says its teams are operating every day to ensure access to potable water and sanitation in order to improve the vulnerable populations’ food security. Donate online.

http://www.acted.org/en/support-us

HelpAge USA:
===========

HelpAge says it's distributing food, water and healthcare to older people and their families, as well as water, animal feed and veterinary care for livestock. Donate online.

https://npo.networkforgood.org/Donate/Donate.aspx?npoSubscriptionId=1001542&code=USA%20launch

Helping Hand for Relief and Development:
===============================

The organization says it has planned sending emergency aid, which includes providing basic sanitation and providing camps for internally displaced persons. Donate online.

https://www.hhrd.org/Donate.aspx?proid=95

International Orthodox Christian Charities:
================================

Through its emergency healthcare partners, IOCC says it's putting nursing and public healthcare specialists into action to aid victims of the massive humanitarian crisis. The organization is also delivering financial assistance to provide critically needed healthcare support for millions of people. Donate online.

https://www.iocc.org/giving/giving_emergency.aspx

International Relief & Development:
===========================

IRD says its staff is working to design an emergency response focused on supplemental feedings. Donate online.

http://www.ird.org/how/how.html

Islamic Relief USA:
==============

The organization says it has launched a humanitarian assistance program to aid the civilian population affected by famine. Donate online.

https://irw.org/SSLPage.aspx

Life for Relief and Development:
========================

The organization says it is responding by providing funds to buy emergency food and it has also commissioned the digging of water wells. Donate online.

http://www.lifeusa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=hoa_foodbasket

Lutheran World Relief:
=================

LWR says it has committed an initial $500,000 to its partners operating in the Dadaab camps to assist new arrivals. Donate online.

https://dnbweb1.blackbaud.com/OPXDONATE/AddDonor.asp?cguid=EA69D479-63A8-47F2-A792-8B11A1CB38A0&sTarget=https://dnbweb1.blackbaud.com/OPXDONATE/Donate.asp
?cguid=EA69D479%252D63A8%252D47F2%252DA792%252D8B11A1CB38A0&sid=122E14A6-14C0-40E6-A6F7-7FF732895F19

Medical Emergency Relief International (Merlin):
=====================================

Merlin says it is providing nutrition and health services to those affected. Donate online.

https://donate.merlin.org.uk/Global-Food-Crisis-Appeal

The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR):
===========================

UNHCR is already scaling up work on the ground, providing medical care and food. Donate online.
$7: provides ready-to-use therapeutic food for a malnourished refugee child
$50: therapeutic feeding kits – each one helps feed five children
$100: survival kits – each has a blanket, mattress, kitchen set, stove and soap
$450: all-weather tent to shelter a refugee family
$5,500: nutrition survey kit, includes weighing scales (x5), height measuring board, hammock machine and accessories (micro-cuvettes, lancet, etc.), and mid upper arm
circumference tape.

http://www.unhcr.org/emergency/somalia/global_landing.html

Global Enrichment Foundation:
=======================

The Global Enrichment Foundation, Hope for the Nations, and The African Future say they delivered the first convoy of emergency food aid on Aug. 4, 2011 in Dhoobley, Somalia, feeding 14,000. The food baskets distributed fed a family of five for two weeks. A second convoy is being organized for late August. Donate online.

http://www.hopeforthenations.com/project/project.aspx?asset=1188

Samaritan's Purse:
==============

The organization says it sent a team that includes relief and nutrition specialists to northeast Kenya to lead the emergency response. SP has also set up a base of operations in Garissa, Kenya, along the Kenya/Somalia border, and have begun distributing tons of maize, beans, and cooking oil. Donate online.

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/Giving/Project_donations?pc=13862

Medical Teams International:
======================

The organization says it will be deploying medical volunteers, medicines and medical supplies to the Horn of Africa. Donate online.

https://www.medicalteams.org/sf/donate/cash_gifts/On-line.aspx

Mercy Corps:
==========

The organization says its teams in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya are responding to the crisis by distributing food and water and expanding relief efforts. Mercy Corps says it is on the ground helping more than one million people in the region survive. Donate online.

https://www.mercycorps.org/donate/fighthunger?Amount=0

Mercy-USA For Aid and Development:
===========================

The organization says it has been working in the Horn of Africa since 1993. Its projects focus on nutrition, primary healthcare and promotion, controlling infectious diseases and improving access to safe water, sanitation and hygiene. Donate online.

http://mercyusa.org/howtogiveagift.cfm

Operation USA:
============

The organization says it is currently focusing on providing safe water to the camp in Dadaab, Kenya. Donate online.

https://donate.opusa.org/?

Plan International USA:
=================

The organization's response to the crisis includes trucking in water, medicine, and delivering therapeutic feeding programmes, supplementary feeding at schools, shelter and hygiene promotion. Donate online.

http://plan-international.org/what-you-can-do/emergency-appeals/east-africa-appeal

Relief International:
===============

The organization says it is rehabilitating primary health care facilities, training health care professionals, providing essential nutrition services, distributing food to families and providing nutrition services for the malnourished. Donate online.

https://www.ri.org/donate/donate.php

WellShare International:
==================

WellShare International says it operates maternal and newborn care programs in East Africa. Donate online.

http://www.wellshareinternational.org/donate

World Concern:
===========

World Concern says it has worked in Eastern Kenya and Somalia for many years. It is responding to this crisis with life saving aid – water, food, emergency supplies and more. Donate online.

https://donate.worldconcern.org/SSLPage.aspx?pid=3393

Please Forward to Your Friends & Relatives

URGENT: “Save Somali Children From Hunger” - CIRCULATE TO EVERYONE

You may have heard about the millions of people in Somalia on the brink of starvation. U.S. officials estimate that the famine in this east African country has killed 29,000 children between May and
July, 2011. Over 12 million people in the region have been affected by the famine.


Because of a long-running drought and difficulty in getting food donations to the people, it is predicted that many more will die. Thousands have fled to refugee camps in Kenya. Stories have surfaced that supplies are  being stolen and sold on the black market by war lords and rival tribes.


One 11-year-old boy in Ghana, a west African country, decided to help out. Andrew Adansi-Bonnah was inspired by images of skeletal babies and stick-thin children he saw on television. So, during his eight-week school holiday in the summer of 2011, Andrew started the Save Somali Children from Hunger Project.


When Andrew was interviewed, the small, soft-spoken boy stated that “There are hungry people in Ghana but our situation is not as desperate as the people of Somalia. . . .I want to help them to get
food, water, medicine and clothes. I want them to get their education back.”


Andrew walked office-to-office in Accra, the capital of Ghana collecting donations and set up a bank account for his campaign. He has received advice from the United Nations Children’s Fund and
World Food Program. Andrew’s goal is to raise 20 million Ghanaian cedis (about $13 million in U.S. currency).


“This is a moment  that mankind can touch lives,” he said. “There is no point for others to have so much to eat while others have nothing to eat. It is not right.“


Andrew, you have our support and encouragement to continue with your goal to help others. You will be a great leader some day.


For more about the famine and devastating conditions in Somalia, check out the infographic below:

http://www.askthejudge.info/save-somali-children-from-hunger/10941/


http://www.askthejudge.info/save-somali-children-from-hunger/10941/


http://thewe.cc/weplanet/news/children/hunger_children_dying.htm

Please Circulate this news to Everyone...Save Humanity...

Sign this Petition: Famine in Somalia - Hungry No More

Dear World Leaders,


The famine in Somalia could kill 750,000 in the coming months, and tens of thousands have already died. When you meet at the Group of 20 (G20) Summit in November, you have the opportunity to break the cycle of famine and ensure people are hungry no more. Lives are in your hands. Please keep the promises you have made to the 2 billion poor people who depend on farming for their livelihoods.


Drought may be an act of nature, but famine is not.  The current crisis in the Horn of Africa is a man-made disaster that could have been avoided. But we don't have the necessary political will to stop the starving – and its causes. As a consequence, millions are affected and tens of thousands of children have died.

Communities in Africa can cope with droughts and natural disasters. But we need leaders to invest in early warning systems and safety net programmes to help people become resilient to these hazards. And we need donors to put resources toward better seeds, irrigation and sustainable farming education. By acting now, we can help 200 million people from poor farming families grow more food and raise their incomes.

Leaders of the wealthiest countries met in 2009, and committed to provide $22 billion for agriculture and hunger. They will meet again in early November. Please call on them to keep their promises to ensure people are hungry no more.


http://act.one.org/sign/hungry_no_more/?referring_akid=.5604556.U3Iptr


Save Humanity

UN DECLARES FAMINE IN PARTS OF SOMALIA AS DANGEROUS CONDITIONS REACH CATASTROPHIC LEVELS

UN DECLARES FAMINE IN PARTS OF SOMALIA AS DANGEROUS CONDITIONS REACH CATASTROPHIC LEVELS

சோமாலியா கவிதை - முபாரக் ரஸ்வி

சோமாலியா கவிதை - முபாரக் ரஸ்வி

URGENT CRISIS APPEAL FOR SOMALIA & HORN OF AFRICA

http://www.unicef.org.uk/landing-pages/hornofafricaweb/


http://www.unhcr.org/emergency/somalia/global_landing.html?gclid=CJyA7M_GrqsCFUp76wod2mDlKA


http://www.icrc.org/eng/donations/index.jsp


http://www.civicworldwide.org/healing-the-wounds/somalia


United Nation High commission for Refugees (UNHCR)


http://www.unhcr.org/emergency/somalia/global_landing.html?gclid=CJyA7M_GrqsCFUp76wod2mDlKA


Help Save Lives in Drought-Stricken East Africa


https://wfp.org/donate/hornofafrica?gclid=CO7DxLf9sKsCFUF76wodxBOrfQ 


International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)


http://www.icrc.org/eng/donations/index.jsp


http://www.globalgiving.co.uk/pr/8500/proj8493a.html?rf=ggadgguk_goog_even_somalia_4&gclid=CO3xu8zKr6sCFQUb6wodO2hueQ


http://www.qaafaid.org/41/urgent_crisis_appeal_for_somalia_and_horn_of_africa

Famine in Somalia: It's not a natural disaster : It's murder

THE FAMINE in Somalia has once again focussed attention on the problems of the less developed countries. Much of the response to the crisis is a short term one in the form of food aid. However in order to understand the causes of this and other famines in Africa it is necessary to race back the roots of the problem to colonisation and imperialism. It is necessary to focus on the political economic and social policies pursued in post-colonial times which perpetuate recurring famine and crisis. The role of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund are crucial in understanding what is really happening.

Most of the misery and famine which is unfolding in Africa today has its roots in imperialism, in the colonisation of African countries by European armies and business interests. Before the invasions the peoples of Africa were primarily subsistence farmers, hunters or traders; though there were also some highly developed civilisations that have been written out of the history books. It is true that in the past there were droughts but vast numbers of people did not starve.

There are two main reasons for this, firstly African agriculture was much more diverse than it is now. People planted a variety of crops so that if one failed others which were more drought-resistant survived. Today most of the land is given over to growing cash crops for export to pay off crippling debts to Western banks. The second reason why droughts were not so devastating was because forests were far more extensive than they are now. Forests tend to stabilise rainfall patterns and also minimise the damage caused by floods in the rainy season.

Imperialism smashed the traditional African cycle of agriculture by demanding that Africans pay taxes in cash. This meant growing crops for sale on national and international markets.
The 2Oth century has seen a huge expansion in the acreage devoted to growing cash crops such as tea, coffee, cotton, rubber, cocoa, and ground nuts. Today much of the most fertile land in Africa is growing cash crops. Half of the food growing land in Senegal is growing peanuts for western margarine firms. Cash crops involve intensive cultivation and the extensive use of fertilisers which has led to land degradation, an increase in desert areas and the poisoning of the water table. The bulk of external debt in Africa is owed to Western governments.

Slavery and the damage it did to Africa is a significant factor in the underdevelopment and poverty which is never acknowledged by Western countries. Between 1701 and 1810 more than six million Africans were transported to the Americas to provide free labour for large farmers and businessmen. This haemorrhage of young men and women crippled African society.

External debt and falling commodity prices have had a crippling impact on African economies during the past decade. In the 1970s Western banks encouraged many less developed countries to borrow heavily. This borrowing, supposedly for roads and irrigation projects and so on was often siphoned off for personal use by dictators or wasted on useless projects or on arms. The money was borrowed at low interest rates. Interest rates jumped from 6% to 18% in a few years, dramatically increasing the debts. In 1990 African debt was double what it was in 1980.
African countries were forced to call in the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to seek a way out of their problems. However the 'solutions' of the I.M.F. have been to impose draconian and brutal cutbacks in health and education, and the abolition of food subsidies. This is a capitalist solution to a problem caused by capitalism in the first place. Famine, desperate poverty and the complete absence of health and education services are the result for millions of Africans.

Currency devaluations and cuts in public spending have led to massive unemployment. The export-oriented growth insisted on by the I.M.F. means an increase in cash crops and a consequent fall in food production. People in Africa are condemned to go hungry while the best land is used to grow tobacco, cotton, flowers, tea and coffee for the U.S., Europe and Japan

Very pathetic efforts were made under the Toronto Accord 1988 (an agreement signed by creditor governments after appeals from debtor countries) to alleviate the worst impact of this debt. Only seventeen countries were eligible under this agreement and the savings were minimal anyway. It is worth noting that even if the terms of a subsequent agreement, the Trinidad Agreement, had been extended to all debtor countries, which it was not because most creditor countries would not agree, debtor countries would still be spending one third of their export earnings on debt repayments.

External debt is the huge millstone on many poor African countries. The Irish Mozambique Solidarity Group estimate is that there is a net transfer of US$30 million every day from the debtor countries to the West. In 1989 Richard Jolly, deputy director of UNICEF, estimated that at least 500,000 people died that year as a direct result of such debt.

Overpopulation is sometimes put across as a cause of famine. It is clear from the above analysis that overpopulation is not really a factor at all. Health services, which include contraception and abortion services, are certainly needed in Africa, not as a solution to famine but as part of the health and education services which are almost totally lacking. To argue that overpopulation is the cause of famine is not only to overlook all the historical factors but it is also seeks to blame the people of Africa themselves.

It is obvious that imperialism and capitalism, particularly the activities of the World Bank and the IMF are the causes of famine. A final point on overpopulation - it is a fact that the poorest countries have the largest number of children per family due to a combination of social and economic factors and conversely the richest countries have the smallest number of children per family. High standards of living, good health and education services all contribute to a low rate of population growth.

Finally a word about aid. By U.N. estimates it will take well over half a million tons of food to provide for Somalia alone over the next year. Yet only 30,000 tons of food monthly are being sent from donor countries. Worse still, other African countries under serious threat of mass starvation - such as southern Sudan - are being ignored because they are not yet in the news. Under capitalism food is used as a weapon and not as a resource to be equitably distributed. Until this corrupt system is replaced by a system, anarchism, which puts production and distribution for need before production for profit and power, people will continue to starve in Africa while the EC bosses worry about ways to dispose of their food mountains.

Patricia McCarthy

http://struggle.ws/ws92/famine37.html


http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2011/07/famine-in-east-africa/100115/