State of Silent Crisis

Urgent action needs to take place now for mortality rates in Central African Republic (CAR) are skyrocketing through the roof.  Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), medical aid group, has come forth and called on donor governments and development agencies to come through with their commitments of foreign assistance, whether it be through funds or humanitarian acts.  As one of world's poorest countries, ranking 179 out of 187 countries in the 2011 UN Human Development Index, life expectancy in CAR is 48 (second lowest in the world).  Cause of most deaths?  Malnutrition and diseases, like malaria, HIV and Aids, that could have been prevented or treated if necessary resources were at their disposal.  Also, with the notorious workings of Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), violence, rape, and abduction are contributing factors to the high death rates.  

Sure, health funding is allocated, but it appears that international donors are becoming less involved dropping from $39m in 2005 to $9.9m in 2009.  So, the issue at hand, accountability.  People need to start stepping up to the plate and be good on their commitments for their lives are ultimately in your hands.    

Sean Healey, MSF humanitarian affairs officer, said "The Central African Republican falls into the category of forgotten crises.  It is not receiving the humanitarian commitment that it should."

-Georisa Chang

SOURCE: The Guardian

More than 200,000 Are In Mortal Danger In South Kordofan

Due to continuous humanitarian aid restriction by the government, more than 200,000 people in South Kordofan of Sudan will suffer severe malnutrition and mortality if actions are not taken. U.N. Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Valerie Amos warned that essential supplies have already been depleted in many parts of South Kordofan, where government forces have been fighting with the Sudan People’s Liberation Army North (SPLA-N). The situation has been worsened by the Sudanese government’s humanitarian assistance restriction as the government refused to allow international agencies to replenish stocks and deploy personnel for the past six weeks.



Amos’ appeal repeats EU aid commissioner Kristalina Georgieva and EU foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton’s pleas which calls for the lifting of aid restrictions to South Kordofan. The Sudanese government and the SPLA-N are requested to lift restrictions on humanitarian organizations so they can deliver aid to people in need and avoid this big tragedy.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: DEVEX

New Food Product Is Protecting Children From Malnutrition In Pakistan

After the terrible flooding in Pakistan recently, millions of people were displaced from their homes and left without reliable sources of food. The most at risk were children, who often suffer more than anyone during natural disasters like this. Thankfully, an innovative new food product has been developed inside Pakistan that is giving thousands of children the nutrition they need to protect them from hunger and malnutrition. The new food product, a chickpea paste, is currently being provided to children all over Pakistan that have insufficient access to healthy supplies of food. Created by the World Food Programme (WFP), the paste, called Wawa Mum, contains a day's worth of vitamins and nutrients within one small packet, cutting out the need for any extra eating utensils. The advantages of this Wawa Mum paste are that it's super light, can be consumed at any time, and it's made locally in Pakistan from ingredients that people like and are familiar with. All of this adds up to a growing demand for the chickpea paste, with the rise of food and malnutrition emergencies in the region. Dominique Frankefort, Deputy Director of WFP's operations in Pakistan, is aiming to increase production to 500 metric tons per month by June and to 1,000 metric tons by the end of the year. Increased production not only benefits the millions of children suffering from malnutrition in Pakistan, but also the food processing sector, where jobs are being created at an alarming rate during a time of dire need for the country.

- Brock McNairy

SOURCE: World Food Programme