Horn of Africa Needs More Humanitarian Aid

UNICEF has released its "Humanitarian Action for Children 2012", which focuses on the importance of humanitarian aid within the Horn of Africa. The ongoing crisis in this region necessitates funding that focuses on the most vulnerable groups: women and children. UNICEF has requested the international community to give US $1.28 billion. Over half of this would go towards combating food scarcity in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia. UNICEF Director of Emergency Programmes Louis-Georges Arsenault points out that this year the programme will focus on Somalia and the Dadaab in Eastern Kenya.

In addition to focusing on the Horn of Africa, the programme also details the needs of other regions. The funding statement discusses the flooding of Pakistan, the needs of children effected by violence in Cote d'Ivoire and South Sudan, and the efforts to rebuild Haiti after the 2010 earthquake. The UNICEF report also addresses the "silent" emergency in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The funding programme highlights that as of 2011, more than 1.5 million people have been displaced because of violence in the Congo.

In this report, UNICEF stresses the need for flexible and immediate funding for the regions of Sahel, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, and many more African nations. According to UNICEF, if the women and children of these nations are to survive, this emergency funding is critical.

-Akshika Patel


SOURCE:UNICEF

Record High Migration to Yemen

The accumulated total number of refugees and migrants to make it from the Horn of Africa to Yemen is at a record high of 84,656.  It has been reported by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that numbers are expected to grow even further by the end of this year.  The majority of refugees have come from Ethiopia, and have since 2009 constituted as the "largest group among those to cross the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden."  Sailing patterns have shifted significantly over the years due to increase in traffic on the Red Sea.  With more frequent boat arrivals, more refugees are able to seek safety and opportunities on Yemen grounds.  However, leaving their countries by no means guarantee them an abundance of freedom.  There is concern regarding the increasing trend of abductions, extortions, kidnappings, and sexual assaults directed at refugees, particularly Ethiopian migrants.  Yemen is to host more than 200,491 Somalian refugees and 445,679 displaced Yemeni civilians are to be displaced throughout the country.

--Georisa Chang

SOURCE: UN News Center

Call Your Senators Or Send An Email To Congress NOW!

Since the drought in the Horn of Africa, Americans along with the international community have shown compassion and sent much-needed food aid in order to confront the impending tragedy. This action is the direct result of your concern and efforts in support of WFP USA (World Food Program USA). The response to the earlier requests to contact your representatives in Congress has been overwhelming. Thousands of emails and phone calls have been made urging Congress not to cut funding for emergency food aid. We salute you for that.

However, we need your voice again in our fight for the world’s hungry. A House-passed bill proposes cuts in emergency food assistance program which is the most effective we have so far by 75% from 2008 levels. The Senate Appropriations Committee is scheduled to consider the agriculture bill on Wednesday, September 7.

Since the drought, 300 children under five have died every day. By now this number has increased to 29,000 children in total. By the time Congress comes back, more than 36,000 will have perished; equal to the number of children under five in our nation’s capital. Therefore, Congress' support for emergency food aid programs has never been more important

Call your Senators or write to the members of the Senate Appropriations Committee a letter now. You can find the necessary information here.

Your action will cost you less than 5 minutes but it will save thousands of lives in the Horn of Africa.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: WFP USA

11-Year Old Boy Raises Fund For East African Crisis

In order to help the victims of the recent famine and drought in the Horn of Africa, various countries and international aid agencies are stepping up. But they are not the only ones who are contributing. An 11-year old school boy aims to raise $13 million for the region.



Andrew Andasi from Ghana told the Agence France-Presse, “I saw a BBC documentary about Somalia and I looked to my father and asked why are they so lean and hungry like that. I thought, I should help them.” According to the source, Andasi has already raised $4,000 out of his $13 million target. Impressive, isn’t it?



Meanwhile, the Chinese government has pledged to step up its aid for the Horn of Africa through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) by announcing a 4 million yuan ($623,000) donation to ICRC operations in the region. ICRC spokesperson for Somalia Yves Van Loo confirmed that the agency in collaboration with the Somalia Red Cross, has distributed more than 3,000 tons of food in eight provinces in southern Somalia.



In response to the East African crisis, another international aid organization, Save the Children, recently launched a mass feeding program for Kenyan children under 3 which also includes pregnant women and lactating mothers.

-Nisha Noor

SOURCE: DEVEX