East Africa Suffers Worst Famine in Decades

I've written before about the journalist Anna Badkhen, who filed incredible reports from Iraq for the San Francisco Chronicle on the day-to-day lives of soldiers and Iraqis.

She's now in Kenya, covering a drought across East Africa that has left millions of people dependent on food aid that's running out:

Now Isaaq's family -- her husband, Nur Muhammad, and their children, ranging in ages from 1 to 10 -- have no livestock to sell, and nothing of their own to eat or drink. They left the bush and moved to Jerirot, an impoverished settlement of about 6,000 former nomads who have also lost their cattle to drought. They are among the estimated 17 million people across Kenya, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Somalia, Djibouti and Sudan who are surviving almost entirely on meager food rations distributed by international aid agencies.

The United Nations World Food Programme needs more donations to feed these people, estimating that another $226 million is required to help 6.25 million people in Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti.

Cost to feed one malnourished woman or child in East Africa for one day: 55 cents.

Politics · Journalism · 2006/03/26 · 2 COMMENTS · Link

Comments

I.e.... "East Africa suffers worst famine ... since the last one."

It is amazing what endemic corruption can do to a country.

#1 · Brian Carnell · 2006/03/27

People write and write but is about time people took some action.This has been going on for years due to the fact that no one wants to put up enough infrastructure in place to help this communities.For example now that the rains have come the roads are so bad and flooded, so no food can reach communities.

YOU CAN BE PART OF THE HELP:

www.eastafricafamine.com<>

#2 · Philip Roy · 2006/07/06