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  • Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages

    Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages
    By Martin Dawes

    DAKAR, Senegal, 12 December 2011 ? It?s not a tsunami or an earthquake ? it is a predictable emergency. UNICEF estimates more than a million children under five will need to be treated in feeding centres for severe malnutrition in the Sahel region of Africa. It is a staggeringly high number, and there is little time to prepare.

    Extreme food insecurity

    The situation is extremely dire for children in many parts of the Sahel region of West and Central Africa. Due to poor rains and the resulting restricted harvests, entire populations are now vulnerable. In surveys carried out over the summer and autumn by UNICEF nutrition teams, seven of the eight countries showed pockets with elevated rates of global malnutrition for children under five. The driest parts of Chad and Mauritania had levels that put them into the category that requires an emergency response.

    With an estimated 330,600 children under age five at risk of severe and acute malnutrition in Niger, the government has issued an alert saying more than half of the country?s villages are vulnerable to food insecurity. Other countries and regions where children are expected to require specialist treatment in clinics are northern Nigeria, the north of Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Mali and northern Senegal.

    Unprecedented response needed

    ?This children?s crisis is going to be immensely challenging,? said UNICEF?s Regional Director David Gressly. ?We do not issue such warnings lightly, but the scale demands an appropriate response that needs to start now.?

    UNICEF is preparing to meet what it describes as a ?huge challenge? and is already ordering therapeutic foods and distributing emergency stocks.

    ?A tragedy will be averted only by an unprecedented effort in the Sahel,? stressed Mr. Gressly. ?This will involve making sure that professionals are on the ground with the right supplies and that enough is done to contain the threat of opportunistic diseases amongst the weakened populations.?

    What is going to be required to save lives is the sweet, peanut-based therapeutic food known as ?Plumpy Nut?, enough nutrition professionals in the field to work the feeding centres, and a string of other interventions that bring more food into communities and ensure that opportunistic diseases do not get a chance to kill large numbers of people who are reduced and sick. As families move to look for food, there is also going to be a need to ensure that children are not at risk of exploitation or trafficking.

    With teams in all the countries of the region, UNICEF is at an advantage and can reach the most vulnerable, given the resources. However, the organization urgently needs an initial $65,700,000, primarily for nutrition and health interventions and supplies.
    Twitter: @RonanKelly13
    The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

  • #2
    Re: Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages

    Food Crisis in the Sahel
    Report? Catholic Relief Services
    For the third time in a decade, a drought is threatening millions of people in the Sahel, the swath across Africa bordering the Sahara desert. Up to 12 million people, including nearly three million children, are at risk of a severe food crisis without a major humanitarian response to help those affected.

    ?There?s already 40 percent malnutrition in some areas,? said Bill Canny, CRS Director for Emergency Operations, who recently traveled to Niger to see first-hand the effects of the drought. ?It?s a disaster for millions of families.?


    Many in the Sahel always live close to the edge as rains come only once a year, meaning the hunger season ? when crops and pasture are used up in between harvests ? comes every year. This past year, those rains came late if at all and those millions close to the edge were pushed over it, in need of food for themselves and pasture for their animals.

    A number of countries have been especially hard hit by poor harvests ? parts of Chad, Niger, Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Gambia, Cameroon and northern Nigeria. Approximately 80 percent of the people in these countries rely on agriculture and the late, irregular, and short rainfalls led to low cereal production in many regions. The worst of the crisis is still to come, expected from March to August.

    Unless urgent humanitarian action is taken, the situation in the Sahel might unfold just as the devastating drought that gripped East Africa in 2011 did. During the height of that crisis, more than 13 million people were left in desperate need of humanitarian assistance and tens of thousands died from hunger.

    While drought has been the major driver of food insecurity in the Sahel, other factors have also contributed to the crisis across this semi-arid region. Bad harvests have led to higher food prices, which went higher still when insects attacked the little crops that did appear, especially in countries like Niger.

    ?Food prices have gone up, meaning food at local markets is no longer affordable for those who do have money,? Canny said. ?I sat and talked with the elders and the women in the villages of Tolkobey and Sangare [in Niger]. The women told me how little food they have for their children. They?re down to eating two meals a day ? and in a month it?ll be just one meal. The children who were watching us in the background were showing signs of under-nourishment.?

    Manmade difficulties in the surrounding region are also contributing to the problem. The violence in Nigeria and instability in Ivory Coast has restricted the migration of people who depend on seasonal work. Workers returned home from Ivory Coast and Libya due to political violence in 2011, ending a flow of remittances that has affected many families in the region.

    In the coming months, CRS plans to help those caught up in the Sahel food crisis with food distributions and the provision of animal feed vouchers in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Plans are also in place to assist farmers to better manage meager water resources. Closer to the rainy season, there will be seed distributions for planting as well as cash and food-for-work programs to keep people employed and productive.

    ?The programs will help build resilience and benefit the communities long-term,? Canny explains.
    Twitter: @RonanKelly13
    The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages

      Burkina Faso and 6 others USAID/DCHA Sahel Food Insecurity Fact Sheet # 1, Fiscal Year (FY) 2012
      Report? US Agency for International Development
      Download PDF (166.05 KB)
      KEY DEVELOPMENTS

      Due to erratic rainfall, high food prices, and localized dry spells in 2011, areas of West Africa?s Sahel region will likely experience acute food insecurity in 2012. According to the USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), localized areas are expected to reach Acute Food Insecurity and Livelihood Crisis?Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) 31?in 2012, particularly from April to September.
      Acute food insecurity is likely to be most severe in agro-pastoral and rain-fed agricultural areas of western Mali, northern Burkina Faso, western Niger, and central Chad, in addition to southern Mauritania, where vulnerable populations have already begun to face crisis-level food insecurity.
      Between 7 million and 12 million people in the Sahel are at risk of needing additional assistance in 2012 due to food insecurity, according to a consensus of humanitarian agencies, including the U.N. World Food Program (WFP) and the U.N. Children?s Fund (UNICEF), as well as national governments.
      The situation in Mali is being exacerbated by violence that resumed in late January between Tuareg rebels?many of whom returned from the conflict in Libya in possession of weapons?and Government of Mali armed forces. Approximately 36,000 people have reportedly fled to neighboring countries as a result of renewed insecurity, the U.N. reports. Of the total, more than 13,000 people have fled to already food-insecure areas in southern Mauritania, 8,000 to Burkina Faso, 5,000 to Algeria, and more than 10,000 to Niger?s Tillab?ri Region, one of the most chronically food-insecure areas in the region. In addition, more than 30,000 Malians are internally displaced, primarily in the eastern regions of Kidal and Gao, according to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
      To date in FY 2012, USAID?s Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (USAID/OFDA) and USAID?s Office of Food for Peace (USAID/FFP) have provided more than $42.7 million in humanitarian assistance to support more than 2.5 million people in need across the Sahel region. This support is in addition to $197 million provided in FY 2011 to support humanitarian programs?many of which are still ongoing?and complements USAID?s long-term efforts to alleviate poverty and promote health and economic growth in the region.
      USAID has announced plans to provide an additional $33 million in humanitarian funding in the coming weeks to meet food needs across the region, support programs that protect vulnerable populations? assets and livelihoods, and provide critical nutrition support. In total, including the $42.7 million already committed to date in FY 2012, USAID has pledged more than $75 million in humanitarian assistance for the Sahel food insecurity crisis.
      Twitter: @RonanKelly13
      The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages

        With food crisis on the horizon, Oxfam supports farmers and herders
        This entry was posted by Elizabeth Stevens on March 7th, 2012 at 1.41 pm and is filed under General, News Blog,
        Oxfam is launching programs across the Sahel, aiming to help 1 million people sustain their families and way of life.


        ?It?s thanks to the rain that the animals graze; it?s thanks to the rain that we have food,? says Koubra Hamid, who lives with her family in Bahr el Ghazal, Chad. But she is worried.
        The rains haven?t come. Not enough, and not at the right times. Across the Sahel region of Africa, poor harvests, erratic and inadequate rainfall, and rising food prices are harbingers of what many predict will be a severe food crisis. Already the poorest families are struggling with hunger, and their animals are visibly weakening.
        Still, there may be time to avert the catastrophic food shortages that plunged East Africa into crisis and Somalia into famine in 2011.
        A top priority now is to prevent farmers and pastoralists from losing their cows, goats, sheep, and camels ? and with them their sources of both food and income. Oxfam?s emergency programmes include providing:
        livestock with improved water sources
        fodder to supplement the dwindling pasture
        and vaccinations to counteract the damage drought and hunger could do to their health.
        ...
        Twitter: @RonanKelly13
        The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages

          Sahel crisis: Country by country
          Report? World Food Programme
          Hunger is on the rise across the Sahel region of West Africa, a massive swathe of territory that stretches across eight countries from Chad in the east to Senegal in the west. Here is a rundown of the situation in each country and a look at how we're responding to help the people who live there.

          Niger

          Situation: Even before the crisis, malnutrition rates were high - 20 percent Global Acute Malnutrition rate among children under two last year. Erratic rains and pest infestations have decimated harvests in centre and west. Cereal deficit of more than 500,000 metric tons. Prices for all cereals are well above the seasonal average for the past five years.

          What we're doing: WFP has launched an emergency operation to support 3.3 million people, with a special focus on children under two. Some 35 percent of people being assisted will receive cash. Over 600,000 people have already received support through food-for-assets and cash-for-work programmes

          Mauritania

          Situation: Patchy rainfall has reduced pasture for livestock and slashed harvests. High food prices are also having impact. Around 25 percent of households are food insecure (about 700,000 people). The east and south are the most affected regions of the country. In 2011, the crop yield was 34 percent below the 5-year average.

          What we're doing: WFP emergency operation aims to support 510,000 people through several programmes, including cash transfers, Food for Assets, and distribution of special foods designed to combat malnutrition. An operation is also under way to support more than 30,000 refugees from Mali.

          Chad

          Situation: In the Sahelian band of the country, pastures are extremely dry, due to the late and poor rains. Cereal production in 2011 fell by 50 percent compared to 2010. Over 1 million people are ?severely food insecure? and a further 2.5 million are also at risk. Remote, landlocked Chad faces tremendous logistical challenges when it comes to moving food aid.

          What we're doing: WFP?s main operation, getting under way this month, aims to assist 1.5 million people. This includes food rations for all children under two years and mothers with babies. Food for Assets programmes will be used in seven priority regions of the Sahelian belt. In addition, more than 200,000 students will receive school meals in 2012.

          Mali

          Situation: Late rains have led to a poor harvest, which the government estimates is 25 percent down on the previous year. Prices of sorghum and millet are very high. An estimated 1.7 million people are at risk of hunger. The situation has been complicated by a rebel uprising in the north. About 200,000 people have fled fighting, some into neighbouring countries.

          What we're doing: WFP is carefully monitoring the security situation in Mali, especially in the North of the country. WFP activities have been disrupted in the north. As soon as activities can resume there, WFP will use contractors and partners for the rapid delivery of assistance. WFP hopes to implement an emergency operation to support 1.2 million people in 2012.

          Burkina Faso

          Situation: Crop failures have been reported in about 40 percent of the country, with a 16 percent decline in grain production compared to last year. Close to 1.7 million people are estimated to be at risk of going hungry. Food prices are high. The government has declared a food and nutrition crisis, and has called for national and international support.

          What we're doing: WFP is planning to reach a total of 870,000 people with assistance. We aim to provide food assistance to families over a four-month period (July ? October) coinciding with the lean season. To prevent acute malnutrition, WFP will provide special foods for the next six months to all children under the age of two.

          Senegal

          Situation: More than 1 million people are estimated to be at risk of hunger in Senegal. Households have begun to reduce their number of meals and to sell their livestock in the worst-affected regions. In addition to poor harvests, food prices are high. The lean season has started early.

          What we're doing: WFP is already reaching around 335,000 people with existing food assistance programmes and plans to reach a total of around 850,000 people in the coming months. WFP is currently providing school meals in 2,900 elementary and primary schools, which helps families deal with the lean season.

          Cameroon

          Situation: In the North and Far North regions of the country, cereal production was below the previous year, with a total deficit of 119,500 metric tons. Global Acute Malnutrition rates are above the 10 percent ?serious? threshold in these regions. The situation will deteriorate in the lean season if action is not taken quickly.

          What we're doing: WFP is preparing an emergency operation to support more than 300,000 people. The operation is scheduled to start in late April. Activities will include food assistance for the most vulnerable along with the distribution of special nutritious foods for malnourished children and for women who are pregnant or who have small babies.

          The Gambia

          Situation: The Gambian government asked for international assistance to deal with crop failure and soaring food prices. Overall crop production is estimated to have dropped by 62 percent compared to 2010 and by 50 percent compared to the 5-year average. Just over 600,000 people are vulnerable.

          What we're doing: Working with the government and the humanitarian community, WFP is preparing an emergency operation to reach 240,000 beneficiaries. WFP will supply needy families in rural areas with food including rice, peas, fortified cereal, and cooking oil.
          Twitter: @RonanKelly13
          The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages

            From UNICEF Senegal Situation Report
            23 April 2012

            ...
            Management of Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) at Community level (February, March, April, 2012)
             From a total population of children under 5 of 254,000 over 89% (227,714) were screened at 545 community sites
             9,576 cases of Moderate Acute Malnutrition MAM) were detected and supported at community level (4% of those screened).
             473 cases of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) were identified and referred to health facilities (less than 1% of those screened).
             The numbers of SAM cases identified is low currently compared to the projected numbers
            from the Nutrition survey (estimated 4,930 cases of SAM for Diourbel and Matam)
             This may be due to current local capacity in term of training and the financial issues (user fees)
            ...

            From UNICEF NIGERIA COUNTRY OFFICEMonthly Humanitarian Situation Report Date: 23 April, 2012
            ...
            Nutrition
             A total of 34,663 Children with Severe Acute Malnutrition have been enrolled for treatment in the 8 Nigerian Sahelian states from January to March, of whom 13,218 were newly admitted in March by the time of this report.
             Efforts have been in place to ensure coordinated response and availability of essential nutrition supplies in CMAM sites. The Nutrition Logistician was deployed the first week of this month with the primary responsibility of strengthening the supply chain management.
             Quality assurance of case management the supervision of CMAM sites is on-going.
            ...

            From UNICEF Niger Situation Report Date: 23 April 2012
            ...
            Nutrition
            ...
             As a result of intensive screening carried out in some regions in connection with registration for Blanket-feeding distribution, admission trends for week 13 reflected an important increase for both cases of moderate and severe malnutrition.
             During week 14 admission trends for cases of moderate and severe malnutrition continued to increase. Admission trends exceed figures obtained in 2011 at the same date.
             Cases admitted and treated in health centres from 01/01/2012 to 08/04/2012:
            o 65,872 severe cases, approximately 17% of cases expected
            o 103,635 moderate cases, approximately 15%.
            ...

            From UNICEF Chad Situation Report 23 April 2012
            ...
            3.1. Nutrition
             Significant increase in admissions for SAM between January, February and March 2012 (12,050 in March 2012 vs. 7,348 in January 2012 and 9,943 in February 2012)
            ...
            Twitter: @RonanKelly13
            The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages

              Niger (the) and 7 others Sahel Crisis: Country By Country
              Report? World Food Programme
              Hunger is on the rise across the Sahel region of West Africa, a massive swathe of territory that stretches across eight countries from Chad in the east to Senegal in the west. Here is a rundown of the situation in each country and a look at how we're responding to help the people who live there.

              Niger

              Situation: Even before the crisis, malnutrition rates were high - 20 percent Global Acute Malnutrition rate among children under two last year. Erratic rains and pest infestations have decimated harvests in centre and west. Cereal deficit of more than 500,000 metric tons. Prices for all cereals are well above the seasonal average for the past five years.

              What we're doing: WFP has launched an emergency operation to support 3.9 million people, with a special focus on children under two. Some 35 percent of people being assisted will receive cash. Over 423,000 thousand people have already received support through food-for-assets and cash-for-work programmes.

              Mauritania

              Situation: Patchy rainfall has reduced pasture for livestock and slashed harvests. High food prices are also having impact. Around 25 percent of households are food insecure (about 700,000 people). The east and south are the most affected regions of the country. In 2011, the crop yield was 34 percent below the 5-year average.

              What we're doing: WFP emergency operation aims to support 506,000 people through several programmes, including cash transfers, Food for Assets, and distribution of special foods designed to combat malnutrition. An operation is also under way to support around 56,000 refugees from Mali.

              Chad

              Situation: In the Sahelian band of the country, pastures are extremely dry, due to the late and poor rains. Cereal production in 2011 fell by 50 percent compared to 2010. Over 1 million people are ?severely food insecure? and a further 2.5 million are also at risk. Remote, landlocked Chad faces tremendous logistical challenges when it comes to moving food aid.

              What we're doing: WFP?s main operation, which got under way in April, aims to assist 1.5 million people. This includes food rations for all children under two years and mothers with babies. Food for Assets programmes will be used in seven priority regions of the Sahelian belt. In addition, more than 205,000 students will receive school meals in 2012.

              Mali

              Situation: Late rains have led to a poor harvest, which the government estimates is 25 percent down on the previous year. Prices of sorghum and millet are very high. An estimated 1.7 million people are at risk of hunger. The situation has been complicated by a rebel uprising in the north. About 320,000 people have fled fighting, some into neighbouring countries.

              What we're doing: WFP is monitoring the security situation in Mali, especially in the North of the country, where WFP activities have been disrupted. As soon as food distributions can resume there, WFP will use contractors and partners for the rapid delivery of assistance. WFP is aiming to support 1.3 million people through emergency operations in 2012.

              Burkina Faso

              Situation: Crop failures have been reported in about 40 percent of the country, with a 16 percent decline in grain production compared to last year. Close to 1.7 million people are estimated to be at risk of going hungry. Food prices are high. The government has declared a food and nutrition crisis, and has called for national and international support.

              What we're doing: WFP is planning to reach 1.1 million people with assistance. We aim to provide food assistance to families over a four-month period (July ? October) coinciding with the lean season. To prevent acute malnutrition, WFP will provide special foods for the next six months to all children under the age of two.

              Senegal

              Situation: More than 1 million people are estimated to be at risk of hunger in Senegal. Households have begun to reduce their number of meals and to sell their livestock in the worst-affected regions. In addition to poor harvests, food prices are high. The lean season has started early.

              What we're doing: Overall, WFP's operation in Senegal aims to reach 1.3 million people, and has started in th emost vulnerable zones. Assistance will include vouchers and programmes to reinforce cereal banks. WFP is providing school meals in 2,900 elementary and primary schools, which helps families deal with the lean season.

              Cameroon

              Situation: In the North and Far North regions of the country, cereal production was below the previous year, with a total deficit of 119,500 metric tons. Global Acute Malnutrition rates are above the 10 percent ?serious? threshold in these regions. The situation will deteriorate in the lean season if action is not taken quickly.

              What we're doing: WFP is preparing an emergency operation to support more than 258,000 people. The operation is scheduled to start in May. Activities will include food assistance for the most vulnerable along with the distribution of special nutritious foods for malnourished children and for women who are pregnant or who have small babies.

              The Gambia

              Situation: The Gambian government asked for international assistance to deal with crop failure and soaring food prices. Overall crop production is estimated to have dropped by 62 percent compared to 2010 and by 50 percent compared to the 5-year average. Just over 600,000 people are vulnerable.

              What we're doing: Working with the government and the humanitarian community, WFP is preparing an emergency operation to reach 206,000 beneficiaries. WFP will supply needy families in rural areas with food including rice, peas, fortified cereal, and cooking oil.
              Twitter: @RonanKelly13
              The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages

                June 2012 Sahel Drought Situation Report No. 7
                Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Mali, Niger
                ...
                LATEST DROUGHT SITUATION
                Early warning systems and international organizations are reporting that more than 17 million people are now at risk of food insecurity in West Africa?s Sahel region due to a combination of drought, poor accessibility to food, high grain prices, environmental degradation and displacement due to conflict. From that number, 1 million children under the age of five are at risk for acute malnutrition, according to the UN Children?s Fund (UNICEF).
                 Per country: the drought is affecting 1 million people in Mauritania; 6.4 million in Niger; 3.6 million in Chad; 3.6 million in Mali; 2.85 million in Burkina Faso.
                 UN officials have launched a new appeal for urgent funds for the Sahel following a recent high profile visit to Niger. The UN World Food Programme (WFP) along with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is stressing the critical nature of the crisis in an effort to create support.
                 UN OCHA reports that US$923.8 million is required for humanitarian assistance. US$706.1 million has been raised so far. However, assistance for agriculture is funded at only 15 percent which could have longer-reaching negative effects on food production.
                ...
                Twitter: @RonanKelly13
                The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages

                  Special Humanitarian Bulletin
                  Sahel Food Security and Nutrition Crisis
                  Issue 01 | 15 June 2012

                  HIGHLIGHTS
                  A food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel is affecting over 18 million people.
                  1.1 million children will suffer from severe acute malnutrition; 3 million from
                  moderate acute malnutrition.
                  Sahel cereal production in 2012 is 27 per cent lower than in 2011, and food prices continue to rise.
                  Conflict and insecurity in Mali are exacerbating regional vulnerabilities.
                  Capacity has been boosted across the region to respond to calls by governments and increased needs.
                  Funding requirements for the crisis have reached more than $1.6 billion. More
                  funding is urgently required.
                  ...
                  Attached Files
                  Last edited by Ronan Kelly; June 16, 2012, 12:59 PM. Reason: put pic as attachment
                  Twitter: @RonanKelly13
                  The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Threat of malnutrition dire in Africa's Sahel region due to increasing food shortages

                    Sahel Crisis: Country By Country

                    Published on 08 August 2012

                    Hunger is on the rise across the Sahel region of West Africa, a massive swathe of territory that stretches across eight countries from Chad in the east to Senegal in the west. Here is a rundown of the situation in each country and a look at how we're responding to help the people who live there.


                    Niger

                    Situation: Even before the crisis, malnutrition rates were high - 20 percent Global Acute Malnutrition rate among children under two last year. Erratic rains and pest infestations have decimated harvests in centre and west. Cereal deficit of more than 500,000 metric tons. Prices for all cereals are well above the seasonal average for the past five years.

                    What we're doing: WFP has launched an emergency operation that will support 4.18 millions over the course of 2012, with a special focus on small children. Some 35 percent of people being assisted will receive cash. Over 600,000 people have already received support through food-for-assets and cash-for-work programmes.


                    Mauritania

                    Situation: Patchy rainfall has reduced pasture for livestock and slashed harvests. High food prices are also having an impact. Around 25 percent of households are food insecure (about 700,000 people). The east and south are the most affected regions of the country. In 2011, the crop yield was 34 percent below the 5-year average.

                    What we're doing: WFP emergency operation aims to support 506,000 people through several programmes, including cash transfers, Food for Assets, and distribution of special foods designed to combat malnutrition. An operation is also under way to support around 95,000 refugees from Mali.


                    Chad

                    Situation: In the Sahelian band of the country, pastures are extremely dry, due to the poor rains. Cereal production in 2011 fell by 50 percent compared to 2010. A WFP post-harvest national food security assessment showed that 3.5 million people are food insecure. Remote, land-locked Chad faces tremendous logistical challenges when it comes to moving food aid.

                    What we're doing: WFP?s main operation, which got under way in April, aims to assist 1.5 million people. This includes food rations for all children under two years and mothers with babies. Food for Assets programmes will be used in seven priority regions of the Sahelian belt. In addition, more than 205,000 students will receive school meals in 2012.


                    Mali

                    Situation: Late rains have led to a poor harvest, which the government estimates is 25 percent down on the previous year. Prices of sorghum and millet are very high. An estimated 1.7 million people are at risk of hunger. The situation has been complicated by a rebel uprising in the north. About 320,000 people have fled fighting, some into neighbouring countries.

                    What we're doing: WFP is monitoring the security situation in Mali, especially in the North, where our activities have been disrupted. Meanwhile, food distributions started in Western and Southern regions in April. WFP is aiming to support 1.02 million people through emergency operations in 2012.


                    Burkina Faso

                    Situation: Crop failures have been reported in about 40 percent of the country, with a 16 percent decline in grain production compared to last year. Close to 1.7 million people are estimated to be at risk of going hungry. Food prices are high. The government has declared a food and nutrition crisis, and has called for national and international support.

                    What we're doing: WFP is planning to reach 1.17 million people with assistance. We aim to provide food assistance to families over a four-month period (July ? October) coinciding with the lean season. To prevent acute malnutrition, WFP will provide special foods for the next six months to all children under the age of two.


                    Senegal

                    Situation: More than 1 million people are estimated to be at risk of hunger in Senegal. Households have begun to reduce their number of meals and to sell their livestock in the worst-affected regions. In addition to poor harvests, food prices are high. The lean season has started early.

                    What we're doing: Overall, WFP's operation in Senegal aims to reach 862,000 people, and has started in the most vulnerable zones. Assistance will include vouchers and restocking of locally-managed cereal banks. WFP is providing meals in 2,900 elementary and primary schools, which helps families cope better.


                    Cameroon

                    Situation: The Sahel drought has particularly affected the North and Far North regions of the country. In these areas, cereal production is well below the previous year. Global Acute Malnutrition rates are above the 10 percent ?serious? threshold in these regions and stunting is above 40 percent. The situation will deteriorate in the lean season if action is not taken quickly.

                    What we're doing: WFP is about to launch an emergency operation to support more than 258,000 people. The operation is scheduled to start in June. Activities will include food assistance for the most vulnerable along with the distribution of special nutritious foods for malnourished children and for women who are pregnant or who have small babies.


                    The Gambia

                    Situation: The Gambian government asked for international assistance to deal with crop failure and soaring food prices. Overall crop production is estimated to have dropped by 62 percent compared to 2010 and by 50 percent compared to the 5-year average. Just over 600,000 people are vulnerable.

                    What we're doing: Working with the government and the humanitarian community, WFP is preparing an emergency operation to reach 206,000 beneficiaries. WFP will supply needy families in rural areas with food including rice, peas, fortified cereal, and cooking oil.
                    Twitter: @RonanKelly13
                    The views expressed are mine alone and do not represent the views of my employer or any other person or organization.

                    Comment

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