World Vision welcomes aid for Africa

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2016

World Vision Australia chief executive Tim Costello has welcomed the Australian Government’s announcement of $15 million for humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia and Somalia, where millions of people are suffering food shortages, but warned that more is needed.

“Despite the best efforts of many African countries to overcome food shortages, El Niño is creating disastrous weather conditions for large parts of the continent,” Mr Costello said. “This announcement is welcome, but more will be needed and would be well directed to Australian aid agencies that are on the ground delivering much needed relief.”

Four African nations – Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho and Somalia - have declared national emergencies due to El Niño, with millions of people short of food.

The United Nations reports that the current El Niño event is forecast to be the strongest and longest in 35 years, estimating that some 52 million people on the continent will be affected.

Since September 2015, World Vision has provided food and cash transfers to over 800,000 people who are suffering the effects of prolonged drought caused by El Niño in Southern Africa alone. Almost 70 per cent of the beneficiaries are children.

In Ethiopia, failed and erratic rains have reduced food harvests by 50-90 per cent in 2015. The Government estimates that 10 million people are short of food. In Zimbabwe, the government has reported that 12,000 boreholes have run dry and almost a quarter of the population does not have enough food. In Lesotho, one in three people are in need of food assistance. In Somalia, nearly 305,000 children under the age of five are acutely malnourished. The United Nations estimates that 58,300 children face death if they are not treated urgently.

A funding gap of more than US$2.8 billion remains for these four countries alone.

In November of last year, World Vision revealed alarming funding gaps in food assistance in the report “When there is no food assistance” which found that in 2014, more than two million people did not receive the food assistance that they desperately needed and were promised.

For World Vision Australia comment, contact: Stuart Rintoul: 0407-241492

 MEDIA RELEASES, TIM COSTELLO, SOMALIA, DROUGHT, ETHIOPIA, AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT