UN declares famine in Somalia ~What can you do to help?

       

UN officially declares famine in Somalia 

Two sisters hold hands as they follow their mother and brothers at the reception center of the Dolo Ado refugee camp near the Ethiopia-Somalia border.

Southern parts of the country hit by the worst famine in the region for 20 years 

NAIROBI — The United Nations declared famine in two regions of southern Somalia Wednesday and said it could quickly spread unless donors took action. Mark Bowden, humanitarian coordinator for Somalia, said southern Bakool and Lower Shabelle had been hit by the worst famine in the region for 20 years.
The U.N. is proposing "exceptional measures" of providing "cash relief" while it finds ways of getting larger volumes of food aid into southern Somalia, Bowden said. The U.N. is also appealing for $300 million over the next two months for Somalia. "If we don't act now, famine will spread to all eight regions of southern Somalia within two months, due to poor harvests and infectious disease outbreaks," Bowden said.
"Every day of delay in assistance is literally a matter of life or death for children and their families in the famine-affected areas." The U.N. said 3.7 million people across the war-ravaged Horn of Africa country, or almost half the population, were now in danger. Of them 2.8 million are in the south.
In the worst-affected areas, half the children are malnourished. "It is likely that tens of thousands will already have died, the majority of those being children," Bowden said.

Years of drought, that have also affected Kenya and Ethiopia, have hit harvests and conflict has made it extremely difficult for agencies to operate and access communities in the south of the country. The south is controlled by al Shabaab Islamist insurgents, affiliated to al Qaeda, who are fighting to topple the Western-backed government. The group also controls parts of the capital Mogadishu and central Somalia. In early July, the rebels lifted a ban on food aid which they had said created dependency. Some analysts say they are allowing aid in because they fear a public backlash if they do not. Others say the rebels want bribes. The U.N. has said the inability of food agencies to work in the region since early 2010 because of the ban had contributed to the crisis. Nearly 135,000 Somalis have fled since January, mainly to Kenya and Ethiopia. An average of 1,700 and 1,300 Somalis are arriving in Ethiopia and Kenya respectively each day. The U.N. defines famine as at least 20 percent of households facing extreme food shortages, a crude mortality rate of more than 2 people per 10,000 per day and malnutrition rates of above 30 percent. 

 

Somalia Famine: How to Help

By Dr. RICHARD BESSER (@DrRichardBesser)

July 18, 2011

East Africa is experiencing what U.S. State Department officials say is quickly becoming one of the worst humanitarian crises in decades. Several seasons of drought have decimated crops and livestock in Somalia, forcing tens of thousands of refugees to seek help in camps in neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya. Rains are not expected until October at the earliest. This means that prolonged support is needed.
When I donate money during a crisis, I like to make sure that most of the dollars get to the people who need the help. Here is a list of some of the organizations working right now, on the ground, to save lives. Each of these has low administrative costs meaning that most of your money will reach people in need.
World Food Programme You can donate online to or you can make a $10 donation to the World Food Programme by texting AID to 27722.Charges will appear on your wireless bill, or be deducted from your prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by account holder. Message and Data Rates May Apply. Full terms: www.mGive.org/T & Privacy Policy

http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/

http://www.rescue.org/

http://www.icrc.org/

https://my.care.org

http://www.worldvision.org/

http://www.unicef.org/

Doctors Without Borders
International Rescue Committee (IRC)
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
CARE
World Vision's Horn of Africa response
UNICEF
Save the Children You can donate online or text SURVIVE to 20222 to donate $10 (Standard message rates apply). Legal disclosure: www.savethechildren.org/legaldisclosure
MercyCorps
Oxfam America
For complete coverage and information on how you can personally make a difference through the "Be the Change: Save a Life" initiative, go to SaveOne.net. "Be the Change: Save a Life" is supported in part by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.