Press Release for 2004-jun-30

New York, NY — When the tsunami of December 26 hit Sri Lanka with 50-foot waves traveling more than 1.5 miles inland, the country was already reeling from floods two weeks earlier. Over a period of 10 days, floods had destroyed thousands of homes and half the local paddy fields, slashing January's projected food harvest by 75% and leaving 61,000 Sri Lankans affected.

Trincomalee, Sri Lanka — Action Against Hunger has responded to the earthquake and aftershocks in South Asia by providing immediate assistance to the tsunami victims of Sri Lanka in Batticaloa, Trincomalee, and Jaffna.

Nairobi, Kenya — On the morning of Saturday December 18 2004 Action Against Hunger (ACF) staff traveling in 3 cars between El Wak and Wargadud were ambushed by a group of 5 unidentified gunmen men.

Paris, France — Limited access to food and sanitation in Gonaives, Haiti, will increase risks to the population during the coming weeks, according to Action Against Hunger/Action Contre la Faim(ACF) , the non-governmental, non-religious, non-profit international organization that aids more than 5 million beneficiaries a year around the world. In order to prevent the malnutrition of children, the primary victims, ACF will establish more than 15 feeding stations in devastated neighbourhoods of Gonaives during the first few days of December. This will ensure that every day for four months, 9,000 children five years of age and younger will receive adequate nourishment.

Paris, France — Faced with the prospect of the crisis dragging on in Darfur, Sudan, Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF) , a leading nutritional aid organization, is continuing its relief efforts.

New York, NY — American's best restaurants are joining forces to battle hunger around the world. On October 19, restaurants from some of America's culinary capitals - New York, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco - will donate 20 percent of their revenue to support the 2nd annual Restaurants Against Hunger program.

Paris, France — Two weeks after the country was devastated by Hurricane Jeanne, the situation in Haiti remains precarious: the number of casualties and the scale of material damage continue to increase in a climate of social unrest. Many areas remain inaccessible. Action Against Hunger has put in place emergency water and sanitation programmes in order to make up for the shortage of drinking water and to restore access to clean water as soon as possible.

Paris, France — Following the political crisis at the beginning of the year and torrential rains in May, Haiti has now been ravaged by tropical storm Jeanne.

Madrid, Spain — For over 6 years drought has ravaged central Afghanistan, particularly the district of Hazaradjat (Dai Kundi). This year, a winter of littler snow and no rain further diminished the few remaining resources of the people of these extremely remote areas. Last June, Action Against Hunger sounded the alarm via the press about the food situation in this region. New evaluations conducted this summer in Hazaradjat have confirmed the serious concerns of humanitarian aid organization Action Against Hunger / Action Contre la Faim (ACF) and the necessity for immediate intervention.

Madrid, Spain — Action Against Hunger, Aide Medicale Internationale and Handicap International were shocked and outraged to learn of the abduction of four humanitarian workers yesterday in Baghdad. Italians Simona Torita and Simona Baro, who work for the NGO “A Bridge to Iraq,” were seized by gunmen at their offices in the Iraqi capital in broad daylight, along with an Iraqi female aid worker and an Iraqi male colleague. The relief groups are expressing their grave concern about the situation, and making an appeal that all efforts be made to secure their release as soon as possible. Moreover, the kidnappings are forcing the humanitarian community to reconsider the possibility of continuing operations in Iraq altogether.