We've earned a four-star rating from Charity Navigator—for the sixth year in a row. Support a top charity saving lives around the world and donate now »

Mauritania

Millions in the Sahel Face Food Crisis without Increased Funding

A huge gap in funding for aid projects aimed at preventing the deepening food crisis in the Sahel is threatening to leave millions of people hungry in the coming months, a coalition of aid agencies has warned today.

Sahel Crisis: Regional Food Emergency Intensifies in Mali, Mauritania

As the regional food crisis intensifies in Africa’s Sahel region, we’ve worked to provide you with the latest information. Most recently, we wrote about the situation on the ground in Chad, where food shortages, price hikes, and drought have put many thousands of children in danger. Indeed, one million children are at risk of severe acute malnutrition across the region.

Sahel food crisis has been made worse by the widespread unrest in Africa

"In Mali the strain of fighting Gadaffi-armed Tuareg rebels in the north has prompted a political crisis, leading directly to a military coup and prompting an exodus from besieged villages, exacerbating food shortages. Of the families fleeing the violence, 20% have at least one child suffering from severe acute malnutrition, according to Action Against Hunger (AAH). 'These are families who have had to hastily flee the violence and they don't have access to basic products like clothing, blankets or cooking utensils.

Children dying in Chad as Sahel crisis bites

"Children in western Chad have started dying from malnutrition as a major hunger crisis threatening West Africa begins to take hold, an international charity has warned. Child malnutrition rates have soared in the region of Kanem, which is now in the grip of a full blown emergency, Action Contre La Faim (ACF) said...More than 2,000 children in Kanem were admitted to nutrition treatment centres in February alone, triple the number treated in December, according to ACF.

Malnutrition on the rise: Kanem region of Chad enters food emergency

"More than 2,000 malnourished children were admitted to Action Against Hunger | ACF International’s nutritional centres in Kanem in February alone, which is more than three times the number treated in the same month last year.

Cash Transfers a Successful Antidote to Sahel Emergency

Although it may seem counter-intuitive in the context of a humanitarian emergency, money can be one of the most effective mediums for saving lives during emergencies such as that unfolding across the Sahel—a crisis in which three million children are expected to become severely malnourished in the coming months.

Pastoral Populations Face Food, Fodder Shortages Across the Sahel

A major food crisis looms over the Sahel, a zone that extends across the African continent, separating Sahara and savanna. Some 2.6 million children are at risk of deadly malnutrition as pastoralist populations, largely dependent on biomass-rich pastures for grazing livestock, face widespread shortages of food and fodder.

Mauritania’s woes highlight ongoing drought in the Sahel

The Mauritanian government has launched the “Hope 2012″ campaign, a $148 million project to keep over 2,400 shops open to sell subsidized food supplies to the over 700,000 Mauritanians at risk from the current crisis. According to Time magazine, a $650 million appeal by the United Nations to aid the over 10 million people across the Sahel region has not reached even half of its goal.

If you are interested in supporting food aid projects in the Sahel, visit the websites of these organizations:

Action Against Hunger

A Million Children At Risk of Deadly Malnutrition in the Sahel

More than 10 million people are at risk of food shortages across Africa’s Sahel region, including communities in Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, Burkina Faso, South Sudan, and Ethiopia.

Pages

About Action Against Hunger | ACF International

Action Against Hunger is internationally recognized as a leader in the fight against global malnutrition. Action Against Hunger works to save the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with access to safe water and sustainable solutions to hunger. With over 30 years of expertise in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity, Action Against Hunger runs life-saving programs in some 40 countries benefiting 5 million people each year.

Subscribe to news and alerts or donate now »

Subscribe to RSS - Mauritania

Subscribe

Join thousands of Action Against Hunger supporters and subscribe now to our monthly newsletter and alerts.

Donate

Action Against Hunger is a four-star charity rated by Charity Navigator, a 2011 Top Nonprofit rated by Philanthropedia, and rated an "A" by CharityWatch.

Facts about Hunger

925 million people suffer from hunger and malnutrition around the world. That's more than the populations of the United States, Canada, and the European Union.

Malnutrition affects 32.5% of children in developing countries.

1 out of every 6 infants are born with low birth weight due to undernutrition among pregnant women in developing countries.

1 out of every 3 people in developing countries are affected by vitamin and mineral deficiencies.

Hunger is number one on the list of the world's top 10 health risks. It kills more people every year than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

(Sources)