The devestation that famine is causing in Niger

United Nations' plans to end general food aid distributions in Niger in a few weeks could be a disaster, warns medical NGO Medecins Sans Frontieres.

The UN's World Food Programme said that once the harvest begins next month, it will redirect food to concentrate on those most in need.

The UN argues this will allow high food prices, caused by shortages, to fall.

But MSF warns that with almost 1m people not yet fed, next month is too soon to end wide-scale distributions.

It says that this could put many mothers and children in particular at risk.

"The targeted free food distribution has not yet reached the most vulnerable and the most remote areas," MSF's Christian Captier in Niger told the BBC.

"There is some logic in not disrupting the market, but not at the price of the many lives of children which are at risk there."

Phases

The WFP maintains that the step is necessary to allow food prices in Niger to normalise after escalating during months of severe shortages.


Sacks of food aid arrive in Maradi on 10 August

Men 'locked grain stores'

"We are constantly doing assessments, so when this year's harvests arrive in a month's time, we'll know exactly who is most vulnerable and most in need," WFP spokesman Greg Barrow told the BBC News website.

"The priority is always to feed the hungry, but the last thing you want to do is to destroy the livelihoods of farmers, by flooding the country with general free distributions of food aid when the harvests are coming in."

"There is no sense in which food aid will be cut off to the hungry," he says.

Challenge

The WFP faces huge logistical challenges moving food aid vast distances on poor roads.

But the BBC's Hilary Andersson in Niger says that almost a million people who need it have still received no food aid at all and it is now six weeks since the aid began flowing into Niger in large quantities.

She says that large numbers of young children are still dying in feeding centres. An assessment by MSF this week indicates that more than 40 people are dying a day in just one area that they surveyed.

With malaria and other diseases now prevalent in the feeding centres, due to the rains, doctors say many of the malnourished are in a worse condition than they were a month ago.

Niger is ranked the poorest country in the world and has suffered years of neglect by the outside world.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/h...ca/4248036.stm

Published: 2005/09/15 10:37:35 GMT

© BBC MMV
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i can't even find a place on redcross.ca to donate!

I was wondering if there is a place on the UN's site to donate?

How do they decide when it's time to stop food distribution? Is this decision made by those who are there, in the field, working on the distribution?

I was watching a BBC news special on the crisis there. 40 people die every day in a single AREA of niger! why would they STOP food distribution?

what's shocking is - this disaster is just as bad, if not worse than Katrina is causing/has caused in the US, yet there is no response here at all about this. At the New Orleans residents had Houston. The residents of the Niger have nowhere.

Originally Posted by Nadir

what's shocking is - this disaster is just as bad, if not worse than Katrina is causing/has caused in the US, yet there is no response here at all about this. At the New Orleans residents had Houston. The residents of the Niger have nowhere.

Well this is true. We do ignore these things. Luckily we have you to help out and bring such issues up. I think the worse thing is that it isnt that people dont know this is going on because they do, but that so many choose to look away, including the leaders of this world.
What is the truth to the matter is that we all in the new and developed world make too much noise ourselves for the stupidest things that "inconvenience" us. You know... Where's my prescription drug coverage? Where my pension plan??? Where's my job security??? That such naggers... and I'll put bluntly and coldly like I always do, are skipping in line in front of those who are in dire need.
I mentioned this briefly about the stuff that went down in New Orleans where I believed too many people who had the physical and mental capabilities to leave on their own accord and then make a scene on TV asking for help without any regard to the seriously ill, old, and infantile. I see the same thing in parallel with us in the developing world cutting in front of the line for resources we already have, and b!tching about it, at the expense of those not in poverty.... but in FAMINE.
The thing that really irritates the cr@p out of me is that people dont listen to the obvious. No we wait for Gattusso or Maldini or Oprah or Sean Penn to listen and pay attention. Granted we are lucky that they have used their profile to bring such things to light. But what does that say about our society??? That we are so fixated on the celebraties and high society that we take their word before our better judgement??? I think the true answer is that many lack wisdom entirely that in a sad way we are only inspired to care when such profile charachters say so. Absolutely pathetic.
Police Officer: Sir please slow down. Speed kills.
people: Whatever

Oprah: Folks please slow down. Speeding kills
people: Absolutely! If Oprah says so!

You see we arent listening in the first place and only when a celebrity says so we move. The problem is that Oprah, Sean Penn, George Bush, Gattusso are not the police, doctor, teacher, or parent! It is sickening! We ought to listen a bit more to the policeman, we ought to take the doctors advice to quit smoking or watch out diet, we ought to pay attention in class and not have some bs excuse like "I got A.D.D", and for crying sakes listen to our parents too.

This is the truth in what I see. Anyone who doesnt like it or think that I am trying to be political can shove up your *****!