The World Food Program (WFP) faces the challenge of helping over 10 million people in need of emergency food aid in the Horn of Africa over the next few months, despite being handicapped by a $190 million budget shortfall.
Somalia, Kenya, Uganda, and other countries in Eastern Africa have been hit by severe and prolonged drought, dramatically increased food prices, skyrocketing fuel prices, and in some countries, political instability.
“WFP has really been gearing up its operations. We think we will have to feed six million people in the area.” Chief WFP Spokesperson Bettina Luescher told Talk Radio News. “It’s very challenging to do that, especially because we are so under funded,”
The WFP isn’t the only organization facing severe budget deficits. Oxfam International, an NGO operating in 98 countries worldwide, needs $80 million for its campaign in Africa to reach 3 million people across Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya.
“This is the worst food crisis of the 21st Century and we are seriously concerned that large numbers of lives could soon be lost,” Jane Cocking, Oxfam’s Humanitarian Director said in a statement posted on the organizations website. “Two successive poor rains, entrenched poverty and lack of investment in affected areas have pushed 12 million people into a fight for survival. People have already lost virtually everything and the crisis is only going to get worse over the coming months – we need funds to help us reach people with life-saving food and water.”
The crisis has also forced tens of thousands of people from their home, in search of food and greater humanitarian aid.
“What we are seeing is that population movements and drought are factors that makes it so hard for the people, but at the same time food prices have risen dramatically, sometimes in some areas 30%, in other areas prices have doubled.” Luescher told Talk Radio News.
Malnourished children represent a large portion of the migrating population. According to a UNHCR report, more than 50% of Somali children arriving in refugee camps are “seriously malnourished”
“The children are always the biggest concern because they are the most vulnerable. But especially for the children and nursing moms, we give them special extra food so that they can recover.” says Luescher.“We have seen, for example in Ethiopia, where the refugees from Somalia are coming in, you have a acute malnutrition rate of 45% of these little kids that are coming in to the camps, triple what is usually already considered an emergency threshold. It is a dramatic situation and we have mobilized all of our forces and are working with our UN partners “
The current security situation in Somalia has also caused tremendous complications for the WFP.
WFP officials say Al-Shabaab, the Islamic militant organization, has proven to be a tremendous “headache” in the distribution of food aid. Just last year, the WFP had to pull out of Southern Somalia because of unreasonable demands made by Al-Shabaab officials who apparently threatened WFP staff members and demanded payment. Luescher described the decision to pull out as “one of the hardest decisions you ever have to make as an aid organization,”
A few days ago, Al-Shabaab reportedly decided to lift a ban on humanitarian organizations supplying food aid to Somalis, but it is unclear how quickly organizations will be able to resume operations in affected areas.