Aid for Africa’s starving plummeted in the wake of the Asian tsunami which attracted hundreds of millions of dollars in relief, the World Food Programme said on Monday, pleading for donors not to let their commitment fall.
”Donations to WFP’s operations in Africa dropped by 21% in January 2005 to $24-million, compared to $29-million in the first month of 2004,” the United Nations agency said.
”Globally, contributions to WFP’s work in Africa represented just eight percent of the total received by the agency, compared with 20% in January 2004.”
WFP executive director James Morris said the response to the Indian Ocean tidal wave disaster which killed more than 287 000 people in Indonesia, Sri Lanka and other countries demonstrated how much the world cares for millions of people facing extraordinary suffering.
”The challenge we now face is to ensure that a ‘tsunami effect’ does not ripple across Africa, drawing funds away from humanitarian operations there and adding Sudanese, Angolan and Liberian victims to its toll,” he said.
”I’m sure that donors to the tsunami disaster will not allow their generosity to be at the expense of hungry people in Africa, however far from the global spotlight they are.”
The $24-million provided last month were to help feed 22-million people with critical needs in 22 countries, the WFP noted, ranging from Lesotho and Angola in the south, Democratic Republic of Congo in Central Africa, Eritrea in the northeast and war-ravaged Liberia and Côte d’Ivoire in the west.
Donors included the United States — which gave more than half the contributions received — plus Norway, Canada, Luxembourg, France, Ireland and Italy.
Despite a welcome increase of $80-million in early February, donations for Africa amount to just five percent of the $1,9-billion needed by WFP for Africa — two-thirds of the agency’s global requirements.
”This stands in stark contrast to the almost full funding pledged towards the UN’s tsunami appeal for $977-million, launched in January,” the WFP noted.
”The cost of assisting a tsunami survivor is estimated at $1,07 per person per day in 2005 under the joint UN appeal, compared with just $0,16 per person for assistance in Africa.”
The WFP warned that the deal just concluded between the Sudanese government and southern rebels to end Africa’s longest-running civil war could be destroyed if the international community fails to help.
”After donors have invested billions of dollars in humanitarian aid for Sudan over the past three decades, WFP’s current emergency operation to help people return home and rebuild their lives this year is ironically funded at just seven percent with a massive shortfall of $279-million.
”Rations for Sudanese and other refugees in Ethiopia have been slashed by 30% as a result of funding shortages.”
In five countries across southern Africa, the WFP was forced to cut rations for more than 2,8-million people and has so far received less than 10% of the contributions needed to help twice that number survive through 2007.
”WFP’s operation in Liberia is suffering from serious shortfalls and since June last year the agency has had to reduce rations for hundreds of thousands of refugees and displaced people,” it said.
”Many of them would like to go home, but with their homes and farms destroyed during the war, they will need food aid to tide them over until they can produce enough food for themselves.”
”Whether they are in Sri Lanka and Indonesia, or Uganda and Ethiopia, children urgently need our help,” Morris added.
”I very much hope that the scale of support following the tsunami bodes well for those in need in Africa too.” – Sapa-AFP