Ethiopia Facing Killer Famine

By SARAH STACK

TENS of thousands of Ethiopians are on the brink of starving to death because of a massive food shortage.

Some 3200 children and women have been admitted to food treatment programmes in one southern region in recent weeks as the effects of an eight-month drought take hold of rural communities.

Soaring global food prices have compounded the crisis.

Abraham Asha, of Irish aid agency Concern, said the figures were “frightening”.

He added: “In three years from 2005 to 2007 we had 1716 severely malnourished children in our outpatient therapeutic programme – OTP.

“In the last 10 weeks we have had 1160, with 661 of those admitted in June.

“In the same three weeks, 2571 beneficiaries received supplementary feeding programme – SFP – food for moderate malnourishment.”

Up to 50 children are turning up for this help every day and over the next three months numbers will rise.

“The very old and young could die if this drought continues,” he said.

In 2003, some 14.3 million people were affected by a similar crisis.

Humanitarian workers said that since then life for Ethiopians had been good, but their situation is deteriorating rapidly and this year and next could be worse if the drought continued.

Aid agencies on the ground were struggling to meet demand as more desperate people arrived at health clinics.

The Government is distributing maize to the worst-affected, but even those rations have been reduced as more hungry families arrive.

Concern, Ireland’s largest non-governmental organisation – NGO – is reaching people across the south of the countr y.

(c) 2008 Sunday Sun – Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.