Funding gap warning as millions go hungry

A FUNDING shortfall of more than £570m will be addressed at a conference aimed at saving millions of hungry children and families across West Africa.
By The Newsroom
Published 18th Jun 2012, 07:00 BST

Donors attending Oxfam’s pledging conference in Brussels today will look at the work needed to tackle the food crisis in the Sahel, which covers northern Senegal, the southern part of Mauritania, Mali, the southern part of Algeria, Niger, Chad, the southern part of Sudan and Eritrea.

More than 18 million people are facing hunger across West Africa, but aid agencies are warning that, with the hunger season approaching, many lives are at stake if donors do not step up, an Oxfam spokeswoman said.

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At the conference, Oxfam, ROPPA (Network of Farmers’ and Agricultural Producers’ Organisations of West Africa) and the Roll Back Malaria (RBM) Partnership will ask donors, governments in the region, regional bodies, non-governmental organisations and United Nations agencies to close the funding gap and ensure programmes are in place before the crisis hits its peak.

They will also be asked to keep regional markets open to keep food flowing and prices down, to strengthen leadership and co-ordination to ensure an effective response, and to invest in the long-term to build resilience and break the hunger cycle, the Oxfam spokeswoman said.

Steve Cockburn, Oxfam regional policy manager, said: “The hunger season is starting now. Families cannot wait any longer for action; there are too many already being pushed over the brink.”