What we’re witnessing in West Africa is beyond belief. With little rain fall and a serious shortage of food, the people of Chad, Niger and other countries have found themselves in the midst of a severe food crisis.
To get food, people have even resorted to digging up ant hills in order to gather the grain that the ants have stored. This is how some people are feeding their children – and it’s utterly shocking. Please help today.
The Situation
Millions of people across West Africa could face a serious food crisis in coming weeks.
Early warning systems suggest that poor rains, a decrease in harvests and an increase in food prices could drive people in Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad and Burkina Faso into a food crisis this year.
Reports suggest six million people in Niger and 2.9 million people in Mali live in vulnerable areas, while in Mauritania 700,000 people – over one-quarter of the population – could face severe food insecurity. In Burkina Faso and Chad, millions of people could be affected. Mamadou Biteye, Oxfam Humanitarian Lead in West Africa, said: “The situation is looking extremely worrying for millions of people in West Africa, but the worst is not yet inevitable. The crisis has been identified early, and we know that there are cost-effective measures that can be taken now to protect those most vulnerable. This time we can act before the emergency hits.”
The Sahel region of West Africa last experienced a major food crisis in 2010, which affected ten million people. Biteye added: “People are still recovering from the last crisis in 2010 and are incredibly vulnerable to any extra shocks such as rising food prices, poor harvests or the death of their animals. These people need help now to build their resilience before next year. Acting early could make a huge difference.”
Oxfam’s Response
Oxfam is working to help communities increase their resilience to the coming crisis, and getting ready to provide food assistance.
In Burkina Faso, we’re working in over 80 villages where we’ve started cash for work programs to help people get back on their feet. We’re also helping pastoralist communities by giving them food for the cattle that they rely on to make their living. To address the issue of refugees in north Burkina Faso, we’re starting a program that will reach 100,000 people.
In Chad – where we’ve been working for 45 years – we’ll reach over 200,000 people through food distribution, cash transfers, care and vaccinations for animals, the building of wells and the promotion of public health.
In Mauritania, 1,300 women, as part of cooperatives, are benefitting from irrigation systems which pump water from the river for their vegetable gardens.
In Niger, where the prices of basic goods have now reached record levels, we’re working with our partners to reach some 450,000 people with projects that include cash voucher distribution to families most in need.
Donate Now
Millions of people across West Africa face a serious food crisis. Oxfam is helping the most vulnerable people. We urgently need your help.
What can we do to prevent this?
Breaking the cycle of hunger
A Dangerous Delay - New Report on Food Crisis
- By tackling the root causes of the crisis we can break the vicious circle of hunger in West Africa. Oxfam’s GROW campaign addresses this by calling for investment in:
- small-scale farmers
- the building of food reserves to regulate food prices
- the development of social safety nets that support the incomes of the poorest and most vulnerable.
Such preventative measures and long term investment in agriculture will help to bring an end to situations like that in West Africa. In this way, we’ll secure a future where everyone has enough to eat.
A dangerous delay
A recent report published jointly by Oxfam and Save the Children examines how the drought in Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Djibouti developed into a full-scale crisis due to the international community and national governments insufficient respond to the clear early warning signs.
Those same early warning systems predict a food crisis will strike West Africa in the coming months. Read the report A Dangerous Delay and find out how we can act now to prevent another food disaster.
Further reforms to tackle hunger crises are set out in the Charter to End Extreme Hunger, a joint-agency initiative, including Oxfam, Save the Children and ONE. The initiative sets out actions governments and leaders should take to address the underlying root causes of food crises such as conflict, high food prices, long-term neglect, lack of basic services, lack of investment in small-scale agriculture and pastoralism. Oxfam urges all actors to sign up to, and implement, the Charter – to fulfil their responsibilities and take concrete steps to stop catastrophic food crises from happening again.
