Hunger costs Ethiopia billions of dollars in yearly economic losses, according to a new study. Led by the African Union Commission, the UN World Food Program (WFP) and Ethiopian government agencies, it says reducing undernutrition will save lives and boost Ethiopia's struggling economy.
The study shows Ethiopia lost an estimated $4.7 billion in 2009 because of child undernutrition. This is equivalent to 16.5 percent of the country's Gross Domestic Product.
Currently, the report finds more than two out of every five children in Ethiopia are stunted and more than 80 percent of all cases of child under-nutrition go untreated. It says malnutrition in Ethiopia causes more than 20 percent of child deaths. It says these deaths have reduced Ethiopia's workforce by eight percent. Undernutrition is a huge drain on the country's economy, said WFP spokeswman Elizabeth Byrs.
"The study estimates that Ethiopia could reduce losses by $12.5 billion by 2025 if it reduces underweight rates to five percent and stunting to 10 percent," Byrs said.
Stunted children in primary education have a higher-grade repetition rate than non-stunted children, according to the report. In addition, it says stunted children in Ethiopia also are more likely to drop out of school.
Byrs noted stunting does not end with childhood, but remains a life-long problem with long-term consequences for both the individual and the society. The report says nearly 70 percent of adults in Ethiopia have suffered from stunting as children, which means more than 26 million people of working age have not been able to achieve their potential.
A new report released on Thursday revealed that 258,000 people in Somalia died during the severe famine that hit the East African nation between 2010 and 2012.
A Somalian child eats gruel in Baidoa on December 17, 1992 after US and French troops arrived on December 16 in what has been described as the epicentre of the famine (MICHEL GANGNE/AFP/Getty Images)
The report was jointly released by the US funded famine early warning system (FEWSNET) and by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization.
The aid agency report said tens of thousands of people died needlessly because the international community was slow to respond to the crises.
It was disclosed that among the total victims more than half were children aged five and under.
According to the report, between May and August 2011, when the famine and food shortages reach in its worst level, 30,000 people were dying each month.
The newly revealed death toll is far higher than a previous estimation by the UK government which put the figures between 50,000 and 100,000.
Continued fighting as well as lack of security, which made it difficult for humanitarian Aid agencies to handout food for the needy, were major impacts stated as effects of the famine.
Most Western aid agencies were forced to withdraw their operation due continued threat from the al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic extremists group, Al-Shabaab.
The small number of aid agencies who managed to continue operating were also prevented from delivering food aid by Al Shabaab.
Following the report, Oxfam has urged world leaders - who are meeting in London next week to discuss the situation in Somalia - to urgently take concerted steps to avoid any further devastating famine in Somalia.
Tens of thousands of Somalis have been fleeing from Al Shabaab controlled areas to other parts of the country in search of food.
Many more have crossed borders to neighboring Kenya and Ethiopia.
Currently African Union peacekeepers as well as troops from Ethiopian and Kenya are helping the weak government of Somalia in the battle against Al Shabaab.
The war-torn African nation is witnessing a relatively improved peace and security in recent months following the weakening of the radical group.
Spokesperson for the UNHCR branch office in Ethiopia, Kisut Gebregzabiher, on Thursday toldSudan Tribune that the influx of Somali refugees to Ethiopia has declined in recent months from in thousands to hundreds.
“We have registered 4,726 new arrivals in February and some 1,990 in March while less than 600 in April” he said.
According to the UN refugee agency official, currently there are about 235,000 Somalia refugees in Ethiopia camps.
By Tesfa-Alem Tekle
Page last updated at Tuesday, April 9, 2013 12:12 PM // Leave Your Comment
A preliminary report on cost of hunger from a study in four piloted African countries has revealed that at least $7.225 billion is lost to child undernutrition in those countries.
The four countries are Egypt, Ethiopia, Swaziland and Uganda and the study was done by the African Union and NEPAD supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
The March 2013 study update was titled “The Cost of Hunger in Africa: The social and economic costs of child undernutrition”.
The study revealed that Egypt is losing $3.7 billion which is equivalent to 1.9% of GDP to the problem; Ethiopia is $4.5 billion, 16.5% of GDP; Swaziland $76 million equivalent 3.1% of GDP; and Uganda $899 million, or 5.6% of GDP.
According to the report which was tabled at the just ended African Finance Ministers Meeting in Abidjan, child undernutrition is one of the most critical negative effects of hunger.
“When a child is undernourished before the age of five, his or her body and brain cannot develop at its potential, and they are at risk for cognitive delays,” said the report.
It added that 17 African countries have stunting rates above 40% and 36 countries have rates above 30%.
The COHA project is based on a model originally developed in Latin America. The model is used to estimate the additional cases of morbidities, mortalities, school repetitions, school dropouts, and reduced physical capacity that can be directly associated to a person’s undernutrition before the age of five.
NAIROBI, 4 April 2013 (IRIN) - Less than two weeks after the overthrow of Central African Republic (CAR) President François Bozizé in a rebel coup, the humanitarian situation has deteriorated, leaving civilians in the capital, Bangui, in critical need of aid, said a senior humanitarian official.
“The main humanitarian needs in Bangui are access to health and nutrition and clean water [and] security and protection of civilians,” Amy Martin, who heads the Bangui branch of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told IRIN.
Bozizé was ousted on 24 March after the rebel Séléka coalition overran Bangui, exacerbating the country’s already precarious humanitarian situation. Insecurity had already been rife before the coup, especially in the northeast, and access to basic services was inadequate.
Now, only two hospitals are functioning in Bangui, schools are closed nationwide and civil servants are not yet back to work. Water and electricity services have been interrupted, and insecurity has worsened.
Insecurity
“Insecurity is persistent, with the circulation of arms and poor discipline by the Séléka elements,” said Martin.
Following the coup, there were reports of widespread looting and violence in Bangui. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) reported that 10 metric tons of emergency supplies were stolen from its main warehouse.
“The looting continues in Bangui as well as in towns where Séléka are expanding their presence, notably to the west and northwest of Bangui,” Martin continued.
Regarding the number of people affected by the crisis, she said: “We are using the population figure of the entire country, 4.5 million people, [as the number of people] affected. The most vulnerable people - women, children, elderly, [people living with HIV/AIDS] - are most at risk.”
The insecurity has led to population movements.
“In the northwest, people are fleeing to the bush; in Bangui, a few thousand crossed the River [Oubangui] to Zongo [in DRC], but as the situation calms down they are returning,” said Martin.
Insecurity could also worsen in southeastern CAR, an area affected by activities of the Ugandan rebel Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). Following the Séléka takeover, Ugandan troops and US military advisers in CAR suspended their search for LRA leader Joseph Kony.
President François Bozizé was ousted in a 24 March rebel coup
“It is unclear whether the Ugandans and the Americans will leave, but if they do, there will be no security forces left in the southeast of CAR to offer any sort of civilian protection,” Ledio Cakaj, an independent researcher focusing on the LRA, told IRIN.
“It is unlikely that the new CAR regime has the capacity to provide security for an area close to 1,000km away from Bangui, same as was the case under the previous government.”
Cakaj added: “It is not clear yet how Kony will respond to the recent developments, but given the history of attacks in CAR it is likely that LRA attacks against civilians will intensify given the lack of protection of civilians [should the Ugandan and American forces depart].”
Food insecurity
The insecurity, which has intensified since December, has affected farming and commercial activities raising food security fears.
“In the interior of the country, people need seeds and agricultural inputs for this agricultural season… Commerce needs to restart to allow people to access goods in markets,” said OCHA’s Martin.
According to a 28 March OCHA update, “The border with all neighbouring countries is closed, which directly affects movement of commercial [goods] and fuel from Douala, which is Bangui’s main commercial and supply line from Cameroon.”
“Land preparation, which should have started in January, is behind schedule in parts,” stated a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) March update.
“The food security situation, which was already alarming… has deteriorated from December 2012 onwards, when the civil conflict escalated,” added the update, warning that the “situation is projected to further deteriorate until the next harvest, in July 2013, especially in the north of Nana-Grebizi, in Ouham and Vakaga regions.”
“It is worth noting that before the crisis erupted, floods in Nana-Gribizi, Ouham and Vakaga prefectures had already affected agricultural activities,” Alessandro Costantino, an economist with FAO’s Global Information and Early Warning System on Food, told IRIN.
And more flooding could become a problem: “Every year, flooding occurs in CAR in the middle and towards the end of the rainy season, which spans from April until October in the South, from July to October in the rest of the country,” he said.
Rebels from the northeast
The Séléka rebels mainly come from the restive northeast of CAR, a region that is “geographically isolated, historically marginalized and almost stateless,” according to the International Crisis Group (ICG).
Circumstances leading to the coup included the “absence of [a] solution to the problem of the armed groups of northeastern CAR; the lack of a programme of disarmament, demobilization and reintegration (DDR) for these fighters; and a crippled security system,” said a 27 March ICG blog post.
"The time has come for the Séléka coalition, which took power last weekend, to really demonstrate how committed it is to humanitarian principles and human rights for all Central Africans."
“The disarmament of the fighters has been planned since the agreements of Libreville in 2008, but it has never taken place due to the lack of political will of the Bozizé regime,” it said.
Séléka leader Michel Djotodjia named himself president after the coup, and “if he remains in power, he will be the first CAR president from the remote, neglected and largely Muslim northeast”, said a blog post in African Arguments.
Djotodjia was the leader of the Union des forces démocratiques pour le rassemblement (UFDR) rebels, who merged with rebels from the Convention Patriotique pour le Salut Wa Kodro (CSPK) and Convention des patriotes pour la justice et la paix (CPJP) to form the Séléka coalition.
Djotodjia’s government plans to hand over power to an elected president after a three-year transition period. But challenges are already emerging, with opposition critical of the composition of the new cabinet named by Séléka on 31 March, days after the suspension of the constitution and the dissolution of CAR’s National Assembly.
Access problems
At present, hundreds of thousands of people remain cut off from aid and essential services.
According to UNICEF, children are among the worst affected, with some two million lacking access to basic social services and exposed to violence.
“Children in the Central African Republic were some of the most vulnerable in Africa even before the recent upsurge in fighting,” said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF's regional director for West and Central Africa, in a 29 March statement.
“It is imperative to have full and secure access to communities affected by the conflict. With every lost day, every thwarted delivery and every stolen supply, more children may die.”
Fontaine added, “The time has come for the Séléka coalition, which took power last weekend, to really demonstrate how committed it is to humanitarian principles and human rights for all Central Africans.”
Official: Maduro will temporarily assume the presidency until elections are held
A state funeral for Chavez will be held Friday, Venezuela's foreign minister says
Venezuela's defense minister says troops are deploying to ensure safety
"We must unite now more than ever," Venezuela's vice president says
(CNN) -- A deeply divided Venezuela is mourning its late leader and preparing to pick a new president to replace him.
Venezuelan officials called for peace and unity after President Hugo Chavez's death on Tuesday, emphasizing in state television broadcasts that all branches of the government and the military were standing together.
Elections will be held in 30 days, and Vice President Nicolas Madurowill assume the presidency in the interim, Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said in an interview broadcast on state-run VTV.
Tearing up as he announced Chavez's death after a long battle with cancer, Maduro called on Venezuelans to remain respectful.
"We must unite now more than ever," Maduro said.
Henrique Capriles Radonski, a former presidential candidate and opposition leader, said Venezuelans should come together.
"This is not the time for difference," he said. "It is the time for unity. It is the time for peace."
Supporters of Chavez poured into a Caracas square soon after news of his death spread. Some wept openly. Others waved flags and held up pictures of the late president.
There were no reports of major violence, but there was palpable tension in the streets, as some Venezuelans heading home from work tried to steer clear of Chavez's fervent supporters.
Venezuela's military is in a "process of deploying ... to ensure the safety of all Venezuelans" and to support the country's constitution in the wake of Chavez's death, said Adm. Diego Molero, Venezuela's defense minister.
Venezuela's government has declared seven days of national mourning, Jaua said. At Venezuelan embassies around the world Tuesday, flags were flying at half mast.
Chavez's remains will be taken to a military academy in Caracas on Wednesday, Jaua said. There he will lie in state for three days. His state funeral will be held there on Friday morning, Jaua said.
The announcement of Chavez's death came hours after Maduro met with the country's top political and military leaders about Chavez's worsening health condition and suggested someone may have deliberately infected Chavez with cancer.
Chavez first announced his cancer diagnosis in June 2011, but the government never revealed details about his prognosis or specified what kind of cancer he had
Shortly before his last trip to Cuba for cancer surgery in December, Chavez tapped Maduro as the man he wanted to replace him.
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Hugo Chavez's legacy
"He is one of the young leaders with the greatest ability to continue, if I cannot," Chavez said.
Maduro made no mention of running for election in his public comments Tuesday, but he is widely expected to be the United Socialist Party of Venezuela's candidate for the job.
During Chavez's absence from the political stage over the past three months, Maduro has been front and center. He has spoken at political rallies around the country and delivered updates about Chavez on national television, drawing growing support from Chavez loyalists.
Opposition critics have said he was campaigning for office -- a claim the government has denied. Even as Jaua said Tuesday that Maduro would temporarily assume the presidency, some critics questioned whether that was constitutional, since Chavez missed his inauguration and was never officially sworn in.
Opposition politicians haven't said who will represent them in the election. But as speculation mounted over Chavez's health in recent weeks, many had turned to Capriles, who lost to Chavez in October's presidential contest.
On Tuesday, Capriles called for a national dialogue including all Venezuelans, not just Chavez's supporters.
"Today there are thousands, maybe millions, of Venezuelans who are asking themselves what will happen, who feel anxiety, and including those who feel afraid," Capriles said.
Chavez supporters, critics react
Word of Chavez's death drew swift expressions of sorrow and solidarity from regional allies.
Ecuador and Cuba bothannounced three days of national mourning to honor Chavez.
"The national government expresses its solidarity in light of this irreparable loss that puts the Venezuelan people and all the region in mourning and at the same time sends its heartfelt condolences to the family of the late champion of Latin America,"Ecuador'sforeign ministry said in a statement.
Bolivian President Evo Morales' voice cracked as he spoke to reporters, describing Chavez as someone "who gave all his life for the liberation of the Venezuelan people ... of all the anti-imperialists and anti-capitalists of the world."
But longtime critics of the controversial president offered a different take.
"Hugo Chavez was a tyrant who forced the people of Venezuela to live in fear. His death dents the alliance of anti-U.S. leftist leaders in South America. Good riddance to this dictator," said U.S. Rep. Ed Royce, chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. "Venezuela once had a strong democratic tradition and was close to the United States. Chavez's death sets the stage for fresh elections. While not guaranteed, closer U.S. relations with (this) key country in our Hemisphere are now possible."
Venezuela-U.S. relations surge into spotlight
Just hours before the announcement of Chavez's death, relations between the two countries appeared to be souring, as Venezuelan officials said they were expelling two U.S. Embassy officials and accused them of plotting to destabilize the country.
The U.S. officials, both air attaches at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, are accused of having meetings with members of the Venezuelan military and encouraging them to pursue "destabilizing projects," Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said.
"We will not allow any foreign interference in our country," Jaua said. "Do not think that the situation of pain over the health of President Chavez will translate into weakness."
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell denied the accusations.
"Notwithstanding the significant differences between our governments, we continue to believe it important to seek a functional and more productive relationship with Venezuela based on issues of mutual interest," he said. "This fallacious assertion of inappropriate U.S. action leads us to conclude that, unfortunately, the current Venezuelan government is not interested an improved relationship."
After announcing the expulsion of one attache, Maduro -- addressing the media in a lengthy statement -- asserted that someday there will be "scientific proof" that Chavez was somehow infected by outsiders.
"An assertion that the United States was somehow involved in causing President Chavez's illness is absurd, and we definitively reject it," Ventrell said.
It isn't the first time that a Venezuelan government official has implied that a plot could be behind Chavez's cancer.
Chavez made the assertion himself in 2011, saying at a military event in Caracas that he wondered whether the United States could be infecting Latin American leaders with the illness.
CNN's Shasta Darlington, Mariano Castillo, Rafael Romo, Patrick Oppmann, Juan Carlos Lopez, Ione Molinares and Pam Benson and journalist Osmary Hernandez contributed to this report.
26 February 2013 – Local farmers’ cooperatives in Ethiopia are beginning to deliver what is expected to be the largest amount of maize they ever sold to the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), as part of a pilot project to promote small farmers’ access to local markets.
“Our goal here is to support Ethiopia feeding itself,” WFP Country Director Abdou Dieng said in a press release issued today.
The 28,000 metric tons of maize is enough to feed 1.8 million people for a month through relief distributions in the country.
“Buying food for our Ethiopia operation right here in Ethiopia makes sense in cost-effectiveness, and in providing a boost for the local economy by helping small farmers to get closer to markets.”
WFP signed contracts with 16 cooperative unions last year, before the planting season began. The first deliveries on those contracts began arriving at WFP warehouses last week.
To support the cooperatives in fulfilling their contracts, WFP provides technical assistance in storage and post-harvest handling and logistical support.
Through agreements with local banks, several agricultural cooperatives were able to use their WFP contracts as collateral for loans to buy new equipment and aggregate more maize from their members.
The project is part of WFP’s Purchase for Progress initiative (P4P), financed by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and implemented in collaboration with the Government of Ethiopia through the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA).
The Ethiopian Government was praised last year for its innovative and effective efforts to build resilience and food self-sufficiency amid increasingly challenging climatic conditions.
The Horn of Africa experienced a food crisis last year that left an estimated 13 million people dependent on humanitarian assistance.
Halving the proportion of hungry people in the world by 2015 was among the objectives within the eight globally agreed anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
