ETHIOPIA: AID GROUPS SAY THAT UP TO 14 MILLION PEOPLE COULD FACE SERIOUS FOOD SHORTAGES FOLLOWING THE FAILURE OF RAINS THIS YEAR

Record ID: 648048

  • Title: ETHIOPIA: AID GROUPS SAY THAT UP TO 14 MILLION PEOPLE COULD FACE SERIOUS FOOD SHORTAGES FOLLOWING THE FAILURE OF RAINS THIS YEAR
  • Date: 6th December 2002
  • Summary: (W1) GAWANE DISTRICT, ETHIOPIA (DECEMBER 3, 2002) (REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 1. LV HUTS IN THE VILLAGE 0.03 2. SLV VARIOUS OF PEOPLE SITTING IN CENTRE OF THE VILLAGE 0.08 3. SV/CU OF WOMEN SITTING WITH THEIR BABIES, SOME SKINNY LOOKING (3 shots) 0.35 (W1)ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA (DECEMBER 5, 2002)(REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 4. SV OF UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CAROL BELLAMY AT PRESS CONFERENCE 0.40 5. MCU (English) CAROL BELLAMY, UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAYING: "It is estimated already in this country that there are perhaps 7 million drought affected million people of which 60 percent are affected by Malaria - so the bed nets are critical and also I travelled with the representatives of the World Food Programme again we are working with them closely in terms of school feeding programmes in keeping kids in school even during this difficult period of time - so I feel better prepared to be a strong advocate with the donors, about the importance of contributing to this immediate crisis - but also to be supportive of the governments' efforts - and the efforts are critical to respond this time not only to the immediate emergency, but on a more long-term sustained basis, so that the impact of these weather related crisis' will not be as deep and devastating as they have been in the past." 1.33 6. SV JOURNALISTS 1.37 7. MCU (English) CAROL BELLAMY, UNICEF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, SAYING: "I wouldn't begin to pretend that I am an expert on what has occurred, but I can assure you that what I saw - and I wasn't in the worst affected parts of Afar - was quite serious - the animals are dying the crops have failed because some of these are pastoral -agricultural people and the irrigation tunnels are bone dry - dust dry." 2.06 (W1)WESTERN HARARGHE ZONE (NOVEMBER 25, 2002) (REUTERS ACCESS ALL) 8. SLV/SV OF ANIMAL CARCASSES (3 SHOTS) 2.19 9. SLV/SV OF CROPS DRYING IN THE FIELD (3 SHOTS) 2.34 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
  • Embargoed: 21st December 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: ADDIS ABABA, ETHIOPIA AND FILE
  • Country: Ethiopia
  • Reuters ID: LVADDS3WQYDTG026FKZD3SG4T5NN
  • Story Text: Villagers in drought-hit parts of Ethiopia are barely
    surviving on the roots of wild plants, and say they are
    weakening fast and without proper food.

    And as their fear of starvation grows, Aid groups say that
    up to 14 million people could face serious food shortages
    following the failure of rains this year.

    Meanwhile, neighbouring Eritrea has appealed for help for
    the 1.4 million of its 3.3 million people it says face
    starvation.



    In the Ethiopian village of Gawane, about 400
    Kilometres away from capital Addis Ababa, villagers are
    sitting on the ground, waiting for the rain, or any other
    miracle, which would end their hunger.

    Women sit at the centre of their village, holding their
    babies, their bodies wasted by malnutrition. In better times,
    people here would be drinking lots of milk, porridge and
    eating meat - now they boil and eat the roots of wild plants
    to survive.

    The food shortages in Ethiopia and Eritrea have attracted
    attention from the united Nations Children's Fund, Unicef,
    which is appealing to the world to help the country
    Ethiopia has said the outside world is not giving it
    enough emergency food to stave off a disaster it says could be
    on the scale of the 1984 famine that killed almost one
    million.

    "It is estimated already in this country that there are
    perhaps 7 million drought affected million people of which 60
    percent are affected by Malaria - so the bed nets are critical
    and also I travelled with the representatives of the World
    Food Programme again we are working with them closely in terms
    of school feeding programmes in keeping kids in school even
    during this difficult period of time - so I feel better
    prepared to be a strong advocate with the donors, about the
    importance of contributing to this immediate crisis - but also
    to be supportive of the governments' efforts - and these
    efforts are critical to respond this time not only to the
    immediate emergency, but on a more long-term sustained basis,
    so that the impact of these weather related crisis' will not
    be as deep and devastating as they have been in the past,"
    said Carol Bellamy the Unicef Executive Director. She was
    speaking to journalists after a visit to some of the hunger
    affected areas.

    And as Unicef sends its appeal to the government and the
    world to do all they can to save lives, the lack of water
    remains simply to a lack of rain.

    "I wouldn't begin to pretend that I am an expert on what
    has occurred, but I can assure you that what I saw - and I
    wasn't in the worst affected parts of Afar - was quite serious
    - the animals are dying the crops have failed because some of
    these are pastoral-agricultural people and the irrigation
    tunnels are bone dry - dust dry."
    It is estimated that close to 10 people die daily in some
    of the drought stricken areas, but while this goes on, no one
    can tell of the fate of those 14 million in dire need of food.

    Aid agencies also warn that if aid is not forthcoming in the
    next few months, the crisis could come close to the famine
    which killed nearly one million Ethiopians in 1984.


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