ETHIOPIA: ICRC DISTRIBUTES FOOD RELIEF AS 11 MILLION PEOPLE FACE SEVERE FOOD SHORTAGES
Record ID:
648799
ETHIOPIA: ICRC DISTRIBUTES FOOD RELIEF AS 11 MILLION PEOPLE FACE SEVERE FOOD SHORTAGES
- Title: ETHIOPIA: ICRC DISTRIBUTES FOOD RELIEF AS 11 MILLION PEOPLE FACE SEVERE FOOD SHORTAGES
- Date: 12th March 2003
- Summary: (U7) WESTERN HARARGHE, ETHIOPIA (MARCH 12/13 2003) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. PAN OF PEOPLE AWAITING FOOD DISTRIBUTION 0.10 2. SV/CU OF PEOPLE (5 SHOTS) 0.24 3. SV RED CROSS OFFICIAL PROCESSING PAPERS (2 SHOTS) 0.38 4. SLV PEOPLE COLLECTING BAGS OF FOOD 0.47 5. SV PEOPLE LOADING FOOD ONTO DONKEY 0.53 6. SV RED CROSS OFFICIAL PROCESSING PAPERS 1.01 7. MCU (English) RED CROSS DELEGATE, STEPHEN WILLIAMS SAYING: "The people had very, very, low food stocks the last harvest was between ten and twenty percent of the usual harvest this meant that is there was no food aid provided that the people would run out of food by the end of March, beginning of April and basically we would see severe malnutrition here before the next harvest which is planned in July." 1.28 8. SLV OF PEOPLE TAKING BAGS OF FOOD (3 SHOTS) 1.52 9. MCU (Oromo) UNNAMED MAN AWAITING FOOD SAYING: "We have lost our livestock in this drought, our coffee is getting dry and we cannot do any farming because of lack of rain." 2.17 10. SLV PEOPLE RECEIVING FOOD 2.25 11. SLV FAMILY TAKING FOOD HOME ON A DONKEY 2.38 12. SLV MORE FAMILIES AND DONKEYS 2.48 13. SLV FARMERS TO BE REPATRIATED GETTING INTO TRUCK 2.57 14. LV/SV TRUCK DEPARTING (3 SHOTS) 3.20 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 27th March 2003 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: MARCH, 12-13, 2003
- Country: Ethiopia
- Reuters ID: LVACKZ694ZIWE96MCYGLC88RUQXN
- Story Text: Farmers in Ethiopia's Western Hararghe region are
having to rely on relief aid after a poor harvest last season
and failure of rains during the current season.
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has
stepped in and is distributing relief food across the region
where it is estimated that around 11 million people out of
Ethiopia's population of 67 million face severe food shortages
in what is probably its worst drought since the great famine
of 1984 in which one million people died.
Lack of rain has resulted in the failure of their crops
in the last season and it is predicted that this years crop
will also be dismal as the rains have been poor.
"The people had very, very, low food stocks the last
harvest was between ten and twenty percent of the usual
harvest this meant that is there was no food aid provided that
the people would run out of food by the end of March
beginning of April and basically we would see severe
malnutrition here before the next harvest which is planned in
July." Stephen Williams, an ICRC delegate the region told
Reuters.
The farmers here have to walk long distances in the
blazing sun to get to the distribution points and on their way
back they will be bearing their food. The lucky few who have
not lost their livestock, load it onto donkeys for the trip
home.
This elderly gentleman awaiting food recounts his
problems from the current drought.
"We have lost our livestock in this drought, our coffee is
getting dry and we cannot do any farming because of lack of
rain," he said.
Ethiopia is also planning to resettle thousands of
peasant farmers threatened with severe food shortages from the
drought.
Under the plan, the Horn of Africa country would move up
to 150,000 farmers in drought-stricken regions to fertile
areas this year.
Already about 77,000 farmers have already signed up to
be relocated as part of the government's long-term solution to
the recurring problem of drought caused by the failure of
rains.
According to aid agencies Ethiopia is currently facing its
worst drought in more that two decades.
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