As 2.5 million people in Niger struggle to survive in the face of acute food shortages the UK’s best known charities have announced today that they are joining forces to appeal to the public for help. The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Niger Crisis Appeal opens for telephone and online donations today, with TV and radio appeals launching on Tuesday 2 August.
According to the Red Cross, a potentially fatal combination of drought and a locust plague has left almost 8 million people at risk of hunger in Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso – one of the most neglected and poorest regions in the world. Money raised by the Appeal will enable agencies to deliver aid where it is needed most in the region.
This is a disaster that could have been avoided. Before Christmas, the aid agencies asked for just four million to help Niger counter the effects of the drought and locust plague. They were ignored. We were too busy shouting at eight men to help eight million people survive through 2005.
