Mon, 16:01 12 May 2008 GMT17

 

Red Cross announces scale-up in food programmes
14 Apr 2008 14:14:00 GMT
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
216872 logo
10 April 2008

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies has launched a new five-year strategy to scale up food security programmes in 15 African countries.The new plan, announced today in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, will invest in long-term food security projects to fight some of the root causes of hunger and malnutrition, assisting some 2.25 million people, or nearly half a million families.

The strategy will improve the capacities of National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies to further develop food security programmes, such as sustainable farming (including the use of appropriate technologies, seed banks and soil nutrient management), microfinance projects, small-scale irrigation schemes and the establishment of community-based food security monitoring systems.

Malnutrition on the rise

Ibrahim Osman, deputy secretary general of the Federation, said: "Despite the fact the international community committed itself to drastically cut food insecurity through the Millenium Development Goals, malnutrition is currently on the rise in Africa, fuelled by the combined effects of poverty, HIV, climate change, conflicts and the huge increase in population growth so there is a need to act now."

Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda and Zambia are participating in the programme.

British Red Cross food programmes

Mary Atkinson, food security and livelihoods advisor at the British Red Cross, said: "We are working with the Lesotho Red Cross and Ethiopian Red Cross to ensure that the most vulnerable in chronically food insecure communities supported by HIV programmes have enough food to meet their nutritional needs. 

"It is particularly important that people living with HIV have access to sufficient food as good nutrition can delay the onset of AIDS and improve the success of anti-retroviral treatment. People living with HIV also have greater nutritional needs and so need more food.

"Since households with chronically ill members are less able to do physical work, longer term food security support includes growing vegetables using techniques that require less physical work and keeping small livestock."

More about the Federation's food security strategy

Our work in southern Africa

Our work in east Africa

Our work in west and central Africa

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

Related articles

Breaking stories
Asia Tsunami-style aid effort awaits Myanmar green light

Asia First U.S. aid flight lands in cyclone-hit Myanmar

AlertNet insight
Hunger "tsunami" will hit next generation, UN aid chief

Aid agency news feed
Red Cross aid reaching Myanmar

Blogs
Africa Zimbabwe's hunger deepens as election crisis bites

Maps
Asia MAP: Afghanistan food security alert


Country information


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-05-12T142433Z_01_SIN104_RTRIDSP_2_MYANMAR_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SIN104.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-05-12T142103Z_01_SIN101_RTRIDSP_2_MYANMAR_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SIN101.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-05-12T141859Z_01_SIN102_RTRIDSP_2_MYANMAR_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SIN102.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-05-12T141805Z_01_SIN100_RTRIDSP_2_MYANMAR_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/SIN100.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2008-05-12T110058Z_01_DEL11_RTRIDSP_2_FOOD-INDIA-REVOLUTION_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/DEL11.htm

REFILE - CORRECTING DATE Myanmar Red Cross workers unload rice donated by the World Food Programme in Yangon May 12, 2008. The World Food Programme is delivering emergency food to Myanmar's ...



URL: http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/216872/aaacff36010117bc567a98500adbb1d2.htm

For our full disclaimer and copyright information please visit http://www.alertnet.org