MAPUTO, Mozambique—(April 14, 2016) – On April 12th Mozambique issued a “red alert” and Malawi declared a state of national disaster in response to severe food shortages affecting millions of people. The weather phenomenon known as “El Niño” has caused the worst drought since the 1980s across southern and eastern Africa.
CARE, CONCERN, Oxfam and Save the Children, and other aid agencies in Mozambique, are responding to the urgent food and water needs of more than 100,000 people, but warn that available resources are insufficient to address the scale of the needs.
“The Red Alert is an important recognition of the severity of the situation in Mozambique. The failure of the current harvest in many parts of country has made 1.5 million people face hunger. There are simply not enough resources to provide needed emergency assistance to everyone. We urge donors to respond to this declaration by providing the resources necessary for the response,” says Marc Nosbach, CARE Country Director in Mozambique.
Over 10 million people across the southern African region will need food aid in the coming year, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). In addition, 10.2 million people in Ethiopia and over 4.7 million in Somalia are depending on food assistance.
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Media contact: Holly Frew hfrew@care.org +1.404.979.9389
About CARE: Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE has more than six decades of experience helping people prepare for disasters, providing lifesaving assistance when a crisis hits, and helping communities recover after the emergency has passed. CARE places special focus on women and children, who are often disproportionately affected by disasters. To learn more, visit www.care.org.