Starvation in Africa Raises Questions In Australia

SYDNEY, October 8, 2002 (smh.com.au): With millions of southern Africans facing starvation, Australia must reconsider its aid policies, write Andrew Hewett and Jack de Groot in today’s Sydney Morning Herald. STARVATION IN AFRICA October 8, 2002

There is a food crisis gripping southern Africa. Hundreds are dying daily and have been since March. Malawi, Zambia, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zimbabwe and Angola are bearing the brunt. In many places, this is the second or third consecutive year of food shortages and people’s ability to cope has been exhausted. With little response from the international community, about 14.4 million people are facing extreme food shortages and risk dying of starvation before the next food harvest in April. The causes of the crisis are complex and interrelated. While the region has suffered from adverse weather conditions with successive years of drought, poverty is a major underlying cause. It takes away people’s safety net, making them particularly vulnerable. Then there is the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS. …. Read further at:

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2002/10/07/1033538893040.html

Courtesty of Tim Williams CM at http://www.vincentians.org.au/vinnews.htm