World Food Programme Fighting Hunger Worldwide

International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has urged the global community to help people in drought-hit east Africa to avoid a "catastrophe". (..) The World Food Programme estimates 10 million people are affected by the worst drought in over half a century.

Last October, the elders in Borena zone of Oromiya region in southern Ethiopia predicted that the main rains would fail but some never took them seriously. The same happened in February. (..)But Hussein Hassen, a field monitor with the UN World Food Programme (WFP), which provides the food for the programme, said resources were limited.

What is a famine? The United Nations has not yet declared the food crisis in the Horn of Africa a famine, but parts of the region have been classified as being in a "humanitarian emergency" phase, which is only one step away from a "famine" designation on the UN's scale of food security assessment. (..) The system was developed by several UN agencies and non-governmental organizations, including the World Food Programme, the Food and Agriculture Organization, CARE and Oxfam.

Choking droughts in East Africa could result in a human catastrophe unless the world community is prepared to give immediate help, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell has said. (..) The World Food Programme estimates that the drought in the Horn of Africa is the worst in over 50 years, and is affecting more than 10 million people.

Germany pledged a further five million euros ($7 million) in emergency aid to the drought-ravaged Horn of Africa. (..) The cash will go to organisations working in the affected region and to the UN World Food Programme.

A £52.25 million emergency aid package has been put together to help millions of drought victims in the Horn of Africa, the Government announced. (..) The World Food Programme estimates that 10 million people already need humanitarian aid and the UN Children's Fund believes more than two million youngsters are malnourished and in need of life-saving action.

New Zealand will provide $2 million in response to the worsening humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa due to severe drought. (..) McCully said new Zealand's contribution will be made via the United Nation's World Food Programme (WFP) and accredited New Zealand non-government organisations (NGOs) with established partnerships in the affected region.

The latest funding brings to €5.6m the total Irish support since the start of 2011 for victims of the humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. €750,000 will fund the World Food Programme's efforts across the region to dramatically increase the distribution of highly-nutritious foodstuffs to small children and pregnant women, who are particularly vulnerable.

Working with the World Food Program, UN High Commissioner for Refugees, non-governmental organizations, international donors, and others, we need to ensure adequate shelter, food, and health conditions not only for the Somali refugees streaming into Ethiopia and Kenya, but for other areas -- like northeast Kenya -- where severe malnutrition is rampant.

While the ongoing drought has seriously undermined the food security of up to 4.5 million people in Ethiopia, a threat posed by expected flooding during the second half of 2011 could exacerbate the situation, say meteorological officials. (..) Judith Schuler, World Food Programme (WFP) Ethiopia spokeswoman, said many of its food assistance activities in Ethiopia "face significant funding shortfalls".