Last Wednesday, two of the world’s biggest aid programmes have called the world community to help the plight of refugees and raise 80 million US Dollars.
The food rations for refugees were cut last year and hunger and malnutrition put the lives of the refugees at risk. Particularly at risk are young children. These are at risk to become stunted, meaning that if they do not receive the right nutrients during the first 1,000 days the children will always remain smaller and lighter than healthy children and they will be more prone to disease.
The World Food Programme (WFP) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) warn of deeper cuts from April unless new funding is received in March.
"After fleeing conflict and deprivation in their home countries, refugees deserve to be protected and supported" (Samir Wanmali, WFP’s Acting Country Director in Ethiopia)
Ethiopia is a country in Eastern Africa. The country has become refuge to more than 900,000 refugees. Many of them live in refugee camps for many years. There they find shelter but live in hunger and poverty. The refugees mainly come from Eritrea, Kenya, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia, where conflict and drought forces people to flee their countries.
Ethiopia has a population of more than 106 million. Although the country’s economy is growing fast, one third of the population lives in extreme poverty.
source: UN News
image: UNHCR/S.Momodu