This is the VOA SpecialEnglish Development Report.
International experts are concerned about a growing humanitariancrisis – world hunger. Last year, the World Food Program fed morethan seventy-seven-million people in eighty-two countries. Many ofthe people who received food aid are refugees and people forced toleave their homes because of conflict. This year, the humanitarianorganization estimates an additional twenty-five-million people willneed food aid.
Several problems have caused the world hunger crisis. Theseinclude severe dry weather and conflicts within and betweencountries. The World Food Program says starvation is a problem inparts of Asia, Central America and the Middle East. However, thehardest hit area is Africa. Officials estimates about forty-millionpeople on that continent alone are threatened with starvation.
Trevor Rowe is a spokesman for the World Food Program. He sayspeople in Ethiopia and Eritrea are facing starvation because of dryweather and a continuing war along their shared border. Severe dryweather conditions, or drought, have left fields unfertile. Thislack of rain has also halted crop production in southern Africa.People in Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho andMalawi are also suffering from starvation. The World Food Programcalls this area of Africa the “hunger belt.”
Emergency efforts to ease the hunger crisis in southern Africabegan nine months ago. By the end of last year, the World FoodProgram had given more than two-hundred-seventy-thousand metric tonsof food to the six countries. However, food shipments could soon behalted if the World Food Program does not receive more money.Officials say the aid program in southern Africa needs abouttwo-hundred-million dollars through March.
The World Food Program is urging the international community togive more money. Officials say help is especially important nowbecause early signs point to another possible drought in southernAfrica this year.
Mister Rowe says the disease AIDS in Africa is making the hungercrisis even worse. People are extremely weakened by the disease. Sothey cannot farm and they cannot take care of themselves. MisterRowe says hunger and disease are linked. He describes the situationin Africa as a crisis within a crisis.
This VOA Special English Development Report was written by JillMoss.