El Niño linked to global food crisis
Families in Africa, Asia and Latin America may need assistance
Millions of children in southern Africa, Asia and Latin America are falling victim to food and water shortages, as the natural warming of the Pacific Ocean causes droughts, floods and more, reports The Guardian.
There extreme conditions — also known as El Niño — are affecting Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Honduras and more. “Two years of erratic rain and drought have combined with one of the most powerful El Niño events in 50 years to wreak havoc on the lives of the most vulnerable children,” Leila Gharagozloo-Pakkala, southern Africa regional director of the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, is quoted as saying in The Guardian. “Governments are responding with available resources, but this is an unprecedented situation. [It’s] aggravated by rising food prices, forcing families to implement drastic coping mechanisms such as skipping meals and selling off assets.”
There is also concern for vulnerability to diseases such as the Zika virus. [theguardian.com]
Christian Children’s Fund of Canada is monitoring this situation and how it’s affecting the communities where we work.