Humanitarian Aid and Emergency Relief
Food crisis in Sahel
Children in eight countries in Central and West Africa are standing on the brink of life-threatening severe childhood malnutrition. The region is one of the poorest regions in the world making an already dire situation catastrophic for children in Sahel.
The region is experiencing a food and child survival crisis due to inadequate rain and the resulting drought. 15 million people require assistance in the region. Of these, the most vulnerable are young children. UNICEF estimates that at least 1 million young children are at risk of dying of severe malnutrition.
The risk of dying is 10 times higher for a child with severe malnutrition, which reduces a child's ability to fight deadly diseases. Disaster is imminent for children in the Sahel if appropriate emergency relief efforts are not started now. Thousands of children don't have to die.
Read more about UNICEF's nutrition programs and emergency relief efforts in Sahel.
Leader in disaster relief
UNICEF was created after World War II to help children living in war–ravaged areas. And though its work has grown exponentially since then, UNICEF is still the leader when it comes to emergency and disaster relief efforts for children, providing both immediate and long–term necessities—food, water, shelter, protection and physical as well as mental health care.
UNICEF also works to reunite children with family and provides care for those who are orphaned. Each year, UNICEF aids children and families affected by hundreds of emergencies around the world.
In 2010, UNICEF responded to 290 humanitarian situations in 98 countries.
Related Emergency Relief Links
May 7, 2012
In Mali, nutrition crisis puts added pressure on community health centers
In drought-stricken Mali, in the Sahel, Community Health Centers are struggling to keep up with the current food crisis. Many of centers are run-down, and there are not enough of them in relation to the vast country. “These days, most of these mothers have problems feeding their children correctly, many are undernourished themselves,’’ says Adama Diarra, a trained nurse in charge of one such center. UNICEF is providing support to the government of Mali to help health center staff like Adama and his team cope with the unfolding nutrition crisis.
May 1, 2012
Mia Farrow lends her voice to help children in the Sahel
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Mia Farrow is adding her voice to UNICEF’s campaign to save a million children at risk in the Sahel. The internationally acclaimed actress and humanitarian has recorded a public service announcement to encourage people to support UNICEF's relief efforts. Drought has caused crops to fail and food prices to rise in the region. Earlier this year, Ms. Farrow had visited a therapeutic feeding center in Chad to draw attention to the growing crisis.
April 25, 2012
Crisis in Sahel forces children to give up school
Only a few months ago, 12-year-old Oumar was happily living with his family in Damana in south-western Niger. But when the village’s food stocks were depleted – a result of the massive food crisis occurring in the Sahel region of Africa – he was forced to leave home in search of work. In his village, Oumar had been enrolled in school, and dreamed of becoming a teacher. The crisis in Sahel is about more than food shortages. Many older children are leaving home to work, and are missing out on their chance at an education.
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