The Salvation Army Launches National Appeal for Africa Famine Relief
TORONTO, June 9, 2017 /CNW/ - The Salvation Army has launched a national appeal to help address the famine in South Sudan and the extreme food shortages in Yemen, northeast Nigeria and Somalia. As an international organization active in 128 countries around the world, The Salvation Army is providing support to thousands of vulnerable people directly impacted by this humanitarian crisis.
In February 2017, the United Nations declared there are 20 million people, including 1.4 million vulnerable children, at risk of death over the coming months in these four countries. This crisis results from ongoing armed conflicts and severe droughts, with hundreds of thousands of people being displaced from their homes and land. According to the UN, the crisis far exceeds the current availability of resources and the amount of funding committed so far by the international community.
In the Nigerian states of Adamawa, Yobe and Borno, 40,000 people are currently experiencing the effects of famine, which is projected to rise to 120,000 within the next month. A Salvation Army rapid response team is focusing its initial efforts in a community which is hosting a camp for internally-displaced people who have fled conflict and persecution. Immediate food aid – rice, beans, wheat, noodles, cooking oil and salt – will be provided to 300 of the most vulnerable refugees. The Salvation Army's presence will then enable a full needs assessment of a further 18,000 residents in the host community who are experiencing severe hunger.
Captain Godspower Anozie, Emergency Disaster Services Coordinator for The Salvation Army's Nigeria Territory, explains that this is not just about food, but about 'restoring hope for living'. He explains that the distribution will 'save lives and preserve dignity, particularly amongst female recipients', many of whom have been sexually exploited, faced with the horrific choice of whether to sell their bodies for food or to starve.
Meanwhile, thousands of famine-affected refugees from South Sudan will be helped by a proposed Salvation Army project in the Pagirinya settlement in the Adjumani district of northern Uganda. Here, new boreholes will be drilled to provide access to safe drinking water. After training has been provided, the infrastructure will be handed over to a new community-led water management committee. Around 2,200 families will have improved sanitation because of the initiative, which also includes the provision of containers to store water safely and kitchen utensils to help improve nutrition and health. The borehole initiative follows the newly-finished construction of 20 toilets in the settlement, a project that will increase hygiene and safety.
Donations can be made online at SalvationArmy.ca and by phone at 1-800-SAL-ARMY. Contributions made between 17 March to 30 June 2017 will be matched by the Government of Canada with its recently announced "Famine Relief Fund".
About The Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is an international Christian organization that began its work in Canada in 1882 and has grown to become the largest non-governmental direct provider of social services in the country. The Salvation Army gives hope and support to vulnerable people today and every day in 400 communities across Canada and in 128 countries around the world. The Salvation Army offers practical assistance for children and families, often tending to the basic necessities of life, providing shelter for homeless people and rehabilitation for people who have lost control of their lives to an addiction. When you give to The Salvation Army, you are investing in the future of marginalized and overlooked people in your community. To learn more, visit www.SalvationArmy.ca.
SOURCE The Salvation Army
John McAlister, National Director of Marketing and Communications, The Salvation Army, 416-452-5116, [email protected]
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