On World Food Day 2008 we
highlight the situation of some of the world’s 923 million undernourished people. Most live in rural areas and depend on agriculture. Global warming, drought, the demand for land for
biofuel crops and rising oil prices are all pushing food prices and the number of hungry people ever higher.The food crisis in KenyaFood and water shortages have triggered conflict in northern Kenya and across its borders with Ethiopia, Sudan and Uganda. To date, heavily armed clashes over water and pasture have
led to the deaths of up to 19 livestock herders and the displacement of hundreds more. A recent report states that at least five million Kenyans do not have
enough food. About 1.38 million people in rural areas alone will not have enough to eat in the next six months. Drought and severe water shortages threaten
people’s livelihoods and could turn northern Kenya’s highly insecure food situation into an acute one. In a situation where water is scarce, hygiene and sanitation
have become unaffordable luxuries. Diseases such as diarrhoea, typhoid and tuberculosis are now worsening the situation. “Until the food crisis
is addressed more sustainably, conflicts will continue among drought affected communities,†says Edward Mwebaze Sembidde, Merlin’s Programme Coordinator in the
Turkana region. In the past three months Turkana has seen rising conflict over food, water and pasture.What is Merlin doing? Merlin is working in more than 150 locations to reach nomadic pastoralists with primary health care, including immunisation, ante-natal and post-natal care, as well as preventive
care and treatment for common diseases. Trained village volunteers are carrying out nutritional screening of under-fives and are referring malnourished children
to health facilities for high-energy food and medical treatment where necessary. Since March 2008 Merlin’s nutritional support programme seen a
rising number of new admissions. Of the 12,142 people screened for malnutrition between July 2007 and August 2008, 32% were malnourished â€" 8% of them are severely.
[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]
A 9-month-old child, who suffers from kidney stones, receives medical treatment at a hospital in Hefei, Anhui province October 16, 2008. China's dairy heartland promised it has banished a toxic chemical ...
