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ACT responding in Burundi

12 Feb 2007 15:24:55 GMT
Source: Norwegian Church Aid - Norway

Background

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• Burundi hunger

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Widespread flooding has led to loss of life and the destruction of homes and crops in Burundi. ACT International is responding to the crisis with non-food items and food aid distribution.

Heavy rains have caused rivers to burst their banks, leading to flooding across large parts of the country, in particular in the lower-lying areas close to Lake Tanganyika. Some reports claim that as many as two million Burundians have been affected by the rising water levels.

An assessment carried out by the WFP and UN Food and Agriculture Organization in January 2007 found that as much as 50-80 percent of the November harvest and much of the January harvest of beans, sweet potatoes, maize, sorghum and rice has been destroyed in some areas. Some reports claim that Burundi's total harvest for January may be reduced by half – a dramatic development in a country that was already experiencing food shortages and where many families have become accustomed to eating one simple meal a day.

The damage is widespread. Innocent Ndizeye, Norwegian Church Aid's programme coordinator for Burundi, has returned from a short trip to Gatumba in western Burundi where he says the effects of the flooding are extensive.

Every building in Gatumba, a small town in the northwest of Burundi, has been affected by the rising water levels. It is expected that the entire village will have to be rebuilt. (Photo: Innocent Ndizeye/NCA)

"The whole village, that is to say all 150 houses, have been taken by the water. It is estimated that as many as 8,500 houses in outlying districts have been destroyed. 101 people have lost their lives, and more than one thousand people have been displaced. These people are now receiving emergency relief items and food through the World Food Programme," Ndizeye reports.

Straw constructions such as this barn are the first to be weakened when water levels begin to rise. (Photo: Innocent Ndizeye/NCA)

The global alliance of churches united under ACT (Action by Churches Together) International has begun responding to the crisis by distributing food and non-food items to around 1000 households in Mutimbuzi, close to the capital Bujumbura, in collaboration with local authorities. So far USD 50,000 has been made available from ACT International's Rapid Response Fund to this end. The humanitarian response will take place during February, after which time a second assessment will be carried out and possible further activities planned.

For more information:

ACT International website
Bjørg Sjølie, programme coordinator, Great Lakes, tel.: (+47) 93 24 24 94

[ Any views expressed in this article are those of the writer and not of Reuters. ]

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Last updated:Mon Feb 12 15:29:34 2007