Namibia’s aid appeal falls flat

GENEVA – Donor governments have failed to come forward with any money to help more than 600 000 women and children in Namibia survive the combined effects of erratic weather, severe poverty and a worsening AIDS epidemic, UN aid agencies said yesterday.

“We’ve received nothing. Not one cent,” said Christiane Berthiaume, spokeswoman for the World Food Program.”This is one of the world’s forgotten crises.””This is sad, because Namibia is a country that rarely asks for international aid.When it does, it’s because the situation is really desperate.”Two months ago, WFP and Unicef – the United Nations children’s agency – launched an appeal for US$5,8 million to help Namibian authorities tackle a drought-fueled crisis.The southern African country suffers perennial food deficits, compounded by three years of drought followed by flooding and the HIV-AIDS pandemic.More than 640 000 people – one third of Namibia’s 1,8 million people – need food aid, according to the Government.Local authorities plan to assist 530 000 people from their own resources, but need international help to feed the rest over the next four months, said Berthiaume.Unicef aims to help the Government provide insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria, expand immunisation campaigns, undertake Vitamin A distribution and improve nutritional surveillance.The operation targets 500 000 people, mostly youngsters, in a country where acute malnutrition in children under five years old is as high as 15 per cent.”It’s incomprehensible that the international community has failed to finance an appeal like this,” Unicef spokesman Damien Personnaz told reporters.Namibia’s current food crisis has also been exacerbated by unemployment of over 30 per cent, as well as spiralling HIV-AIDS rates.HIV-AIDS has spread rapidly across Namibia, with infection rates soaring from just four per cent in 1992 to 22 per cent – the seventh highest rate in the world.Life expectancy has plunged from 63 years to 40 years over the same period.Increased adult mortality has led to a steep rise in the number of orphans.At least 120 000 children are estimated to have lost one or both parents as a result of AIDS.By 2010 the number will likely reach 250 000, said Personnaz.Lack of food makes AIDS sufferers even weaker, making it tough for them to work their fields and feed their families, he noted.Residents of the Caprivi Region – where HIV rates are 43 per cent – have lost most of their livestock to flooding and also face increased risk of malaria and other waterborne diseases.- Nampa-AP, Own ReporterNot one cent,” said Christiane Berthiaume, spokeswoman for the World Food Program.”This is one of the world’s forgotten crises.””This is sad, because Namibia is a country that rarely asks for international aid.When it does, it’s because the situation is really desperate.”Two months ago, WFP and Unicef – the United Nations children’s agency – launched an appeal for US$5,8 million to help Namibian authorities tackle a drought-fueled crisis.The southern African country suffers perennial food deficits, compounded by three years of drought followed by flooding and the HIV-AIDS pandemic.More than 640 000 people – one third of Namibia’s 1,8 million people – need food aid, according to the Government.Local authorities plan to assist 530 000 people from their own resources, but need international help to feed the rest over the next four months, said Berthiaume.Unicef aims to help the Government provide insecticide-treated bed nets to prevent malaria, expand immunisation campaigns, undertake Vitamin A distribution and improve nutritional surveillance.The operation targets 500 000 people, mostly youngsters, in a country where acute malnutrition in children under five years old is as high as 15 per cent.”It’s incomprehensible that the international community has failed to finance an appeal like this,” Unicef spokesman Damien Personnaz told reporters.Namibia’s current food crisis has also been exacerbated by unemployment of over 30 per cent, as well as spiralling HIV-AIDS rates.HIV-AIDS has spread rapidly across Namibia, with infection rates soaring from just four per cent in 1992 to 22 per cent – the seventh highest rate in the world.Life expectancy has plunged from 63 years to 40 years over the same period.Increased adult mortality has led to a steep rise in the number of orphans.At least 120 000 children are estimated to have lost one or both parents as a result of AIDS.By 2010 the number will likely reach 250 000, said Personnaz.Lack of food makes AIDS sufferers even weaker, making it tough for them to work their fields and feed their families, he noted.Residents of the Caprivi Region – where HIV rates are 43 per cent – have lost most of their livestock to flooding and also face increased risk of malaria and other waterborne diseases.- Nampa-AP, Own Reporter