In light of the Horn of Africa crisis, AMREF USA hosted a panel discussion last month to shed light on long-term solutions for drought and famine. The event, moderated by AMREF USA Executive Director Lisa Meadowcroft, featured a panel that included Elizabeth Lwanga, Regional Program Director, East and Horn of Africa, UN Women; Werner Schultink Director, Nutrition Section, Programme Division, UNICEF; Phillipe Lazzarini, Deputy Director of Coordination and Response, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; a Deputy to Nancy Lindborg, Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID); and, a Representative of The Honorable Josephine Ojiambo, Deputy Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Republic of Kenya to the United Nations.
From AMREF USA:
Mitigate Effects of Recurring Droughts and Famines: Invest in Health Development
As a side event to the U.N. High-Level Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases in mid-September, AMREF-USA hosted a compelling and provocative panel discussion, titled “Mitigate Effects of Recurring Droughts and Famines: Invest in Health Development.”
Twelve million people are affected by the worst drought in East Africa in 60 years, and the majority are women and children. By some estimates, 300,000 children are suffering from severe acute malnutrition and are likely to die at a very high rate and likely to die very quickly.
AMREF organized this panel discussion to call attention to the drought crisis and identify long-term solutions. The distinguished panel included: Her Excellency Ida Odina, wife of Kenya’s Prime Minister; the Honorable Amina Salum Ali, Ambassador from the African Union to the United States; Phillipe Lazzarini of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; Elizabeth Lwanga of UN Women; and Werner Schultink of UNICEF.
There are some recent success stories. Mr. Schultink said that “Something has happened between now and 2005 which has truly transformed the way we deal with these situations. It should be something which is close to the heart of AMREF. AMREF has been associated with creating simple solutions to medical problems which help transform the lives of women, children, and communities.” This simple, transformative solution he was speaking of is PlumpyNut, a food product made from peanut butter, milk powder and micronutrients popularized by UNICEF and others in the last few years. Mr. Schultink went on to state that “through the use of this product we have revolutionized the treatment of children who suffer from severe and acute malnutrition. If it would have been 2005, we would not talk only about tens of thousands of children who have already lost their life, we would talk about much larger numbers.”
Unfortunately, according to Mr. Lazzarini, the peak of famine and mortality has not yet been reached in this crisis. The rainy season is coming, and that will undoubtedly bring deaths from communicable diseases like diarrhea and cholera, which will add to death and disability while the effects of malnutrition continue.
Columbia University public health student, Josephine Karianjahi brought up the importance of “messaging” on the drought. Ms. Lwanga concurred, stating that it was important to focus on the media - to get them, “better oriented to understanding what the real issues are when they’re reporting. So that it’s not just from a sensational point of view, but getting them to understand the real deep issues that are involved and being able to focus on what the solutions can be.” Ms. Lwanga added that the media should be looking at the long-term, durable solutions and focus on educating citizens in the drought-affected countries on their roles in managing such crises.
One important message came through loud and clear: The Horn of Africa famine is high on the international agenda right now. But, that will not last, and we need to capitalize on it to advocate for change. Once it is off the agenda, it will take a lot of effort to get it back.
Several important points came out of the discussion:
- Drought is inevitable, but famine is not.
- Numerous early warning mechanisms all predicted this drought was coming well before it arrived.
- Humanitarian responses, while absolutely necessary, do not substitute for long-term and sustainable solutions.
- People need to be assisted where they live and not be moved to refugee camps. Displacement makes people more vulnerable to violence, theft, disease and other harmful effects.
- Too often during a humanitarian crisis, donor countries “cherry-pick” interventions, rather than forging an integrated and balanced approach. In the current drought response, for example, 90-95% of requested food assistance has been funded, but the health sector has only received about 20% of the needed funding. (Yet, lack of access to clean water is one of the main killers in the crisis.
- Humanitarian responses, while absolutely necessary, do not substitute for long-term and sustainable solutions.
- Investing in adequate training, motivation and retention of health personnel now is essential.
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