The effect of famine in Africa
In East Africa, ten million people are affected by drought, which has escalated the prices of food. According to the United Nations, the Horn of Africa is facing the worst drought in sixty years.
The affected area covers parts of Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Somalia, and Uganda, and the two countries that might be severely stricken are Kenya and Somalia. The dryness is because, in the last two years, very little rain has fallen.
The severe drought has caused a food crisis, and prices have risen rapidly. In some parts of Kenya, the grain prices have risen by 80 percent, higher than average. In Ethiopia, prices have risen by 41 percent.
The result is devastating, as malnutrition and hunger of the poor increase, said the United Nations spokesman Ocha. UN organizations are in charge of coordinating humanitarian assistance.
In some areas, 15 percent of children suffer from malnutrition. The UN asks donor countries to add more funds, but the money coming in is insufficient to solve the problem.
Famine is not a new thing in Africa; besides sicknesses such as malaria and the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), Africa has suffered much from natural disasters such as famine.