Food Now Plus Harvests Later, Yet Millions Are at Risk in Africa

Baltimore, December 19, 2002 — Lutheran World Relief and other members of Action by Churches Together are helping drought-stricken communities in Africa with both needed food and future harvests, but Africa's current food crisis looms ever larger. United Nations estimates are that up to 30 million people in the Horn and southern Africa are now at risk.

In Zimbabwe, with church help, rations are reaching 11,000 families while farmers are planting seeds for drought tolerant crops. In Malawi, farmers continue training in land and crop management while supplementary food is going to 18,000 families led by women, grandparents, or AIDS orphans.

An emergency program in Ethiopia is providing 140,000 at-risk people with food, livestock, medicines, seeds and tools managed by a Lutheran-Catholic-Orthodox partnership. Another Lutheran project in North Shoa province produces dependable irrigation for family farmers beset by drought.

In arid northern Kenya, an LWR project begun during a drought two years ago is now helping hundreds of thousands of livestock and their owners with veterinary services, boreholes, storage tanks, and an early warning system.

For the work mentioned above, $5.7 million is needed. So far, LWR has dedicated some $830,000 to these projects and is seeking further donations. Survival for the most vulnerable people - those most in need of food aid now - depends on early action.

This threat to tens of millions of people is linked to erratic rainfall and recent climate changes, to weak economies and inadequate food distribution systems, to soil degradation and over-population in certain areas, and to conflicts over land, notably in Zimbabwe. The heavy toll of AIDS on people in their most productive years is making the crisis worse, especially in southern Africa.

To contribute: Donations may be made by credit card via 800-number, on-line or by check. You may designate your gift: "Africa Food Crisis." Please consider making an unrestricted donation, which will enable LWR to use your gift where it is needed most.
Lutheran World Relief
P.O. Box 17061
Baltimore, MD 21298-9832
1-800-LWR-LWR-2
www.lwr.org

LCMS World Relief
P.O. Box 66861
St. Louis, MO 63166-9810
1-888-930-4438

ELCA World Hunger Appeal
P.O. Box 71764
Chicago, IL 60694-1764
1-800-638-3522