GiftsNiger February 21, 2012 11:54AM
Hunger in Niger threatens millions
By Moni Basu
CNN, February 20, 2012
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The knock on the door is a sign of bad things to come.
"Do you have any work?" they ask.
They have fled their villages and come into the city out of desperation. Their bellies ache from hunger.
"For those of us in the city, we are seeing the first signs of food crisis spreading across our country. We have seen it before. It has already started, and it is coming fast."
That's what Haoua Lankoande, a manager with the humanitarian agency CARE wrote in a recent blog post from the Niger capital, Niamey.
The first phase of hunger drives villagers into the city; the second phase brings knocks on the door, Lankoande wrote.
"Do you have any food?" they ask. "I haven't eaten in three days."
Eventually in phase three, Lankoande said, people don't ask anymore.
"You wake up and go outside in the morning, and there is a family sleeping on your doorstep. They don't ask for anything, they just look up at you, hoping."
CARE and other aid agencies fear Niger is already in the first stage of crisis. It doesn't take long, they say, for the situation to deteriorate from phase one to three.
"What we are seeing is a tip of the iceberg," said Cassandra Nelson, spokeswoman for Mercy Corps.
Nearly half of Niger does not have enough to eat. The 5.4 million people struggling to stay alive are part of a wider crisis affecting at least 10 million people across the swath across Africa that borders the Sahara, known as the Sahel.
This is the third time in the last decade the people of the Sahel have faced severe food shortages.
The problem, caused by drought and high food prices, is exacerbated by an ongoing conflict in Mali between the military and Tuareg rebels that has forced people to flee into neighboring nations.
Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania are all facing hunger. All five governments have declared states of emergency.
In Niger, people depend on crops and livestock for survival. They are used to living life on the edge. Every year, life is a gamble.
In the dry months, they prepare for what is known as the "lean season." They eat once a day or maybe even once every 36 hours.
Typically, said Nelson of Mercy Corps, the lean season begins in May. This year, it has already arrived. Premature and deadly.
Afghanistan February 9, 2012 9:30AM
Students learn a trade in Afghanistan hotspot
By Larisa Epatko
PBS NewsHour, February 9, 2012
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In an open, dusty part of southern Afghanistan where fighting between Taliban forces and NATO troops is commonplace, and jobs are scarce, an organization is working to train Afghans to make them more employable.
West Bank and Gaza February 8, 2012 5:24PM
Mercy Corps connects geeks from Gaza to Seattle
By Ansel Herz
The Seattle Globalist, February 8, 2012
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We’ve got more than our share of tech-geeks here in Seattle. You know, the guys who work at startups, or Microsoft or Amazon, creating the next-generation of computer and web products.
Haiti January 11, 2012 1:36PM
After two years, Haiti still struggles
By The Oregonian Editorial Board
The Oregonian, January 11, 2012
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The earthquake that hit Haiti two years ago killed more than 300,000 people, reduced Port-au-Prince to rubble and left an already struggling island economy for dead.
North Korea December 19, 2011 5:06PM
U.S. treads cautiously with transition
By Michele Kelemen
NPR "All Things Considered", December 19, 2011
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The changing of the guard in North Korea poses clear risks for the United States.
North Korea December 8, 2011 12:00AM
Aid Groups: Children in North Korea at risk for starvation this winter
By Cat Wise
PBS NewsHour "The Rundown", December 8, 2011
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North Korea is approaching another severe food crisis, according to international relief groups who are calling on the U.S. and other governments to join South Korea in increasing aid to the reclusive communist nation.
December 3, 2011 12:00AM
Gifts that say you care
By Nicholas Kristof
The New York Times, December 3, 2011
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GIVE Grandma a bit of credit! These holidays, would she rather receive a silly reindeer sweater or help a schoolchild acquire glasses to see the blackboard clearly for the first time?
November 15, 2011 12:00AM
Doing development differently: Social and financial innovation at Mercy Corps
By Rahim Kanani
Forbes.com, November 15, 2011
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In a recent joint interview, I had in-depth discussions about innovating for impact with Mercy Corps’ Leesa Shrader (Senior Director, Financial Services Innovation) and Andy Dwonch (Senior Director, Social Innovations).
North Korea October 24, 2011 9:32AM
Head of U.N. humanitarian aid paints dire scene in North Korea
By Choe Sang-Hun
The New York Times, October 24, 2011
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SEOUL — North Koreans, especially children, urgently need outside aid to fight “terrible levels of malnutrition,” the United Nations’ humanitarian chief said Monday, in an appeal that came amid criticism that both Washington and Seoul were withholding aid for political reasons.
North Korea October 20, 2011 10:35AM
Autumn harvest watched warily in food-poor N Korea
By Jean H. Lee and Matthew Pennington
Associated Press, October 20, 2011
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Scythe in hand, a woman slices through a bright green field of rice. Oxen plod down country roads pulling carts piled high with harvested stalks of grain.
