Sahel Food Crisis

While the UN warns of funds limitations that will affect the international community’s response, the Sahel food crisis worsens rapidly "let's learn from the horn of Africa crisis" said Kathy M Kabeya, but is not making headline news. Below is a round-up of information touches on the facts and nuance of the crisis, as well as on-the-ground perspectives of women who are directly affected. I am hoping to learn and share information about some local organizations working to address the crisis, but please explore options to support relief efforts. (I lean towards Oxfam because their rhetoric extends beyond emergency relief and points out that “The response should not stop at meeting emergency needs; it needs also to tackle the underlying causes of crises like this to prevent them recurring.” This is especially relevant to the Sahel, a region that has faced drought and food crisis on an almost cyclical basis for several years. In general, the international food community’s press and media about the global food crisis is increasingly aware of structural, long-term solutions to food insecurity. As always, I wish it was easier to hear from natives of the region and hear their ideas, strategies, and solutions. I guess I just need to look harder.) Countries affected: Burkina Faso, Chad Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Cameroon, Nigeria and Senegal are at risk of severe acute malnutrition. Total number of people affected: Around 15.6 million Vulnerable Children: 1 million children under five expected to suffer severe acute malnutrition. Another 1.9 million children under the age of 5 are expected to experience moderate acute malnutrition. Conflict Displacement: 213,177 people displaced by conflict in northern Mali. This includes 98,117 refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Niger and Algeria and 93,433 internally displaced. The World Food Program has suspended operations in nothern Mali due to insecurity. Needs: The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs says it requires $724,537,917 to fully respond to the crisis. To date, donors have given $371,009,588, meaning there is a gap of 370,347,992, or 49%. "If we don't act now this crisis will be more complicated than we though" Kathy M. Kabeya

MEETING THE MDG DRINKING WATER AND SANITATION TARGET

The world is still on track for reaching the
MDG drinking water target, but the trend
appears to be deteriorating. On current
trends, the world will miss the sanitation
target by more than half a billion people.
- Every year, unsafe water, coupled with a lack of basic sanitation,
kills at least 1.6 million children under the age of fi ve years
– more than eight times the number of people who died in the
Asian tsunami of 2004.
- At the beginning of the Water for Life decade, 1.1 billion people
did not have access to an improved source of drinking water.
- 84% of the population without access to an improved source
of drinking water live in rural areas.
- 2.6 billion people, more than 40% of the world population,
do not use a toilet, but defecate in the open or in unsanitary
places.
In 2004, more than three out of every five
rural people, over 2 billion, did not have access
to a basic sanitation facility.
- If the current trend persists, nearly 1.7 billion rural dwellers
will still not have access to improved sanitation by 2015.
- In 2004, urban sanitation coverage was more than double the
rural sanitation coverage.
- Although 73% of rural dwellers have access to an improved
source of drinking water, only 30% have access to piped water
in the home.
Keeping up with the population increase is a
major challenge for urban areas; maintaining
current coverage levels till 2015 requires
serving 700 million urban dwellers over the
coming decade.
- Migration from rural to urban areas poses a major challenge
for city planners; extending basic drinking water and sanitation
services to periurban and slum areas to reach the poorest
people is of the utmost importance to prevent outbreaks
of cholera and other water-related diseases in these often
overcrowded places.
- Urban drinking water coverage has remained at 95% since
1990. Urban sanitation coverage has increased by only one
percentage point, from 79% to 80%.
- About 770 million and 700 million urban people gained access
to improved drinking water and sanitation, respectively, during
1990–2004.

The Global water and sanitation crisis

Globally, almost 1bn people lack clean drinking water. 2.4bn people have no access to hygienic sanitation facilities; 1.2bn lack any
Sanitation facilities at all. Each day, an average of 5,000 children die due to preventable water and sanitation related diseases. In
2000, through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the international community committed to halving the proportion
of people without access to clean water and basic sanitation by 2015. Overall, the world is on track to meet the water supply MDG,
but there are major gaps in many regions and countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. On current trends, the world will miss
the sanitation target by a staggering 1bn people.
Meeting the MDG water and sanitation targets is more than a health and dignity issue. The evidence is compelling that achieving
the water and sanitation goals would trigger a major leap forward in human development:
• Water and sanitation are essential to achieving all of the MDGs.
• Investment in water supply yields an average economic return of $4.4 to $1.
• Investment in sanitation yields an average economic return of $9.1 to $1.
• Human development is more closely linked to access to water and sanitation than any other development driver,
including spending on health or education, and access to energy services.
The crisis in water and sanitation overwhelmingly affects the poor. Availability of water is certainly a concern for some countries.
But the global water and sanitation crisis is mainly rooted in poverty, power and inequality, not in physical availability. It is, first and
foremost, a crisis of governance and thus governance reform must be a key pillar of any strategic approach to addressing the crisis.
JK-Foundation Response
JK Foundation promotes and facilitates equitable access to water and sanitation services as a fundamental contribution to enhancing human
development. JK-Foundation works together with government, civil society, private sector and other development partners to bring about the
necessary improvements in water governance to scale-up water and sanitation services for the poor.
JK-Foundation Supports:
• Coordination of country assistance by UN and other development partners.
• Incorporation of water and sanitation into national development planning.
• Governance and policy reform for enhanced water supply and sanitation access.
• Capacity building of institutions and practitioners.
• Special attention to fragile states, where water and sanitation challenges are greatest.
The GoAL WaSH Programme
GoAL WaSH is an innovative new JK-Foundation programme that aims to accelerate achievement of the water and sanitation MDGs
through strategically targeted interventions that strengthen governance of the water and sanitation sectors at appropriate levels.
Specifically, GoAL WaSH focuses on:
• Countries with low water and sanitation coverage projected not to achieve the water, sanitation or both MDGs.
• Identifying gaps, needs, constraints and opportunities in national water and sanitation plans, strategies and capacities.
• Governance reform, leadership and policy advocacy.
• Incorporation of water and sanitation into national MDG and related poverty reduction strategies.
• Close coordination with governments and key development partners active in water and sanitation at country level.
This volume is the second in a series of national assessments of governance in the water and sanitation sectors in target MDG
GoAL WaSH countries. These sector assessments are in turn informing the design and implementation of a series of JK-Foundation
capacity building and technical assistance projects to strengthen water governance and advance national progress on the water
supply and sanitation MDGs (see inside back cover).
Sincerely,