Help Senegal battle hunger

Credit: Jim Stipe/CRS

Caritas’ mother and baby nutrition program to reduce malnutrition. Credit: Jim Stipe/CRS

Caritas is launching an emergency project for Senegal to urgently help families who are hungry.

Recent poor harvests, climatic factors, natural disasters and a sharp rise in food prices in 2007-2008 have edged poor families further into poverty and hunger.

“Let us not forget our brothers and sisters who are suffering in this way and others around the world. Let us help them shoulder their burden and let us share with them our daily bread,” says Abbé Ambroise Tine, director of Caritas Senegal. “People who are malnourished need to have access to healthy and adequate food so they can live a dignified life.”

The US$416,000 (300,000 euro) project will last for eight months.

Almost a fifth of households in Senegal are going hungry. The situation is predicted to worsen over the next few months.

Caritas Senegal wants to ensure that the most vulnerable families hit by hunger have enough nutritious food to eat.

Almost 8000 people (1100 families) will be given food, including rice, millet and oil, for three months. The aim is to have families eating three meals a day.

There will be a particular focus on boosting the nutrition of women and children and reducing the number who are malnourished.

The creation of six cereal banks in villages will help 600 families (4,200 people) have regular access to food. Other projects will ensure farmers have seeds and tools.

The emergency project will be focused on ensuring people have food in the dioceses of Saint-Louis (Matam), Ziguinchor (Bignona, Ziguinchor) et Kolda (Sédhiou, Goudomp, Vélingara).

For more information, please contact Michelle Hough at hough@caritas.va or call +39 06 6987 9752 or +39 334 2344 136.

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