H is for Hunger

H is for Hunger

By Courtney Gibbons

The body cuts off glucose from muscle tissue, organs shrink to half their size, heart

rate falls, blood pressure drops, body temperature lowers, the immune system weakens,

infections take over, muscles are broken down, and the heart stops (Osterath).  These

are the stages of starvation, which are plaguing approximately 15 million children in East

Africa because of the food crisis (Huber).

Food shortages in Africa are often dismissed as insignificant due to their frequency.

However, the recurring cycle of famines only makes conditions worse; before families can

recover from the last crisis, another one has already begun, and they continue to starve.

The main cause of the current East African food shortage is the severe drought that

occurred after the El Nino storm of 2016.  This storm warmed the waters of the east Pacific

Ocean, causing plentiful rain in the West while producing a drought in Africa (Rotberg).

Few African farms have irrigation so most farmers rely on consistent rainfall to grow their

crops.  With many regions of East Africa receiving less than half of their normal rainfall,

farms and livestock are dying (Rotberg).  Families are forced to abandon their homes

for makeshift camps that lack proper sanitation and adequate food and water.  In these
conditions, malnutrition is omnipresent in the children, leaving them too weak to fight

off diseases caused by contaminated water.

With food running out in the camps, more and more children are becoming

malnourished.  Approximately 6.9 million East African children are malnourished and

not getting the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients they need to function (Huber).  In fact,

of these children, an estimated 2.5 million are at risk of starving to death due to severe

malnutrition (Farley).  Their bodies are losing the ability to absorb nutrients, and they

cannot properly digest the minimal food they are given.  These millions of children

need nutrient-rich, therapeutic food to provide their bodies with the vitamins and

minerals they need to grow and develop (Huber).  Otherwise, they will continue to be

sickly, and their immune systems will be unable to fight off illnesses caused by polluted

water.

Weakened by malnutrition, starving children are susceptible to communicable

diseases that plague the camps.  Diseases like cholera can spread rapidly due to poor

sanitation, and they can kill a malnourished child in a matter of hours (Burke).  Since April

2017, more than 124,000 cases of cholera have been reported in Yemen alone, and children

account for almost half of the illnesses (Farley).  Over 923 of these people have died - a

quarter of them children (Farley).  Although diseases like cholera can be easily treated if

help is found quickly, many children live hours away from the nearest clinic and die on the

journey.  These children need better sanitation and more clinics to prevent and treat illnesses.

Consequently, fifteen million East African children are currently in need of

international aid due to the scope of the food crisis (Huber).  During past food shortages,

African governments have often imported food and supplies from neighboring countries.

However, this time, their neighbors are also desolate and starving.  Many aid organizations

have tried to help by providing medication, education, and ready-to-use therapeutic food to

malnourished children. Nonetheless, many officials feel this is not enough.  Robert Rotberg,

a previous member of the Secretary of State’s Advisory Panel on Africa, is calling on the

West to donate their surplus and add to the limited support from aid organizations.  Without

action from the West, he explains that children will continue to die from malnutrition and

diseases.  He believes, “It is time for the West to act” (Rotberg).

Works Cited

Burke, Jason. “'We've Never Seen This Drought, This Disease': Somali Families Bury Their

Dead.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 20 Apr. 2017.

Farley, Malcolm G. “Famine Threatens 2.5 Million Children in Africa and the Middle

East.”UNICEF USA, 21 June 2017.

Huber, Chris. “Africa Hunger, Famine: Facts, FAQs, and How to Help.” World Vision, 27

Feb. 2018.

Osterath, Brigitte. “How the Body Copes with Hunger.” Edited by Nancy Isenson, DW.COM,

14 Nov. 2011.

Rotberg, Robert. “Southern Africa: Drought First, Famine Next.” The Globe and Mail, 24

Mar. 2017.