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Salient. Official Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 44 No. 4. March 23 1981

Real Aid Needed — United East African Famine Appeal

page 14

Real Aid Needed

United East African Famine Appeal

Refugees and displaced persons, figures from host governments, December 1980(UNHCR) 490,000 42,000 3-5,000 1,300,000 377,000 3,500 African Sahel region African countries affected by drought United East African Famine Appeal The people of East Africa need your help right now. The situation is desperate. Millions face starvation and death. If they are to have any hope of survival and re-building their shattered lives we must act now. Sympathy is not enough. A UNITED Appeal How can I be sure that my gift Because the situation is so urgent. Corso. Christian will get there? World Service (National Council of Churches), and This combined appeal means that administration the Catholic Commission have combined to mount costs will be saved. It also means this appeal, on behalf of the people of East Africa. By international agencies can be chosen to make sure working together, administration costs can be that your money provides most help to those who minimised and the amount of practical help that need it. reaches the people maximised. Delay Will cost lives. A deadly combination of war, Send your donation NOW! drought and greed War in Ethiopia, Somalia, Eritrea and Uganda has To United East African Famine Appeal, caused millions of refugees to flee for their lives. Add PO Box 9716, Wellington. to this the failure of the rains for 2 years causing widespread drought in East Africa. Make cheques payable to: A third and more serious factor is the man-made "United East African Famine Appeal" nature of this tragedy. Much of the good arable land in Africa is being used to grow cash crops for Western Please find enclosed my cheque for $ markets. While people die, multi-national companies Name are growing crops like carnations, chrysanthemums and vegetables for export to Europe. The underlying Address "unnatural" cause of famine in Africa is that not enough food is being grown for Africans. What must be done? ( ) Tick if you require a receipt. An immediate combined grant of $35,000 has been Or take your donation to your made from Corso. Christian World Service and the nearest NATIONAL Bank Branch Catholic Commission for Evangelisation. Justice and Development. Much more is needed The urgent need is for food, medicines, clothing and shelter. Your donation will make sure that help moves quickly to those who need it most. In the medium to long term, we must ensure that programmes are set up to support the re-settlement of CHRISTIAN people into self help communities. WORLD SERVICE CATHOLIC COMMISSION FOR EVANGELIZATION. JUSTICE AND DEVELOPMENT

At least thirty million people, more than half of them children, are affected by famine in East Africa. In the horn of Africa alone, twelve million are affected. Add to that the hundreds of thousands of refugees and you have a crisis of major proportions. But why? The answer is to be found in the recent history of East Africa - a century of war, exploitation and greed.

The failure of rain for two years in a row has caused widespread drought in Africa. Some rain has fallen recently in Somalia and Ethiopia but it has fallen too early for the sowing season. There are fears of yet another poor harvest in October and November. The situation is worst in the horn of Africa (see map). Stretching across Africa from Senegal (on the western coast) to Ethiopia is the Sahel; a region of low rainfall, poor soil (sand), harsh climate (see map). Supplementary food programmes are operating in the East African countries in the Sahel region; but the work is hampered by measles, malaria and the influx of refugees. In Somalia, a shortage of fuel is slowing the delivery of emergency food.

Local Hosts Struggling

Almost everywhere in Africa there are refugees and displaced persons. One and a half million live in over crowded camps in Somalia, Sudan and Djibouti. Supplies of medicine, food and water present problems to the host countries. However these countries although hard pressed to meet the needs of their own people do their best to aid refugees.

Subversion of Land Use by Imperialists

In sharp contrast to this are the actions of Western Governments and the Soviet Union. The problems of famines and war are not solely of African making. Before European intervention, land was used solely for the growth of food and grazing of stock. The European Colonial powers seeking raw materials, sliced up Africa between them. The boundaries of the colonies cut across tribal groupings. Land not essential to immediate food needs was no longer used to grow excess for times of drought, but used to grow cash crops such as coffee.

Even after independence, economic colonialism continues. Western loans and aid over the last two decades have been conditional on the development of cash cropping and export industries at the expense of food production. Transnational corporations grow carnations and chrysanthemums for Europe while Africans grow hungry.

Superpower rivalry escalates tensions in Africa and it is Africans who suffer. The majority of refugees in eastern Africa are fleeing the war in Eritrea. Eritrea, a colony under Italy, then a protectorate under the British, has been fighting a war of independence against Ethiopia since 1962. The Soviet Union, originally behind the Eritrean People's Liberation Front is now actively supporting the Ethiopian forces. Soviet power politics has escalated the conflict and the Soviet Union is largely responsible for the current refugee crisis.

"Aid" Inedible

Increased United States presence in Egypt and Somalia and the declaration of the "Carter octrine" (US intervention in the Middle East to protect US interests) has added to the tension.

Tanks and jets don't relieve famine. Jet fighters don't aid development. Africans cannot eat carnations. All the East Africans want is self reliance and self determination.

While there are the long term needs of peace and development, there is an urgent need for medicine, food and shelter. The United East African Famine Appeal has been designed to cut administration costs so that the maximum amount reaches East Africa. Their advertisement in this issue explains the appeal. Have a think about it - but do not think about it for too long because delay will cost lives. Student health