WB grants Ethiopia US $ 480 million as nation appeals for aid

October 24, 2009 (WASHINGTON) — The World Bank has approved a total grant of 480 million US dollars for Ethiopia’s safety net program which is helping to uplift millions of poor Ethiopians from extreme poverty.

“The board of directors approved a US$350 million grant and a US$130 million credit to Ethiopia to support an innovative program that is keeping millions of families out of extreme poverty and helping them to achieve food security,” the bank said in a statement.

World Bank’s financial grant comes on the day Ethiopia appealed for an emergency food aid to feed 6.2 million starving people, twenty-five years after a devastating famine claimed the lives of one million Ethiopians.

The Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Mr Mitiku Kassa on Thursday appealed for 159,410 tonnes of food, costing $121 million, $8.9 million worth of fortified blended food for malnourished women and children, and for $45 million in non-food needs.

According to the Minister the number of people in need of urgent assistance during the period October to December 2009 has increased to 6.2 million from 4.9 million at beginning of the year

Ethiopia’s safety net program does not provide emergency food aid and focuses on providing support through a food-for-work scheme. Currently there are some 7.6 million rural people embraced under the safety net program

CONSTANT FOOD HANDOUTS NOT A SOLUTION

Following the latest appeal by the government of Ethiopia, some famine survivors say food aid is not the answer to Africa’s continual famines.

“Twenty-five years ago, my life was saved by Irish nursing sisters who gave me an injection and food from organizations like Band Aid,” Birhan Woldu, Ethiopia’s most famous 1984’s famine survivor said in Oxfam’s new report.

“So it may seem strange for me to say now that to get food aid from overseas is not the best way. As well as being demeaning to our dignity, my education has taught me that constantly shipping food … is costly, uneconomic, and can encourage dependency.”

According to Oxfam Constant food flow from the West is failing to help starving Africans cope with ever-more frequent droughts

“No longer should we be chasing each drought with food; we should be acting before the next drought comes”. Oxfam statement said.

Instead, donors should support programs including weather early warning systems, improved roads, food and medicine stockpiles, cheaper than responding under the stress of urgent appeals, and irrigation schemes.

Sending such food aid “does save lives”, Oxfam said. But it is a “knee-jerk reaction” and “the dominance of this approach fails to offer long-term solutions which would break these cyclical and chronic crises”.

“Donors need to shift their approach, and help to give communities the tools to tackle disasters before they strike,” said Penny Lawrence, Oxfam’s international director.

According to Oxfam, Drought does not need to mean hunger and destitution; if communities have irrigation for crops, grain stores, and wells to harvest rains then they can survive despite what the elements throw at them.

(ST)