War in Ukraine, climate change and Covid-19 add to the anguish / All ten forgotten crises occur on the African continent
Vienna (OTS) – Angola is experiencing the worst drought in the last forty years. Nearly four million people don’t have enough to eat. Last year, only 1,847 online articles reported this. The need in Angola is therefore number one of the ten forgotten humanitarian crises that the aid organization CARE presented today in its report “Breaking the Silence”. In it, CARE showcases those crises and catastrophes about which little is reported globally.
“These are difficult times for Europe and even more difficult times for people affected by humanitarian crises around the world. With the war in Ukraine, the energy crisis and climate change, there is no shortage of topics for reporting on global crises. However, we see it as our mission to also show the silent crises and report those people who receive little attention. Because we cannot and do not want to remain silent when lives are in danger.” Andrea Barschdorf-Hager, Managing Director of CARE Austria.
Hunger crisis in Africa in the shadow of war in Ukraine
All ten of the least reported crises in the world are on the African continent. Malawi follows Angola in second place on the list of forgotten crises. The southeastern African country suffers from food shortages due to extreme weather conditions such as droughts and hurricanes. In third place is the Central African Republic. Natural disasters and violent conflicts mean that more than three million people in the country are in need of humanitarian aid.
“The United Nations recently warned of a historic famine in Africa. We experience the extent of this every day in our work. Parents skip meals to prevent their children from starving. The fields dry up, the cattle die. Families flee because they cannot find food or water. At the same time, their freedom of movement is restricted due to the ongoing crisis. Faced with this dramatic situation, it is even more worrying that the plight of the people is not well-noticed. If we keep looking the other way, the consequences will be catastrophic,” he warns. Claudine Awute, vice president of international programs at CARE.
Change happens through attention.
The media, politics, business, civil society and NGOs are called to pay more attention to forgotten crises. Humanitarian reports benefit from exchanging with local experts and allowing those affected to have their say. NGOs can help with this. It is also important for donors to listen to people in crisis regions so that they receive the help they need.
“Change happens through attention. And finally, people in Angola, Malawi and many other crisis regions not only need more attention, but help to save lives and a bright future,” he said. Barschdorf-Hager.
Ten Humanitarian Crises That Didn’t Make the Headlines in 2022:
Photographic material on the ten forgotten crises (photo credit: CARE)
Read the Breaking the Silence report here
Note on the methodology: The international media monitoring service Meltwater examined more than 5.8 million articles online in Arabic, German, English, French and Spanish for CARE between January 1 and October 10, 2022. From a list of 47 humanitarian crises, the ten crises with the least media coverage were identified. The report is published for the seventh time this year.
About CAUTION: Founded in 1945, CARE is now one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations, operating in over 100 countries. CARE’s aid reached more than 170 million people in 2022. More information at www.care.at
Questions and contact:
CARE Austria
Stephanie Weber
Press
Telephone +43 (0)1 7150715-42
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