For immediate release
Wednesday 15 October 2008

Save the Children’s Annual Appeal 08 - Financial crisis must not divert efforts to tackle global child hunger

On the eve of World Food Day on Thursday 16 October, Save the Children warns that hundreds of millions of the world’s poorest children already suffering from severe malnutrition will face a bleaker future as developing nations grapple with food, fuel and financial crises.

Save the Children has urged world leaders to mobilise a global response and to not ignore children suffering from chronic malnourishment, either at home or in the developing world.

“As a result of these three major crises coming within the last year, millions of families in the world are going to find it more difficult to feed their children, give them access to health care and keep them in school,” said John Bowis, Executive Director, Save the Children New Zealand. “It is going to be especially difficult for nearly 1 billion people who are already suffering from chronic malnutrition and living in very poor conditions,” he said.

A new World Bank study shows that high food and fuel prices are expected to increase the number of malnourished people around the world this year by 44 million to reach a total of 967 million, which will cause irreparable damage to the health of millions of children.

The continent hit hardest has been Africa. “The figures are staggering,” John Bowis said. “Around 24,000 Africans die every day in Africa because they have not had enough food. Around 18,000 of those who die are children,” he said.

In Ethiopia, Save the Children is currently working to help nearly 900,000 people in six of the worst-affected regions. Work includes setting up schemes to provide parents with a way to earn food and money, providing clean water, emergency feeding and healthcare for malnourished children, delivering veterinary drugs and animal feed to help families keep their animals alive.

Save the Children is also working with families in Ethiopia to ensure that early marriage, child labour and trafficking are not used as ways of supplementing income or reducing the number of persons to feed. Save the Children are also working to make sure children can continue to attend school at this time.

Donate to Save the Children New Zealand’s Annual Appeal which runs from 13 – 19 October. Your money will go to those children in greatest need in New Zealand and around the world.

To support you can: Donate online by visiting www.savethechildren.org.nz; Make a $20 donation by calling 0900 67168 or send a cheque to PO Box 6584, Marion Square, Wellington.

ENDS

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