Preliminary Appeal

Appeal Target: US$ 154,500
Balance Requested: US$ 101,100

Geneva, 27 February 2012

Dear Colleagues,

by Mara Caputo

Successful initiatives in the Sahel that span the aid-development continuum have been cultivated in the midst of mounting drought and despair, providing a blueprint for a way beyond chronic food insecurity.

The despair is born of a deepening food crisis as an estimated 12 million people concentrated primarily in the West African region of the Sahel teeter on the brink of famine. The governments of Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Chad and Niger have already declared states of emergency and called for international assistance.

Watch the video here

ACT Alliance member Christian Aid dispatched a team to areas of Burkina Faso bordering on Mali and Niger in early February in part to document the humanitarian situation of those living in the drought stricken Sahel region of West Africa, where up to 12 million people face the spectre of famine within months.

Geneva, February 20, 2012

1. Brief description of the emergency and impact

On 14 February Cyclone Giovanna with winds of 185km/hr, a diameter of 1,000km and a displacement speed of 19km/hr hit the east coast of Madagascar between Tamatave and Vatomandry, about 350 kilometers east of the capital Antananarivo, traversing through the central Analamanga, Itasy and out from Menabe region on the western part of the country. The cyclone severely affected regions of Vatovavy Fito Vinany, Alaotra Mangoro, Vakinakaratra, Amoron’I Mania and Melaky.

ACT Rapid Response Payment Request for US$ 49,846. ACT member AIDRom is planning to respond with distribution of relief food & mineral water, and family hygiene kits.

Emergency: Romanian Authorities Declared State of Emergency After Cold Snap and Severe Snow Fall.

Date of Emergency: 27 January – 15 February 2012 (still ongoing)

Requesting Member(s): Ecumenical Association of Churches in Romania - AIDRom

DETAILS OF THE EMERGENCY:

Since September 2011, there has been increased fighting between the Sudanese Armed Forces and other Sudanese armed groups (mostly SPLM-N) in Blue Nile State and in South Kordofan in Sudan.

According to UNHCR, constant attacks in areas within Sudan's Blue Nile state have driven a large number of Sudanese civilians to cross the border and seek shelter in the Kurmuk area of western Ethiopia. In addition, the Sudanese community are leaving the area for safety in Ethiopia in fear of a possible ground offensive.

1. Brief description of the emergency

Since March 2011, anti-government protests in Syria continue to grow and have led to military actions between armed groups and government forces resulting in internal displacement of Syrian civilians throughout the country, as well as a rise in the number of Syrian refugees in the neighbouring countries of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

Appeal Target: US$ 312,919

Balance Requested: US$ 74,853

Geneva, 7 February 2011

Dear Colleagues,