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NATO risks turning back the clock on women’s rights and undoing any progress made over the past 10 years if more isn’t done to boost the capacity of Afghan security forces to protect the human rights and security of Afghan civilians, particularly women and children, says international development agency, ActionAid.

ActionAid points out that civilian casualties have continued to rise year-on-year over the past five consecutive years with 2011 being the worst year for the number of civilians killed.

Posted by Helen Hector

You might not know this, but in West Africa right now there is a serious food crisis.

The media aren't talking about it much, but our partners in The Gambia and surrounding countries are telling us 13 million people are already facing hunger.

The Activistas are collecting stories from around the Gambia to understand how the food crisis is affecting people. Read the story of the women here:

Chris Coxon, International Campaigns Communication Coordinator

Far from the cool coastal temperatures of the Senegalese capital Dakar lies Bady, a dusty, dry village in Eastern Senegal.

Sitting on the edge of Western Africa's Sahel region, Bady village is being swept up in a wave of drought and hunger. With temperatures of over 40°C, it's the middle of the dry season and the intense heat is taking its toll on the 1012 people who live here.

The people of Jersey are helping to provide vital relief to thousands of people facing drought and severe food shortages in The Gambia.

A generous donation from the Jersey Overseas Aid Commission is helping ActionAid act quickly to support affected people and to help prevent another crisis.

Poor rainfalls have left large areas of West Africa facing severe drought and food shortages.

In The Gambia, where 75% of people make a living from agriculture, it is estimated that 700,000 people – 42% of the population – is going hungry.

I was born and raised in the urban Gambian setting and never experienced rural life. As a young person, I have always been convinced that life in the urban areas is the best thing someone could ever experience: I am sleeping in a cemented house, well furnished and with everything at my immediate disposal.

This is unlike the rural areas, where what is called homes are mainly round huts made out of mud and grasses over the head.

13 March 2012: As the drought in West Africa’s Sahel region deepens, ActionAid has warned that popular holiday destination The Gambia is also facing severe food shortages as crops have failed.

The anti-poverty agency says that the effects of the drought have been made even worse by rapidly rising food prices, which are 25% higher than last year.

It is estimated that more than 700,000 people – around 42 per cent of the country’s 1.7 million population - are going hungry and the situation is expected to deteriorate further in the coming weeks and months.