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For a third time this decade, the Sahel region of West Africa is suffering from a food crisis. The lethal combination of drought, poor harvest and increased food prices is affecting over 16 million people across Niger, Chad, Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania and putting more than one million children under five years old at risk of severe acute malnutrition.

In February 2012, heavy snowfall in Badakhshan, a province in the far northeast corner of Afghanistan, triggered catastrophic avalanches, burying entire villages in feet of snow. Children in kabul’s displacement camps died because of the extreme cold. Concern Worldwide’s Peter Wilson visited the country recently and witnessed the devastation of the harsh winter firsthand. This is his story.

Isolated communities

The food crisis in the Sahel region of west Africa is already affecting millions of people. In this video, Concern's overseas director, Paul O'Brien, talks about what we are doing to help prevent the crisis from getting worse.

Watch the video

A food crisis is looming in the Sahel region of west Africa and millions of people are already affected. Concern Worldwide is responding in some of the worst-hit areas in Niger and Chad, but more help is urgently needed.

Unimaginable hunger

After a poor harvest last year, food supplies in the region are rapidly declining. In Niger, 5.4 million people are affected. In Chad, it is estimated that 13 out of 22 regions could be affected.

In Ethiopia, Concern Worldwide’s charity work includes a programme that informs women about ways to prevent childhood malnutrition.

Essential actions

New York, February 14, 2012 – Concern Worldwide will improve the quality of primary education for approximately 2,200 children living in rural and underserved areas in Haiti with the help of a $130,000 grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.

“Concern is delighted to partner with the Kellogg Foundation in this unique opportunity to scale-up literacy education in one of Haiti’s most economically disadvantaged areas, where school enrollment rates are amongst the lowest in the country,” says Siobhán Walsh, Executive Director of Concern Worldwide US.

2011 was a very tough year for Kenyans. Drought racked the land and food prices rocketed, leaving most people struggling to eat three decent meals a day. Concern Worldwide is there, providing support to those who need it most.

According to economic experts, food prices may ease slightly in the new year. Overall though, prices are set to remain high.

Hard life

Far removed from the predictions of economic experts are the residents of Nairobi’s vast slums who are struggling to put food on the table for their families.