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JULY
5
July 2010
MRDF
LAUNCHES EMERGENCY APPEAL FOR
WEST AFRICA
The
Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF) has launched an urgent appeal for
West Africa
as millions of people face chronic food
shortages.
Poor
rainfall and failed harvests in the
Sahel
region of
West Africa
have left 10 million people vulnerable to
severe hunger.
Niger
– the poorest country in the world according
to the United Nations – has been worst hit, with almost 60% of the population
facing hunger this year. More than 1.5 million children are risk of becoming
malnourished unless urgent action is taken.
MRDF has
already allocated £20,000 to the crisis-hit countries, and is urging people to
donate to its emergency appeal so that it can reach more vulnerable people in
Niger
and other affected countries including
Mali
,
Burkina Faso
and
Mauritania
.
Yannick Milev, MRDF Programme
Manager for
West Africa
, recently returned from a visit to
Niger
. ‘Our partner in
Niger
was very distressed by the reports they were
receiving from the communities they work with,’ he said. ‘Entire villages
are emptying as people flee to areas where they think they might find food –
they either simply have no food, or cannot afford it. The price of rice has
doubled in some places. Not everyone can leave their villages, and some of the
people left behind have been forced to eat roots and leaves from trees.’
‘These reports are
shocking, but the important message is that we can make a huge difference to
many of the people affected by this crisis if we act quickly.’
Gifts
to MRDF’s appeal will provide emergency relief supplies to some of those
affected by the food crisis and will focus on helping communities to become more
resilient to drought in the future.
Donations
to MRDF can be made via www.mrdf.org.uk, by
calling 020
7224 4814 to give by debit or credit card or by cheque made payable to 'MRDF
(West Africa emergency)' and sent to MRDF, 25 Marylebone Road, London NW1 5JR.
Taxpayers
are encouraged to gift aid their donations where possible, adding 28p to every
pound they give, at no extra personal cost. Gift Aid envelopes for church
collections are available from MRDF.
For more
information on MRDF’s response to the
West Africa
food crisis visit www.mrdf.org.uk
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BOLTON
AND ROCHDALE METHODIST
DISTRICT