January 20, 2012
“‘What shall we have to eat today?’ It’s a question that means different things to different people,” says Peggy Drake, a nurse who serves with The Alliance in Burkina Faso.
“In the West we have so many choices for food. But right now in Burkina, for many there is nothing to eat!”
Sporadic rainfall this year has caused severe drought and skyrocketing food prices in the West African nation. In response to the crisis, ACCEDES, the relief and development arm of the national Alliance church of Burkina Faso, is distributing food to 2,000 families in dire need. Assisted families will receive two bags of grain weighing 220-plus pounds each.
“According to our field survey,” says ACCEDES director Robert Sanou. “Many children are at high risk of malnutrition, and many families have begun selling their household goods to buy food.”
Three-Pronged Relief Plan
ACCEDES will carry out relief operations in the Boucle du Mouhoun region and Houet provinces, where it already has a presence. Response to the crisis is threefold:
- Ten communities will receive information about the consequences of climate change and desertification; they will also receive training in how to mitigate these changes and manage disaster.
- Grains will be provided at no cost to the poorest of the poor—without religious or ethnic discrimination; the disabled, widows and orphans, the elderly, and those affected by HIV/AIDS will receive special attention.
- Those who can afford to pay a small amount for the food will be asked to do so; funds raised will be used to set up a micro-finance system to improve the economic situation of 500 families.
“Food supplies will be transported by truck and secured in safe storage areas rented by local churches,” Sanou observes. “We expect to see great spiritual impact in the local churches because of this project.”
What You Can Do
Pray for the people of Burkina Faso who are suffering because of the food shortages.
Give directly to CAMA’s Africa Famine Relief fund. Give Now
Read about the dire situation in Burkina and across the Sahel—the climactic, geographic zone between the Sahara desert in the north and the Sudanian Savannas in the south. Note: Clicking on this link will take you off of the C&MA Web site.