As a major hunger crisis continues to worsen in West Africa, Development and Peace is widening its response in order to support relief projects in Mauritania, Chad and Senegal. These new projects aim to bring aid to over 300,000 people, and include food and seed distributions, support to agricultural production and nutritional programs.
There are now 18 million people in West Africa who are facing food shortages and malnutrition. Development and Peace launched a public appeal in early May to raise funds to respond to this growing crisis. This appeal is being supported by the Catholic bishops of Canada, who are organizing collections in dioceses across the country.
These new projects are in addition to a $5 million response organized by Development and Peace and the Canadian Foodgrains Bank to help 19,500 households in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso.
Development and Peace is working with local partners of the Caritas Internationalis network, a federation of 165 Catholic development and relief organizations around the world, to put these projects in place.
“Our local partners are able to go where the needs are greatest and where communities are most vulnerable,” says Guy Des Aulniers, Emergency Relief Programs Officer at Development and Peace. “Their local knowledge and expertise allow us to monitor the situation closely and support effective programs, as they best understand the needs of communities.
Development and Peace is encouraging the public to continue to donate to its appeal in order to not only support more relief efforts, but to also contribute towards programs to help rebuild communities and allow people to regain their livelihoods.
Donations to Development and Peace can be made on our website at www.devp.org/donate, by telephone (1 888 664-3387), or by sending a cheque made out to Development and Peace (please indicate West Africa – Hunger Crisis) and sending it to:
Development and Peace
1425 René-Lévesque Blvd West, 3rd Floor
Montreal QC H3G 1T7
- 30 -
For more information, please contact:
Kelly Di Domenico, Communications Officer
514 257-8710 ext. 365
kelly.didomenico@devp.org