Hunger, risk reduction top concerns for 2012

["Lesley Crosson" <LCrosson@churchworldservice.org>]

Church World Service
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Hunger, Need to Reduce Risk for Major Disasters Among Top Concerns for
2012


NEW YORK, Jan. 4, 2012--The number of children in poverty who are
hungry could reach unparalleled levels in 2012 given the state of the
global economy, Church World Service says in its annual New Year's
assessment. 

"Those numbers could be considerable and unparalleled, even in the
so-called 'First World,'" said John L. McCullough, CWS executive
director and CEO. The increase in hunger will put more pressure on
humanitarian groups like CWS, necessitating not only further responses
to fight hunger and poverty but requiring the humanitarian community to
"to decry the failure of governments to provide an adequate social
safety net," said the CWS head. 

Various data released throughout 2011 indicated the increased levels of
poverty in the United States, including a government report that the
number of people living in poverty in the U.S. increased to 46.2
million, the most in 50 years.

Meanwhile, global protests against the international economic system
and unresponsive governments are likely to continue with the
"ninety-nine percent movement making new allies as the gap with the top
one percent continues to widen," Rev. McCullough said. "The U.S. is a
country of great wealth existing alongside increasing socio-economic
inequality and entrenched poverty."

If hunger remains the major global challenge in 2012, another top
concern is trying to reduce the risk for major disasters. Marvin Parvez,
who oversees CWS's regional programs in Asia and the Pacific, the site
of CWS's most extensive programs, sees a more challenging and difficult
year ahead when it comes to humanitarian aid work--at least in the Asia
region. Given its size, "Asia gets the largest and the most disasters,"
Parvez said.

Among the possibilities for Asia in 2012:  large-scale displacement and
suffering because of Asia's high risk for epidemics; problems arising
from flashpoint/conflict areas such as Pakistan, Iran and North Korea;
and potential disasters befalling large urban areas, as happened in 2011
in Japan and New Zealand.

"After those disasters, we are more aware of disasters hitting mega
cities, such as those in Indonesia, Nepal, Pakistan, India and China,
where building codes are non-existent or are not followed," Parvez said.
"We could really have a serious loss of lives and livelihoods." 

Parvez's colleague in Asia, Takeshi Komino, who coordinated CWS's
response to the March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan, said that that
event proved that "no nation is fully prepared for risk of disasters,"
adding that "early warning systems can only do so much." 

So-called hydro-meteorological emergencies, such as floods, that have
recently occurred in Cambodia, Laos, Pakistan, the Philippines, Thailand
and Vietnam all are on the rise. That trend will require even more
focused and coordinated local, national and global efforts to reduce the
risk of disasters, Komino said. 

Such problems also threaten other areas and require continued
responses, noted Vitali Vorona, CWS regional coordinator in Europe,
whose Belgrade-based program is focused in part on the problems caused
by climate change, including drinking water supply, sanitation,
sustainable agriculture, energy conservation and renewable energy. 

"But also here food and nutrition security poses a major challenge,"
Vorona said of Europe. He noted that a CWS program in the nation of
Georgia has emphasized farming, the development of fruit and vegetable
driers and water and sanitation programs like eco-toilets, as well as
the development of women's leadership and human rights.

In the realm of hunger and poverty worldwide and within the U.S.,
hunger is a key focus for CWS.  The agency seeks to address both the
immediate causes by ensuring proper nutrition to those who need it --
especially mothers and their children -- as well as t
he underlying
causes of hunger, by improving community food systems and ensuring
access to food. 

"CWS considers itself to be a global organization in a world of one
people," said McCullough. "Unfortunately, given the vast gaps in human
development – including in the U.S. – we face tremendous challenges. We
will, however, continue to play a vital role, side by side with those
who are most in need."

In 2012, CWS will continue to concentrate on the Horn of Africa, which
still is suffering from food insecurity, war, political unrest and a
severe drought. While recent rains have alleviated some problems and
allowed some farming communities to plant their fields in anticipation
of a harvest in January or February, other areas still are dry, and
nearly 10 million people still are in need of food assistance, according
to the World Food Program. Moreover, the rains have caused numerous
problems, with floods hitting refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia and
hindering road access to areas of Somalia. 

CWS continues its emergency food distributions through local partners
in Kenya's Eastern Province. In Mwingi and Nzambani districts, for
example, CWS is providing monthly rations of corn, beans, salt and
cooking oil to more than 1,060 households, as well as climate-resilient
seeds for food crops. Micronutrient supplements are also being provided
to children to ensure them a proper start in life.

But Sammy Matua, a CWS staff member based in the agency’s East Africa
regional office in Nairobi, noted that drought in 2012 will continue to
pressure not just those living in rural areas but also those in urban
settings.

"The question for us in the coming years is, 'How do you do
development?' Drought will be with us for some time but we need to
implement mitigation strategies so that it when it strikes severely next
time, we will be less vulnerable – we'll be able to 'live the drought,'
navigate around it, and reduce the vulnerabilities."

In Latin America, an ongoing concern as Haiti marks the second
anniversary of the January 2010 earthquake will be to continue what
Martin Coria, CWS Latin America regional coordinator, calls the
continuing “empowering and dignifying response” in that Caribbean
nation, with CWS emphasizing in its work building local capacity and
developing sustainability.

“The ability of Haiti's leadership -- government, civil society,
religious community, economic elite -- to agree upon concrete actions to
bring justice for the Haitian poor, especially the most vulnerable, will
be a key challenge during 2012,” Coria said.

CWS has fought hunger in the United States and around the world for
more than 60 years. The agency sponsors 1,532 CWS CROP Hunger Walks each
year in communities across the U.S., which raise millions of dollars for
domestic and global hunger-fighting programs.  CWS is a member of the
international ACT Alliance of faith-based humanitarian assistance and
development organizations.
 
Media Contact: 
Lesley Crosson, 212-870-2676, lcrosson@churchworldservice.org
Jan Dragin, 781-925-1526, jdragin@gis.net