Aid agency warns of imminent famine disaster in Ethiopia

NEW YORK (June 19, 2008) - International aid organization Concern Worldwide is warning the global food crisis is hitting Ethiopia and threatens to set off a 1984-like famine in parts of the country if immediate action is not taken. Rising food costs compounded with serious drought in the Horn of Africa have culminated into a deadly problem for millions of Ethiopia's poorest.

"Health and food distribution centers are already being overwhelmed by the numbers of children attending. The immediacy of the crisis needs to be stressed. Unless urgent and effective aid is provided, thousands may die," said Paul O'Brien, Concern's Overseas Director.

With more than four million people in need of emergency food assistance in addition to eight million already receiving aid, widespread famine may be imminent. The cost of food has risen sharply in recent months, crops are drying out and livestock are dying. The Ethiopian Government has appealed to donors and the international community for outside support.

With more than 20 years experience working in Ethiopia, Concern has launched a $3 million emergency appeal to scale up its hunger response and prevention. The organization has also deployed members of its Emergency Response Team to determine the most urgent needs and respond accordingly.

"The teams in Ethiopia are being forced to make awful choices. There are around 100 malnourished children arriving at the clinics each day," said Aine Fay, Concern's Country Director in Ethiopia. "Because there are not enough resources to treat everyone, we have to focus on children under five and turn the others away. We are having to choose between life and death and we shouldn't have to do that."

Concern is providing food to 1,500 malnourished children and pregnant women, numbers which are expected to double over the next two weeks. Working in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Concern is providing staff, transportation and helping with food distribution, including the use of the highly nutritious therapeutic food, Plumpy'nut peanut paste, which requires no preparation and can easily be fed to malnourished children. Using Plumpy'nut, Concern's Community-based Therapeutic Care program (CTC) enables home based treatment for the growing number of severely malnourished children. As demand for the ready to use therapeutic food grows, stocks of Plumpy'nut are dwindling, prices are climbing and local production is being slowed by power shortages.

- Aine Fay, Concern's Country Director in Ethiopia, is available for interview. Please contact Justin Schair at +1 212 557-8000 or justin.schair@concern.net for more information