July 31, 2005
Sunday Herald
Dougray Scott Heads £10m Plea for Niger
by Jenifer Jonhstone

A SPECIAL appeal for the North African country of Niger, where 3.3 million people face starvation, has been launched by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC).

The umbrella group – which represents 13 UK charities including Concern, the Red Cross, Oxfam and Save The Children – is hoping to raise £10 million to help fund food aid and supplies to the drought-hit region.

Scottish actor Dougray Scott will front a television advert to be broadcast on Tuesday asking for donations to the appeal.

It was also revealed yesterday that Scottish philanthropist Sir Tom Hunter and the Band Aid Trust are to make a joint donation of £300,000 to the Unicef appeal for Niger.

The money will support more than 29,000 severely malnourished children in two of the worst-affected areas of Niger, and “help support security of food stock for the future”.

But Hunter said: “It seems to us almost criminal that if this crisis was being predicted months ago, as it was, that something was not done to avert this human tragedy.

“We must ask why and who is responsible?”

The donation will also allow Unicef to restock 50 grain and livestock feed banks in the worst-affected areas.

David Bull, executive director of Unicef UK, said: “We have an extremely severe food crisis in Niger and it’s the children that are paying the price – many with their lives.” John Kennedy, of the Band Aid Trust, added: “This is a very focused response that will not only support those children most in need of food, but also provide for sustainable food delivery by stocking and developing cereal banks.”

Yesterday, trucks carrying food finally began arriving in remote northern Niger, some eight months after aid agencies began asking for financial help from wealthy countries. Aid workers said they were increasingly concerned about the threat of malaria and diarrhoea to vulnerable children.

A locust swarm last year followed by drought has left a third of the population at risk of malnutrition, with children the hardest hit. “We thank God, even if the food came a little late,” said Mohammed Abdoulaye of the Agency For Muslims In Africa at one food storage centre.

The Red Cross confirmed that almost eight million people are at risk of hunger across the region taking in Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso.

DEC chief executive Brendan Gormley said “aid agencies have around £8m of supplies, food and medicine that they could purchase and start moving into the region very soon, but they need a way of paying for it. We need the public to donate whatever they can today to help us save lives. Every second counts.”




How could this happen?: page 18

www.dec.org.uk 

© 2005 Sunday Herald