Somalia+Source+2

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"What Is Famine? - International Medical Corps." //Home - International Medical Corps//. International Medical Corps®, 2011. Web. 04 Oct. 2011. .

__**15 Facts:**__ __**WHAT IS FAMINE?**__ __**WHAT IS MALNUTRITION?**__ __**WHAT THEY ARE DOING TO HELP**__
 * 1) The United Nations (UN) has officially declared the dire situation in parts of southern Somalia, a famine
 * 2) And warns that without immediate and effective humanitarian intervention, famine could quickly spread throughout the country – taking thousands of lives.
 * 3) Of course accessibility to food – especially nutritious food – is critical.
 * 4) The current crisis in East Africa – especially taking into account the complexities of Somalia - will require a multi-faceted and long-term intervention. Not just food drops.
 * 5) “The world produces enough food to feed every man, woman and child on earth. Hunger and malnutrition therefore are not due to lack of food alone, but are also the consequences of poverty, inequality and misplaced priorities.” – UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, Kul C. Gautam
 * 6) Wracked with conflict for more than two decades, Somalia does not have a stable government or military to keep the peace, creating an environment where civilians are exposed to violence, economic insecurity and a complete lack of basic services
 * 7) What’s more, humanitarian agencies – until recently –have had little to no access to reach vulnerable populations within Somalia. As a result, hundreds of thousands of Somalis have already sought refuge in neighboring countries including Kenya and Ethiopia in search of safety and basic resources.
 * 8) Due to consecutive, dry rainy seasons, the worst drought in 60 years has exacerbated this existing crisis and is leading a dramatic increase in Somalis who require immediate humanitarian relief. Due to food insecurity, crop failure, rising food prices and ongoing conflict, many Somalis are enduring what has now been declared a famine by the UN and require urgent assistance.
 * 1) According to the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification Reference Table (the standard used by the UN):
 * 20 percent of population has fewer than 2,100 kilocalories of food a day
 * 30 percent of children are acutely malnourished
 * Two deaths per 10,000 people, or four deaths per 10,000 children per day
 * Pandemic illness
 * Access to less than four liters of water per day
 * Large-scale displacement
 * Civil strife
 * Complete loss of assets and source of income
 * Complete loss of assets and source of income
 * 1) Malnutrition – the state of being poorly nourished – is not merely a result of too little food, but of a combination of factors: insufficient protein, energy and micronutrients, frequent infections or disease, poor care and feeding practices, inadequate health services and unsafe water and sanitation. (UNICEF)
 * 2) Malnutrition is a major health problem, especially in developing countries. Water supply, sanitation and hygiene, given their direct impact on infectious disease, especially diarrhea, are important for preventing malnutrition.
 * 3) . Both malnutrition and inadequate water supply and sanitation are linked to poverty. The impact of repeated or persistent diarrhea on nutrition-related poverty and the effect of malnutrition on susceptibility to infectious diarrhea are reinforcing elements of the same vicious circle, especially amongst children in developing countries. (World Health Organization)
 * 1) As famine and malnutrition require a multi-faceted approach, International Medical Corps is working throughout East Africa to implement and/or expand nutrition, water/sanitation/hygiene, health care (including reproductive health) and gender-based violence and protection services.
 * 2) Near Dolo Ado in the Somali Region of Ethiopia, International Medical Corps is working with the Ethiopian Government’s Administration for Refugee and Returnee Affairs to provide immediate relief for drought-affected Somalis seeking asylum and basic resources in refugee camps
 * 3) worked in the camps since 2009-well-placed to immediately mobilize our local resources and community network to effectively deliver nutrition, sanitation, hygiene, mental health and reproductive health services to the most vulnerable.
 * 4) International Medical Corps has been operating in Somalia since 1991
 * 5) became the first American non-governmental organization to arrive in the war-torn Somali capital of Mogadishu after the overthrow of President Siad Barre
 * 6) humanitarian assistance has increased by 50 percent since April 2011