But you knew that in a short time the next meal would be there for you. Knowing that a good meal was awaiting you allowed your slight hunger to actually whet your appetite.

Now imagine that you are very hungry and have no idea where the next meal will come from for you and your family. In this case your hunger is physically painful and terrifyingly stressful.

Imagine now that there is no work to be found, the drought has dried up your crops. Your livestock is dead. And you and your family have eaten the last seeds that were meant for next season's planting.

Now how are you feeling?

This is how many Africans are feeling, especially those in South Sudan, Somalia, Northeast Nigeria, and nearby Yemen. In these nations over 20 million people are facing famine and starvation.

Armed conflict and severe drought are the main engines driving this emergency - the world's largest humanitarian crisis since the end of World War II (see: http://arcg.is/2tjzoRe).

"Without collective and coordinated global efforts, people will simply starve to death" and "many more will suffer and die from disease," said Stephen O'Brien, U.N. under secretary-general for humanitarian affairs.

He emphasized that to avert a catastrophe, immediate adequate funding from wealthy nations is critical.

O'Brien said the largest humanitarian emergency was in Yemen - the Arab world's poorest nation - where two-thirds of the population - 18.8 million people - desperately need aid, and over seven million people are hungry and don't know where their next meal will come from (see: http://bit.ly/2ks1Mvt).

Compounding the famine, Yemen is now facing the world's worst cholera outbreak according to the U.N. which has placed blame on all sides of the nation's ongoing conflict between the U.S.-backed Saudi Arabia-led coalition and the Houthis (see: http://cbsn.ws/2ui2bph).

An editor friend of mine in Nigeria put me in touch with Bishop Stephen Mamza, head of the northeast Nigerian Diocese of Yola. Bishop Mamza sent me a report with his assessment of the crisis in Yola.

His report states that the U.N. World Food Program's response to the food crisis in Nigeria is critically underfunded, meaning that hundreds of thousands of food insecure Northeast Nigerians are not being helped.

Bishop Mamza wrote that he and other diocesan aid workers visited a makeshift settlement where "we met scores of hungry, malnourished and crying children who told us that they had not eaten for three days."

Caritas New Zealand is working with its partners in South Sudan to help save the lives of millions of people facing starvation, and responding to thousands of others in Kenya facing serious food shortages. Donate to the East Africa Crisis Appeal.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food" (Matt. 25: 31-46).

• Tony Magliano is an internationally syndicated social justice and peace columnist. He is available to speak at diocesan or parish gatherings about Catholic social teaching. His keynote address, "Advancing the Kingdom of God in the 21st Century," has been well received by diocesan and parish gatherings from Santa Clara, Calif. to Baltimore, Md. Tony can be reached at tmag@zoominternet.net

‘An estimated 13 million people are in grave danger,' says Caritas Director Julianne Hickey. ‘This has been brought on by severe drought, poor harvests, and rising food prices - made worse by regional conflict.'

‘Drought is a natural phenomenon, but famine is caused by human action - or inaction,' she says. Hundreds of thousands of people died needlessly in the Horn of Africa last year because the international community took too long to respond. Eventually, concerted action by humanitarian agencies helped avert a far greater disaster in most of the affected countries. ‘There is no excuse for people to die of hunger in our world today,' says Ms Hickey.

New Zealand's Foreign Minsiter Murray McCully also announced on Wednesday that the Government will provide $1 million to a United Nations food relief programme in the Sahel.

Donations to Caritas for the Sahel crisis can be made by:

• Phoning 0800 22 10 22 to make credit card donations or
• Donating online using a credit card at www.caritas.org.nz or
• Posting to Caritas, PO Box 12193, Thorndon, Wellington 6144, New Zealand.

The international Caritas network is providing a coordinated response across five of the most severely affected countries in the Sahel - Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, and Mauritania. In Niger alone, about 5.5 million people face hunger because of drought. Without assistance, communities are being forced to rely on traditional coping mechanisms. Some of these practices can make things worse in the long-term, such as burning trees to make charcoal or selling-off of livestock.

Caritas is distributing essential food to the most vulnerable; seeds and agricultural inputs for planting; and setting up both Food for Work and Cash for Work programmes. Young children, and pregnant and breast-feeding women, are the focus of special food assistance. The Caritas network is also establishing emergency water, hygiene and sanitation facilities in Niger, as thousands of refugees flee fighting in northern Mali between the country's army and a rebel group.

‘Intervention now will help prevent a catastrophic event such as we saw in the Horn of Africa,' says Ms Hickey.

Caritas Humanitarian Programmes Officer Mark Mitchell has just returned from Kenya, where he saw the difference that good, effective relief programmes made after last year's Horn of Africa drought.

‘Lessons have been learnt from the Horn of Africa,' says Mr Mitchell, ‘in terms of responding quicker and noticing the warning signs and thresholds of hardship earlier.'

‘I've seen the importance of Food for Work schemes in putting in place better water supplies, using better collection methods and improving access to water in the long term.'

Source

• Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand
• Radio New Zealand
• Image: The Guardian

Caritas Director Mike Smith said a concerted effort is being made by Caritas members around the world to raise funds and direct aid to the places of greatest need.

Over 10 million people, half of whom are children, face starvation in the worst drought in 60 years. The situation is exacerbated by conflict, rising food prices and plummeting livestock values.

Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand is working primarily through Trocaire (Caritas Ireland) and their Horn and East Africa Regional Office, as part of a coordinated Caritas response across Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia and Kenya.

Trocaire in conjunction with its local partners aims to provide immediate life-sustaining help for 18,000 drought-affected households across six districts in western Kenya. ‘Plans to provide basic food and water for four months will help ensure the people's survival and prevent erosion of assets,' says Mr Smith.

In addition, 4,500 pastoral-based households will have their livestock bought for cash. This will relieve the pressure on natural resources and provide an income source for the families. The livestock will be relocated to areas that still have grazing. These herds are planned to be restored to their original owners in four months time after expected short rains.

Affected communities will also be involved in rehabilitating waterholes, harvesting and regeneration of pastures. Drought-resistant seeds will be provided to make the most of the short rains in October. The development of community assets such as water dams will help provide resilience for the future.

Mr Smith welcomes the New Zealand government's $3 million towards alleviating the crisis, and its decision to allocate $1 million of that through New Zealand aid agencies responding to this crisis. Caritas is applying for up to $250,000 of these funds.

‘The gravity of the situation requires a huge response from the international community, as well as measures to address the underlying situations that have led to this crisis,' said Mr Smith. ‘We are quietly confident that New Zealanders will respond generously to this humanitarian crisis.'

Donations to Caritas can be made by:

• Phoning 0900 4 11 11 to make an automatic $20 donation from your phone account
• Phoning 0800 22 10 22 to make credit card donations or
• Donating online using a credit card at www.caritas.org.nz
• Posting to Caritas, PO Box 12193, Thorndon, Wellington 6144, New Zealand.