Hunger
Hunger
Oxfam Designs Strategies to Develop Africa
Oxfam, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), has announced its upcoming developmental strategies to ensure good health, water, sanitation and better livelihood among the needy and vulnerable in Africa.
Oxfam West African Regional Director, Aboubacry Tall, points out that the organisation has plans to ensure that the poor and needy had access to food, clothing, shelter, potable water, good health care and education in Ghana and Africa as a whole.
Tall says that about 28 million pounds was raised in 2014 from private bodies and bilateral donors including the British, German and United States governments to assist Ebola affected countries of Liberia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Mali.
To read the article titled, “Oxfam designs strategies to develop Africa,” click here.Source:Ghana WebStandard of Living Better in SA: Stats SA
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) poor South Africans enjoy a better standard of living compared to their counterparts in many other countries.
The latest figures released by Statistics South Africa puts the country's extreme poverty line at R26 a day per person.
This is almost double the international line for extreme poverty, at about R14 per day. Lack of proper housing, malnutrition and hunger are some of the characteristics of poverty.
To read the article titled, “Standard of living better in SA,” click here.Source:SABC NewsGrowing Poverty in South Africa
Statistics South Africa (Stats SA) says the number of South Africans living in poverty has increased since 2010.
Statistician general, Pali Lehohla, states that in 2010, 20 percent of South Africa's population fell below the poverty line.
Lehohla, who maintains that poverty has increased to 21.5 percent in 2014, adds that, "The same is true for the austere poverty line, which stipulates the threshold below which one has to sacrifice some food to obtain some basic non-food items."
To read the article titled, “Growing poverty in SA,” click here.Source:Fin 24Call for Progress on Climate Change and Poverty
Nobel laureate, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, says almost one billion more people will face a life of extreme poverty unless world leaders make progress on poverty and climate change at two crucial summits this year.
Tutu is backing ‘action/2015’, a campaign which was launched by 1 000 groups - representing interests ranging from human rights and the environment to development and health - to put pressure on governments ahead of a United Nations summit in September 2014.
The New York summit is expected to see world leaders agree on a set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for the next 15 years to replace and build on the 15-year-old Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which expire this year.
To read the article titled, “Malala, Tutu back global anti-poverty push,” click here.Source:Times LiveChild Grants Likely to Extend to 23 Years
Talks are under way in government to possibly extend child grants for needy children from 18 years of age to 23.
According to City Press newspaper, the proposal has been met with mixed reaction, with some roleplayers welcoming it and others questioning the timing of the move and saying that such a step will make people that much more dependent on government.
Lumka Oliphant, spokesperson for the minister of social development, Bathabile Dlamini, responded to enquiries by saying no policy decision had yet been taken, but Dlamini had begun talks about the issue.
“This is about our investment in human capital,” she adds.
To read the article titled, “Child grants until age 23,” click here.Source:City PressPolicies Lift Millions Out of Poverty
The World Bank says South Africa's fiscal policies lifted 3.6 million people out of poverty in 2010/11.
The South African Economic Update, found that South Africa's fiscal policies are cutting the rates of poverty and inequality, and that tax and social benefits are effectively redistributing income from rich to poor.
World Bank economist, Catriona Purfield, points out that, "We find that fiscal policy is very progressive in South Africa - it benefits the poor more than the rich."
To read the article titled, “3.6 million people lifted out of poverty by SA fiscal policies: World Bank,” click hereSource:Times LiveAfricans Worst Affected by Undernourishment
Africa is lagging behind in tackling hunger with reports showing that over 25 percent of Africa’s population suffer from acute undernourishment.
According to the 2014 Hunger Map and a report titled the ‘State of Food Insecurity in the World: Strengthening the Enabling Environment for Food Security and Nutrition’ jointly prepared by World Food Programme (WFP), the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the number of hungry people has fallen by over 200 million since 1992.
The report says 805 million people, or one in nine of the world’s population, go to bed hungry each night, adding that sub-Saharan Africa is in the worst condition worldwide with one in four of its people suffering from undernourishment.
To read the article titled, “Sub-Saharan Africans worst affected by undernourishment,” click here.Source:Mail and GuardianCall to Tackle Poverty, Unemployment
Small Business Development Minister, Lindiwe Zulu, has warned that people will rise up if there is no change in the levels of inequality, unemployment and poverty in South Africa.
Speaking at the South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry conference in Johannesburg, Zulu pointed out that, "When the people that have been struggling for many, many years find that the gap between the poor and the rich keeps on expanding, one day they will get up and say enough is enough…”
She is of the view that if that happens, the government that will go out with guns blazing to shoot them, adding that, “Marikana was a very good example for us, we are not going to make that happen again."
To read the article titled, “No change in inequality, poverty, unemployment will lead to people rising up: Lindiwe Zulu,” click here.Source:Times LiveCall for a Realistic Approach to End Hunger
Oxfam says that a more holistic and integrated approach needs to be developed to end the scourge of hunger in South Africa.
Oxfam Economic Justice Campaign manager, Rashmi Mistry, says that according to the report ‘The Hidden Face of Hunger in South Africa’, low incomes, rising costs, a lack of access to productive resources and climate change are amongst the reasons causing 13 million people to go to bed hungry.
“In our dialogue with government, we discovered that the gap between their implementation, policies and strategies is very far from what people actually need and are experiencing on the ground and that needs to change.”
To read the article titled, “Ending hunger needs a more realistic approach: Oxfam,” click here.Source:SABC NewsSouth Africans to Celebrate World Food Day
16 October is World Food Day and as the 20th World Food Day since the inception of democracy in South Africa, a grim shadow of hunger and malnutrition hangs over the gains of the democratic era.
In his article, Daniel Mclaren argues that while Section 27 of the South African Constitution guarantees the right to have access to sufficient food to all people in our country, a growing body of research on access to sufficient and nutritious food shows that this most basic of rights remains far from being fulfilled for millions of South Africans.
He further states that as a result of lack of access to nutritious food, South Africa is experiencing a double crisis of both underweight and overweight adults.
To read the article titled, “As World Food Day approaches, one in four South Africans are hungry,” click here.Source:All Africa
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