Emergency aid will ease East African hunger, but it's not the solution

Jul 8 2011

In a Guardian opinion piece, Nicholas Young, chief executive of the British Red Cross, writes about ongoing hunger in East Africa and how it ideally should be addressed. "Today's situation is so dire that in many cases emergency food aid is the only realistic option. But, while it undoubtedly saves lives, it doesn't help build resilience, and can, in fact, destabilize local markets and lock families into dependency," Young notes.

He concludes, "Emergency food aid appeals save lives, but they don't solve the root problem. That requires a different, less sensational engagement with the media, with government and with the public - and it needs to be achieved before any of us are able to offer real solutions to extreme hunger in Africa" (7/6).