Save the Children Africa says that children in Burkina Faso are currently facing a high level of hunger emergency, which is set to surge up to fivefold by the middle of the year if there’s no immediate intervention.
It also disclosed that many families are also experiencing insecurities because they are not sure when their next meal will come because of the rise in the price of food items.
The number of children suffering from hunger was calculated and shown in the Cadre Harmonisé, a regional framework that identifies food and nutrition insecurity in the Sahel and West Africa.
A report states that 1.4 million children in Burkina Faso, ranging from one to seven, will face hunger in June and August, the months between harvests. It is predicted that hunger will be at its peak by then.
The hunger attack has also prevented children from going to school, where they could most often find food. As of the end of March, over 5,300 were closed down because of this issue.
A girl whose name is Alima*, 18 years old, who was forced to flee her home, said:
“The food crisis affects everyone, but the sad reality is that it’s children who suffer most. We frequently see children forced to work hard because their parents are unable to provide for their basic needs, including food. Many young girls and children are given away too early to men in the hope that they will help their households get through the food crisis and poverty in general.
“I’ve seen this kind of case in my neighbourhood. A 14-year-old girl whose parents wanted to give her away in marriage to a rich man who works in a gold mine in the hope of earning enough to meet the family’s basic needs. Fortunately, their school principal objected. If the principal hadn’t intervened, this girl’s future, and perhaps even her life, would have been over.
The Save the Children’s country director for Burkina Fasco, Benoit Delsarte, said:
“Around 1.4 million children in Burkina Faso are facing a hunger crisis. About one five of them will face extreme levels of hunger as conflict and climate change drive children and families into a truly dire situation.
” As communities try to cope with rising rates of hunger, rising violence, and the negative effects of climate change, children are bearing the brunt on all fronts. Families are resorting to extreme measures like pulling their children out of school, as well as child marriage.
“International donors must urgently step up their support for Burkina Faso to prevent an already dire situation from becoming a between June and September. We also need to see increased action on climate change globally, which disproportionately affects children in some of the world’s poorest countries, like Burkina Faso.”
The country is currently in ruin because of poverty and food insecurity. Also, the temperature in the Sahel is rapidly rising, 1.5 times faster than the average temperature globally. The country is also facing a climate crisis, which has adverse effects on the crops, food production, and the general livelihood of many families and their children.
Discover more from Infodorm
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.