Hunger in Ethiopia - Exercise Good Citizenship and Write Your Representatives!

There is frightening news from the Horn of Africa. Drought and rising food prices are threatening massive populations of people, including Ethiopia. Do something now, please. Copy and paste the letter below and send it to your public servants. Please, practice good citizenship and make a difference.

My special thanks to ML for helping to draft this letter for our forum of PAPs and APs adopting from Ethiopia. I sent copies to Senator Feingold, Senator Kohl, and my Congress WOMAN, Tammy Baldwin.

Find your Representative in the House:
http://www.house.gov/house/MemberWWW_by_State.shtml
Find your Senators here: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Dear Senator,

I am writing to request your immediate, strong action in securing emergency food aid from the U.S. government for the people of Ethiopia. With the failure of seasonal rains and rising food prices, Ethiopia is facing one of the most serious food crises in recent history. This crisis will continue months without immediate and large scale aid. Doctors Without Borders and other trusted agencies are reporting dramatic increases in lack of food, malnutrition, and starvation.

In a recent news report by the Associated Press, “the U.N. children's agency characterized this year's food shortage — in which an estimated 4.5 million people are in need of emergency food aid — as the worst since 2003, when droughts led 13.2 million people to seek such aid. In 2000, more than 10 million needed emergency food.” Studies by the International Medical Corps in southern Ethiopia — the epicenter of the crisis — show that up to one in four young mothers is showing signs of moderate malnutrition.

UNICEF reports that an estimated 126,000 children are in need of urgent treatment for severe malnutrition. Among children under five years of age, six million face the risk of acute malnutrition.This crisis is generating suffering that calls for intervention now.

In a population where more than 80% of the people live off the land, food is the essential resource that ensures life for Ethiopians. In the mid 80’s the world moved too late to avert starvation in Ethiopia. Conditions are worsening in Ethiopia. Please help and insist that our government increase food aid and essential non food aid to Ethiopia immediately.

The United States and Ethiopia benefit from a high degree of mutual cooperation on several important fronts. Addressing critical levels of hunger and malnutrition in Ethiopia must be a top priority in our alliance with the Ethiopian people and our nation’s global efforts to end the food crisis in the world.

Thank you for your attention to this crisis. I am counting on your action.

Sincerely,

For the news report referred to above, please read the following articles:http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080609/ap_on_re_af/ethiopia_hunger
http://www.irinnews.org/Report.aspx?ReportId=78443