Women leaders calling to #HelpFightFamine
Stories | January 23, 2024 | Author: Stevie Wills, Community Education Officer, CBM Australia
Three weeks ago, I joined 36 passionate Christian women from around Australia in Canberra to participate in Micah Australia’s Women’s Leadership Delegation.
Along with CBM Director of International Programming, Edwina Faithfull-Farmer, we spoke to 45 politicians in small lobby groups, asking them to #HelpFightFamine.
Worldwide, up to 50 million people are on the brink of famine. Over half a million children in Somalia are at risk of dying from hunger. This is not the story of hunger that we’ve heard before. This is unprecedented.
How did we get here?
The three Cs:
- Climate change has caused crops to be destroyed and lands to become infertile. The Horn of Africa has seen its third consecutive drought and is facing a fourth this year.
- COVID-19 has disrupted supply chains.
- Conflict from the war in Ukraine has resulted in soaring prices for food and agricultural supplies. The Horn of Africa relies heavily on wheat exports from Russia and Ukraine, but exports have diminished.
Our lobby groups asked the Government for:
- A $150 million famine prevention package
- An investment in a long-term, targeted Global Food Security Strategy
It was a privilege to advocate alongside these amazing women, to receive an invitation from Micah Australia and be counted as a leader in the sector on advocacy. I am a person with a disability, and I am seen to have a voice.
I spoke to the Government about the food crisis, which has a much greater impact on people with disabilities. During crises, people with disabilities are among the most marginalised, being two to four times more likely to die. They face additional barriers to accessing food and benefitting from humanitarian efforts.
We must act now to prevent more suffering before it is too late.
To add your voice to ours by writing to your Member of Parliament, go to
https://www.fightfamine.com.au
https://www.cbm.org.au/stories/women-leaders-calling-to-help-fight-famine
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