Africa

The number of people facing crisis levels of hunger in Zambia is projected to jump 72%, as anticipated El Niño drought and the conflict in the Middle East threaten to push more families into hunger.

The number of children receiving treatment for the most dangerous form of malnutrition in Baidoa, south central Somalia, nearly tripled in six months, according to new figures from Save the Children’s stabilization centre in the region, warning over the country’s worsening drought and hunger crisis.

At least 189 children have now died in the latest Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) with thousands more living with fear and trauma and in need of mental health support after witnessing loss in their communities.

Hunger in Madagascar is set to escalate dramatically later this year, with the number of people facing crisis levels projected to jump by 75% and about one in 10 children under five suffering or expected to suffer from acute malnutrition.

When 16-year-old Lily’s house was flooded in the early hours of the morning, she fled with her family to a nearby school, which was converted into an evacuation centre. Many of the family’s possessions were washed away and the walls of one of their buildings were knocked down. Many crops and seeds were lost from the family farm, making it difficult for the family to find food in the flood’s aftermath.While she was at the evacuation centre, Lily joined Save the Children’s Child Friendly Space and received training in handwashing and water treatment from the Emergency Health Unit. Lily is passionate about teaching her sister and other children in her community how to wash their hands to prevent infectious disease such as cholera.

More than 5,500 children are among the 11,000 people newly displaced in the wake of escalating violence in and around the city of El Obeid in North Kordofan, Sudan, with thousands more at risk.

Using puppets, songs, and musical statues, children as young as four in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are to be taught about Ebola in a new programme aiming to tackle misinformation, Ebola denial, and protect families.

Families and children in South Sudan’s eastern Jonglei state are surviving on leaves and water lilies as hunger surges towards famine levels in parts of the country following three months of escalating violence.

One daily truth we ignore is we treat the environment like WiFi. We only notice it when the network is slow or when it’s gone. But unlike WiFi, we can’t just reset the planet and try again.

About half of children under 5 in Somalia are facing acute malnutrition as poor rains and rising costs drive up hunger levels, with risk of famine announced for the first time in four years.