CARE International UK Releases "Living on the Edge" Report

NAIROBI (October 3, 2006) - More than 120 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are permanently living on the edge of a humanitarian emergency, according to a new report released today by CARE International UK. The report, Living on the Edge, calls on international donors to give higher priority to recovery and prevention programs, like seed distribution and improved veterinary services for livestock, that help families pull themselves back from the edge of disaster.

By 2020, according to the report, the world will have spent $309 billion fighting emergencies in Africa. But it's estimated that just $247 billion, if spent differently, could successfully cut hunger in half on the continent by 2015. Rather than focusing the humanitarian response on saving lives only in urgent emergencies, CARE challenges the international community to tackle the root causes of chronic poverty and put an end to the cycle of disasters.

Time and time again, says CARE, predictable problems are allowed to develop into deadly emergencies, with international response occurring only when there is sufficient political pressure to act. When the response comes, too often it treats only the symptoms of the problem, for example by delivering food aid, rather than addressing the underlying causes of hunger and malnutrition in the region.

The report argues that the solution to this problem lies in increased funding and priority for long-term development projects to help people recover from emergencies and prevent them from arising again. There are three key steps in CARE's proposed agenda for change:

• Preventative action: Funding must be made available early enough to counteract the first signs of impending emergency.
  
  
• Doing more than saving lives: When emergencies occur, humanitarian aid must do more than save lives, as important as that is - it must also sow the seeds of recovery.
  
  
• Sustained support: Funding must be sustained beyond the peak of a given emergency, providing reliable funding for long-term work.

Unless there is a radical change in how aid money is spent, CARE says, we will continue to waste billions of dollars on preventable emergencies. International donors must act now to help the millions of people perpetually living on the edge of disaster.