Charities say millions face food poverty

CHRISTCHURCH: Thirteen New Zealand aid groups have banded together to issue a stark warning today about millions of children plunged into hunger by the Covid19 pandemic.

The major aid agencies — Adra, Caritas, CBM, Child Fund, Hagar, Hope St, International Needs, Orphans Aid International, The Salvation Army, Save the Chil dren, Tearfund, VSA and World Vision — are calling on New Zealanders to help ‘‘resource their global neighbours’’ to help address the mounting disaster.

It follows the release yesterday of the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World by the United Nations, which estimates 778 million828 million people could this year go hungry.

While it is hard to predict, a preliminary assessment suggests Covid19 could add 83 million132 million to the number of undernourished people in the world.

Covid19 is compounding the situation and threatening to unravel decades of progress towards the reduction of extreme poverty, the groups say.

‘‘Without swift action, we will very likely see a rapid return to historic levels of poverty,’’ Council for International Development chairman and Tearfund chief executive Ian McInnes said.

‘‘With fractured food markets and rising unemployment, hunger levels and the numbers facing starvation are rising.’’

According to UN researchers, the pandemic could see another 395 million people plunged into extreme poverty.

Save the Children and Unicef said another 86 million children could fall into poverty by the end of this year.

‘‘People here have looked after their neighbours and the most vulnerable people in New Zealand,’’ World Vision New Zealand national director Grant Bayldon said.

‘‘Now it’s time to help our global neighbours, who have been hit

❛ Without swift action, we will very likely see a rapid return to historic levels of poverty Tearfund chief executive

Ian McInnes

harder than us.

‘‘Our most essential work right now is getting food and supplies to those in need, especially in refugee camps. Donations from Kiwis will support that work.’’

Mr Bayldon said the world had not had a disaster of this magnitude in recent history.

‘‘This is unlike a [localised] natural disaster because its impacts are not confined to one region, this is widespread and prolonged.’’

Mr McInnes said children in lowincome countries would need to be protected from not only the virus itself but also from ‘‘downstream effects’’, like a food security crisis that will significantly affect poorer places more than richer ones.

‘‘Kiwis can play a part in ensuring that children are properly supported and that the gains made in fighting poverty in recent years are not lost, by giving to an organisation working with children,’’ Mr McInnes said.

‘‘In lowincome countries, there aren’t the social welfare safety nets that Kiwis have access to, or the advanced health systems, Adra chief executive Denison Grellmann said.

Sanitation and social distancing were more challenging for those living in refugee camps or crowded urban slums.

‘‘Children are at greater risk of losing a parent or caregiver which can leave them destitute,’’ Mr Grellmann said.

Lockdowns had also severely affected children because parents had not been able to earn a living, Mr Grellmann noted, and families had been faced with being evicted because they couldn’t pay their rent. — The New Zealand Herald