17 hours ago
Hunger crisis deepens in Haiti, a UN-declared famine hot spot
STORY: Extreme hunger is worsening in 13 global hot spots.
A joint United Nations and World Food Programme report on Monday warned that places like Gaza, Sudan, and Haiti are at immediate risk of famine without urgent intervention.
The 'Hunger Hotspots' report blames conflict, economic shocks, and climate risks for hunger crises in the hardest-hit regions.
A famine is declared when 20% of people face severe food shortages, 30% of children are malnourished,-
-and two in 10,000 die daily from starvation or disease.
Reuters was in Haiti, one of the places at immediate risk.
Gang violence has displaced thousands here, with more than 8,000 people facing severe hunger, according to the report.
Standing outside tents in the capital city of Port-au-Prince, local resident Schneider says hunger is ravaging the Haitian community, with many going all day without food, and he says there is no government support.
While trying to find food to feed her children, Renette tells Reuters how serious the hunger crisis is for her:
'The famine is hard in Port-au-Prince. I am about to die, the kids are about to die. I have nobody, I have no one to call. Since this morning I haven't given them anything yet. Where you see me sitting now, it's thanks to some neighbors. I will go and check to get something to cook, to feed them, but I don't see how because the famine is hard, the famine is hard. We are about to die.'
The report predicts food crises in the next five months and said that aid delivery was being undermined by insecurity and funding gaps.
A World Food Programme executive warned that this was a red alert and said, "Without funding and access, we cannot save lives."
Some countries such as Ethiopia, Kenya, and Lebanon have improved and were removed from the Hunger Hotspots list.
