Amid rising hunger, many displaced people say they are tempted to return home to access their fields, remaining food stocks and feed their families, but face the increasing threats of attacks. Other displaced people have to make a different but equally painful choice: staying in a besieged area where shortage of food has turned so critical that only leaves are left to eat, or risking a days’ long walk to reach a place where they can hopefully feed their children. Dozens of women from Mansila town have trekked in the past few weeks to Sebba town with their children in tow, some of them dying of exhaustion and hunger on the road. “People feel they are no longer part of Burkina. We feel that we are not worthy of assistance. Hunger makes you scream for help but no one’s coming,” said Bandé, a mother who just escaped from Mansila. “If the choice is dying on the way, or dying of hunger in Mansila, better at least die trying to get out,” she said. Date: 02 September 2021 Location: Dori, Sahel region, Burkina Faso Photo: Tom Peyre-Costa /NRC

NGO Statement on House Bill Threatening Global Anti-Hunger Programs

InterAction|Published 23. Jun 2023
With as many as 828 million people facing chronic hunger and 45 million children suffering acute malnutrition globally, legislation introduced today by Rep. Mann (R-KS), Rep. Garamendi (D-CA), Rep. Crawford (R-AR), and Rep. Panetta (D-CA) would effectively end critical U.S. programs designed to fight global hunger and build communities’ resilience. This is a dangerous proposition for millions of children and families around the world.

The legislation subverts the mandate of Food for Peace Title II and would make it nearly impossible to implement resilience-building programs that help communities feed themselves and bounce back from stresses like droughts or price shocks. The loss of these programs would leave 3 million people without assistance, pushing them closer to extreme hunger. These programs make up a small portion of Food for Peace Title II but play an integral role in proactively preventing future crises. Evidence shows that these programs are a good use of taxpayer dollars – every $1 invested in building people’s resilience saves $3 in more expensive humanitarian aid and losses that dig families into a deeper hole.

This legislation would also prohibit the use of local and regional procurement and market-based assistance across Food for Peace Title II, undercutting the development of strong local markets and leaving communities dependent on aid. This is strategically unwise. Communities that have strong food systems are more stable and more likely to become trade partners of the U.S.—ultimately, boosting the U.S. economy and reducing potential threats to U.S. national interests.

American commodities, particularly in emergency humanitarian settings, are life-saving and an important source of food for communities in crisis. Food for Peace Title II distributed nearly 1.8 million metric tons of U.S. food commodities in 21 countries last year. American farmers are proud to be able to feed their communities. Farmers in low-income, food insecure countries around the world should have the opportunity to do the same.

We support efforts to strengthen Food for Peace Title II resilience programs to promote dignity, mitigate the ongoing global food crisis, and help more people feed themselves. This bill would do just the opposite.

 

NRC USA signed onto the above statement by InterAction with the following organizations:

  • Action Against Hunger
  • Adventist Development and Relief Agency
  • Bread for the World
  • CARE USA
  • Catholic Relief Services
  • Corus International
  • FHI 360
  • Food for the Hungry
  • Global Communities
  • Heartland Alliance International
  • Helen Keller Intl
  • Humanity & Inclusion
  • Humentum
  • InterAction
  • International Rescue Committee
  • Islamic Relief USA
  • Mercy Corps
  • ONE Campaign
  • Oxfam America
  • Save the Children
  • The Hunger Project
  • UNICEF USA
  • World Vision

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Please contact InterAction’s Sara Nitz Nolan with questions.