25 Years after the 1984 Famine in Ethiopia

23/10/2009

International aid agency Oxfam has called for a radical shake-up in the way the world deals with food crises in Ethiopia and beyond. Although food aid can save lives, the Humanitarian Coalition member said the dominance of this approach fails to offer long-term solutions to break these cyclical and chronic crises.

In its report, “Band Aids and Beyond,” published to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the Ethiopia famine, Oxfam says international donors need to adopt a new approach to humanitarian disasters which  focuses on preparing communities to prevent and deal with disasters such as drought before they strike, rather than relying mainly on short-term emergency relief, such as imported food aid.

To read the report "Band Aids and Beyond", download it here.