Africa continues to face a serious food crisis with millions of children and families suffering from hunger.
Children are the most vulnerable to hunger. Malnutrition leads to life-threatening impacts, including hindered physical development and even death.
Compassion is working to fight hunger in Africa by partnering with local churches to deliver food packs, malnutrition monitoring and other interventions.
We know hunger to be that uncomfortable feeling we get when we haven’t eaten enough. But hunger that doesn’t go away due to a lack of nutritious food leads to life-threatening malnutrition. And this is the reality for millions of children and families in Africa.
Facts About Hunger in Africa
Africa is facing a serious hunger crisis. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one in 11 people worldwide faced hunger in 2023. However, that number is significantly higher in Africa, where one in five people suffers from hunger.
While many countries face hunger, Africa is home to the hardest hit. According to data from the WHO, the percentage of the population facing hunger is 20.4 percent but continues to rise. With this current trajectory, it’s estimated that around 582 million people will be chronically malnourished in 2030, half of them in Africa.
Sadly, children are often the hardest hit when it comes to hunger. According to UNICEF, one in three children in Africa lives in severe child food poverty. And children who suffer this level of food poverty are up to 50 percent more likely to suffer from life-threatening malnutrition.
Children and Malnutrition
It’s important to understand how hunger and malnutrition impact children. Child hunger hinders a child’s development, leaving them stunted and unable to grow as intended. And without good nutrition, a child’s immune system is compromised, putting them at risk of disease and complications from injuries.
Children under the age of five are especially vulnerable to the effects of child hunger, which include wasting, child starvation, diabetes and other diseases, and even damage to the brain.
What Are the Causes of Hunger in Africa?
There are many causes of hunger in Africa, including:
Poverty: Poverty is a number one cause of hunger around the world, including in Africa. For those who live in poverty, nutritious food is often a luxury they can’t afford. It’s not uncommon for families to eat once per day or every couple of days. Many families must choose between food and shelter, medical care or other necessities.
Conflict: Many armed conflicts are occurring in Africa across the continent, including in places like Burkina Faso and Ethiopia. Sadly, conflict leads to the loss of local food resources as crops and livestock are plundered or destroyed. It also leads to displacement where people flee conflict and lose access to their previous food sources.
Weather extremes: Increasing weather-related natural disasters are destroying agricultural production. In east, central and southern Africa, drought and intermittent flooding during rain seasons have been devastating to impoverished families reliant on growing their own food.
A History of Hunger and Famine in Africa
1966 to 1967 — Biafran Famine: During Biafra’s secession war from Nigeria, a blockade was established by Nigeria. As many as two million civilians died from starvation caused by the stalemate. This famine was the first to be publicized by mass media in Western countries.
1970s to 1980s — The Sahel Drought: The Sahel is the transitional zone between the Sahara Desert and the humid savanna. A drought in the Sahel region from the late 1960s to the 1980s created poor grazing conditions for cattle, which resulted in famine. Over one million people starved in Mali, Chad, Niger, Mauritania and Burkina Faso.
1983 to 1985 — Ethiopia Famine: The 1980s Ethiopia famine was one of the worst humanitarian events of the 20th century. Recurring drought and failed harvests combined with civil war resulted in an estimated one million starvation deaths.
1991 to 1992 — Somalia Famine: Due to drought and civil war, many Somalis were unable to produce or receive food. The resulting famine took the lives of 350,000 people.
1998 to 2000 — Eritrean-Ethiopian War: A border war between Ethiopia and Eritrea killed or wounded many citizens and used precious economic resources. The war’s destruction combined with three consecutive years of drought led to the loss of livestock, population displacement and malnutrition. An estimated 10 million people were placed at risk of starvation.
1998 to 2003 — The Second Congo War: Known as Africa’s World War, the Second Congo War was the widest interstate war in modern African history. Nearly four million Africans died during the conflict, mainly from starvation and disease.
2005 to 2006 — Niger Food Crisis: In 2004, a severe drought and locust invasion destroyed up to 100% of the crop in regions of Niger. More than three million people were left short of food, and many became malnourished and vulnerable to disease.
2011 to 2012 — East Africa Famine: A severe drought across East Africa caused the famine in Somalia, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Keny, Uganda and other neighboring countries, resulting in an estimated 285,000 deaths.
2015 to 2016 — El Niño Drought: One of the strongest El Niños on record created a severe drought in southern and eastern Africa. The drought damaged crops, causing food insecurity for more than 50 million people.
2020 — COVID-19 Lockdowns: During COVID-19 lockdowns, many laborers lost their means of income. Additionally, the response time to humanitarian crises, such as locust invasions, was slowed. As a result, the rate of Africans in extreme poverty and of acute malnutrition surged.
2021 to Present — Global Food Crisis: Launched by the economic impacts of the 2019 pandemic, an unprecedented food crisis has been fueled by a number of situations, including inflation, supply shortages, weather extremes, the war in Ukraine and regional conflict.
How Compassion Helps Fight Hunger in Africa
Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. — Psalm 82:3, NIV
At Compassion, we take this call seriously by fighting back against poverty and hunger. We partner with local churches in impoverished communities throughout Africa to deliver critical nutrition care to children and families in need.
These local churches provide a wide range of support. For example, they might deliver emergency feeding and vitamin supplements to children suffering from acute malnutrition. Or they might provide food packs or send direct cash transfers to families suffering from hunger.
For the children we serve through our child sponsorship program, local churches provide daily nutritious meals and snacks. Each child is also monitored closely for malnutrition and given additional care when needed.
Through these interventions, Compassion is working to reduce hunger in eight African countries (and counting). You can join us in the fight against hunger by donating or sponsoring a child in Africa.
