HUMANITARIAN APPEAL FOR AFRICA

In a quest to alleviate poverty and meet up with the Millennium Developmental Goals, the United Nations on November 20, in a meeting with donors, civil society groups and non-governmental organizations in Geneva, appealed for a 7billion dollar humanitarian aid in 2009.

It was said that part of the fund will be directed to feed 2.3 million people affected by conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) where recently there has been an intense fighting that has escalated to displacing people from their homes and a serious epidemic looms. Moreover, 4.5 million people of Darfur in Sudan too will be enjoying a life-saving help from the United Nations, these amounts to 4.5% of the total population of Sudan. Not only that, the fund will be use to provide protection and assistance to about 1million of refugees and displaced people in Eastern Chad.Water,medicines,shelter and emergency schooling will also be provided to 3million conflict-affected Somalis.

Outrightly, it has been said that aids to Africa keep increasing every year from international organisations, multinationals, and charity foundations but development are not feasible in this part of the world. A question that leaders in Africa should begin to ponder about; afterall, there is the infant African Union that seems to create policies for good leadership in Africa. Much more, is the amount of human crisis that is been felt in Africa.

If the UN claims not to deal with government of countries, they should be able to do proper auditing of all these aids and grants that come into Africa every now and then. Is it that the NGO's are mismanaging the funds or is it a question of attitude towards implementing these figures seen on the pages of our papers everyday? One must ask "which way Africa?"-leadership or International organisations.Perhaps,it tends towards the attitude and vision that is out of place in our leadership.Therefore,if Somalia,DRC,Sudan and Chad are to be benefiting from these largesse, there should be proper monitoring of these funds to achieve the goals it was meant for.