July 28, 2014

South Sudan: On the brink of famine

South Sudan: On the brink of famine. Source: UNICEF. Date Published: July 28, 2014. Description:
Famine looms in South Sudan, where resurgent conflict has raised pre-existent emergency levels of undernutrition among children to grave heights. Nearly one million children under age 5 in South Sudan will require treatment for acute malnutrition in 2014, and without immediate intervention, it is estimated that 50,000 children could die from malnutrition by the end of the year. Further, one in every three people in the country faces dangerous levels of food insecurity, with many not knowing when and how they will secure their next meal. 
In Gaza the death of every child is magnified, the photo of every broken limb is plastered on social media. And for good reason. The innocent victims of monstrous regimes deserve our attention. Crimes against humanity need to be documented and exposed. But let's not focus all of our precious attention on a single conflict zone, problem, or crisis. That's a mistake that I usually make.

"This is happening off-camera. The world is simply not paying attention enough to South Sudan." - UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake.