By The New York Times, May 22, 2017 A year ago, the United States spent a record $1.1 trillion on domestic and foreign aid, and nearly half of that was to help African countries.
But that’s changed in the past year.
Africa has been hit hard by the Zika virus and the economic crisis, while the United Kingdom, with its relatively small population, has been forced to pull out of the EU and move to the European Economic Area.
But the United Nations’ World Food Program says that the continent has been in a “full-blown humanitarian crisis,” with one-third of its population suffering from food insecurity.
It’s also had a particularly bad year, with the continent’s economy, and especially its agriculture, suffering.
Here’s what’s been happening in Africa.
1.
Zimbabwe is a humanitarian disaster The United Nations has called the country a humanitarian crisis.
The Zimbabwean government is now struggling to feed itself, with a record amount of food going to the country’s most vulnerable citizens.
There are still over 1 million people living on less than $2 a day, according to the World Food Programme, with many of them without access to clean drinking water and sanitation, according the BBC.
The United States has given $2.6 billion to help the country, while Australia has provided $3.1 billion.
The food aid is largely for farmers and poor people, but the money has also been used to rebuild roads and water facilities that have been destroyed by the pandemic.
2.
China is in a crisis China is experiencing a humanitarian and economic crisis.
While the country is trying to get its economy back on track, there’s been a spike in food prices and a decrease in imports.
In January, the Chinese government announced it would impose a 50 percent price hike for food in the country over two years.
Prices for rice, bread, noodles and other staples have also been cut, as have prices for food staples such as milk, eggs and meat.
That’s resulted in some families going without a basic meal.
3.
The Ebola crisis is also hitting Africa The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has seen a spike of new cases since the end of April, according CNN.
With over 7,000 people infected, the outbreak is still growing and it’s likely that more than 30,000 more will contract the disease over the next month.
More than 2,000 new cases have been confirmed in Guinea alone, according WHO, with another 3,000 cases reported in Liberia.
Many African countries have closed borders and the outbreak has been blamed on people smuggling networks.
4.
South Africa is also in a humanitarian emergency South Africa’s economy is in trouble as well, with more than 3 million people out of work.
The country is facing its second recession in two years, and a new study suggests that it will see unemployment hit another record high of nearly 20 percent this year.
There is a $6.5 billion deficit for the year.
The government is working to close some of the gaps, including the gap between education and jobs, according The Washington Post.
5.
India is in crisis In India, the government has declared a state of emergency in all 32 districts and has taken action to stop people smuggling, the BBC reports.
But some of these measures haven’t helped.
The central government says it is “not able to provide enough resources” to provide healthcare and food aid to those who need it.
That could mean that some of those who are suffering the most will have to go without.
6.
Egypt is in the middle of a humanitarian catastrophe Egypt is facing a humanitarian humanitarian crisis as well.
Egypt has been plagued by food shortages for the past two years due to the global financial crisis, with inflation topping 40 percent.
The crisis has resulted in people living in desperate conditions, including in the northern Sinai Peninsula.
Many people are also suffering from malaria, and food insecurity is the biggest factor contributing to this.
7.
Iran is in an economic crisis While Iran has made significant economic progress in recent years, the country has seen an unprecedented increase in food and other imports, the Associated Press reports.
That has led to the Iranian government cutting the amount of cash it spends on foreign aid to just $5.4 billion in 2020.
It is also cutting back on its subsidies, which have allowed the country to cut its debt from $1 trillion to just under $1 billion at the end 2016.
8.
Nigeria is facing an economic disaster Nigeria’s economy has been on the decline for years due largely to a devastating famine that began in the 1990s.
The number of children under five in the population has dropped from nearly 50 million in 1992 to just over 8 million today.
Many of the deaths from malnutrition have been caused by the lack of basic food and medicine, according AP. 9.
The Philippines is facing the largest food crisis since World War II The Philippines has been dealing with an unprecedented food crisis in the wake of the devastating drought.
In April, the