Itumeleng Mafisa

The aid situation in Somalia will come under the spotlight in Pretoria this morning when aid organisations re-look at intervention in the Horn of Africa.

The SA Red Cross Society will lead the discussion which will have participants including civil society organisations such as the Kenyan Diaspora in SA and the Institute for Democracy in SA. Corporates, including the Vodacom Foundation, which has previously donated to the Somali cause, will also attend the meeting.

The society said in a statement the discussions would address the drought situation in the Horn of Africa.

Vodacom executive director Mthobi Tyamzashe thanked the company’s customers for heading the call to help. “Vodacom takes pleasure in commending the high number of subscribers who accepted the invitation to join the company in raising funds, via its sms platform, towards the plight of the Somalian citizens.

“The R100000 raised from subscriber donations helped raise the total contribution that has been channelled via the SA Red Cross Society to R500000.”

In Somalia, the International Committee of the Red Cross has been working with the Somali Red Crescent to address the humanitarian crisis. They have been distributing food with the aim of assisting some 1.1 million drought- and war-affected people across the hardest-hit areas of southern and central Somalia.

The first round of distributions took place in the Gedo region and other areas. In Gedo, 72000 people have been provided with enough beans, oil and rice to cover their needs for one month. Several more rounds are planned to take place until December 2011.

The discussion in Pretoria this morning will therefore seek to emphasise the need to invest in long-term solutions and to support initiatives to prevent future crises.

“While food distributions are needed to relieve immediate suffering, the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement is also focused on providing the affected population in the Horn, with the means to sustain their own livelihoods,” said ­Winnie Ndebele, acting secretary-general of the South African Red Cross Society.

“We welcome the opportunity to enter into dialogue with all concerned humanitarians and more importantly to acknowledge their support in ensuring that we are investing in long-term sustainability of vulnerable, pastoralist populations.”

itumelengm@thenewage.co.za