Special collection set for West African food crisis

Development and Peace asks for donations to help Sahel region avoid disaster

A young man takes a break from digging half-moons at a Caritas Niger (CADEV)
Food-for-Work project near the village of Karma, 60 km west of the capital, Niamey.
Half-moons help harvest rainwater and create areas for farming.
Caritas Internationalis / Special to The B.C. Catholic.

The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP) is urging Vancouver Catholics to give generously during a special collection July 22 to help offset a humanitarian disaster in Western Africa:

According to Guy Desaulniers, the emergency relief officer for the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP), the arid region did not have a good harvest in 2011, and there has been recurring drought.

He said the people of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, northern Nigeria, and Senegal will not have a harvest until September. Five of those countries have declared states of emergency and have requested international aid.

Donations can be made to the CCODP fundraising effort at 1-888-664-3387 and at www.devp.org.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.