PEOPLE WONDERING WHAT WILL KILL THEM FIRST, HUNGER OR COVID-19?
Message from the President & CEO - April 22, 2020 Dear Partner – The World Health Organization (WHO) is warning that in Africa COVID-19 could surge from just thousands now to 10 million in three to six months . Over the past week, cases in Africa have doubled. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General, shared, “Last week, there was a 51% increase in the number of reported cases on my own continent, Africa, and a 60% increase in the number of reported deaths.” Lockdowns across the continent are obliterating the African economy. According to the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, about 71% of Africa’s workforce is “informally employed.” A recent McKinsey report shows that the jobs or incomes of 150 million Africans are vulnerable in the crisis . For the majority of Africans, at this moment, the fear of hunger is greater than the fear of COVID-19. Our member food banks in Africa are on the front lines of this dramatic, immediate increase in nee...