Africa hunger crisis: Facts, FAQs, how to help – World Vision

In drought-stricken southern Angola, Eugénio (pictured above at age one), suffered from severe acute malnutrition. With support from World Vision and partners like Food for Famine, Eugénio received vital ready-to-use therapeutic food. Our educational programs focusing on nutrition and hygiene practices also assisted his mother, Dina, in diversifying her son’s diet, fostering hope for his full recovery. (© 2023 World Vision/photo by Nidia Klein)
In South Darfur, Sudan, World Vision has provided nutritional care for children diagnosed with malnutrition. (© 2021 World Vision/photo by Sojoud Elgarrai)
Elizabeth, a mother in South Sudan, consulted a World Vision health worker because her child’s health was deteriorating. The armband shows red, indicating her son, Ocan, was severely malnourished. (© 2021 World Vision/photo by Scovia Faida Charles)
After receiving nutritional care from World Vision, Ocan started his recovery. “Two weeks ago, Ocan’s condition was upgraded. My son moved from severe to moderately malnourished,” Elizabeth says. “The [therapeutic food] is doing great work in his body. He was able to play with his friends.” Three servings a day for eight weeks can save the life of a starving child. (© 2021 World Vision/photo by Scovia Faida Charles)
A mother returns from a World Vision distribution of World Food Programme (WFP) emergency food aid in South Sudan. World Vision, in partnership with the WFP, has delivered hope to families facing hunger through food supplies in South Sudan. World Vision is the WFP’s largest implementing partner globally. (© 2021 World Food Programme/photo by Gabriela Vivacqua)
A severe food crisis is intensifying across Africa, driving millions of people into a heightened risk of hunger and starvation. Fueled by a combination of factors, including the war in Ukraine, regional conflicts, extreme weather events, and the ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, hunger threatens the lives and well-being of vulnerable communities and people, particularly women and girls.
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Conflict, extreme weather events, poverty, and instability collectively drive hunger in Africa. These issues lead to food shortages, limiting access to nutritious food. The ongoing effects of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine have exacerbated these shortages.
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Africa’s hunger crisis is particularly severe in the Horn of Africa and the West and Central Africa regions. Let’s explore these areas:
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Famine, characterized by “extreme scarcity of food,” represents the absolute worst-case scenario for a food crisis in humanitarian terms. It is defined by specific technical criteria, indicating large-scale starvation, malnutrition, and death.
Criteria for declaring a famine
A food crisis transitions into a famine when specific conditions are met:
When a food crisis no longer meets these technical criteria, a famine is over, at least temporarily.
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Hunger can have devastating consequences for women and children, going beyond health and nutrition to include the risk of gender-based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse. The indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are exacerbating these concerns for children and communities who lack safety nets.
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World Vision remains steadfast in its commitment to serving families experiencing hunger in Africa and around the world. We thank God for the progress we’ve achieved together while adapting our programs to current realities.
Between October 2022 and September 2023, we reached over 25.4 million people, including 14 million children, across 28 countries — including 18 countries in Africa. From October 2023 to December 2023, we supported an additional 4.1 million people with life-saving food assistance.
For more than 40 years, World Vision has been delivering emergency aid and long-term assistance to families and communities affected by food crises in Africa. Here are some of the ways we help to overcome the root causes of hunger and malnutrition:
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While life-saving aid is crucial in an emergency, World Vision also prioritizes long-term solutions that build resilience and empower communities to recover from crises independently.
One key aspect of World Vision’s work is livelihood skills training, which equips families with the tools they need to navigate a food crisis on their own. Here’s how World Vision is working today to prevent future food and hunger crises:
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