Nairobi, 03 December, 2023 / 9:19 pm (ACI Africa).
The more a crisis is highlighted by the media, the more likely it is to attract global aid, a Caritas official has said, noting that the humanitarian arm of the Church has distinguished itself for remaining committed to supporting those suffering in some of Africa’s crises that are not receiving a lot of press coverage.
Karam Abi Yazbeck, the Regional Coordinator of Caritas North Africa and the Middle East (MONA) highlighted the war in Sudan, in South Sudan, in Mozambique, and in Somalia as some of the world’s “forgotten crises”. He said that Caritas has maintained an active presence in all these places, and is helping people back to their feet.
However, lack of funds stands in the way for the charity arm of the Church as it seeks to provide aid in these places, Karam told ACI Africa on the sidelines of a training workshop that was conducted by Caritas Internationalis (CI) in Nairobi last week.
He said that the situation is made dire as bigger aid agencies focus their attention on what is in the limelight, forgetting the harsh realities that still exist in countries where conflicts are no longer news.
“There is a problem in Somalia and in many other African countries. Most of these have now become forgotten crises. Crises in Mozambique, Somalia, Sudan, and in South Sudan are being forgotten. Sometimes people follow the media,” Karam said.
