New approach to aid in Africa urgently needed

The good news? There are already examples of how effective this approach can be. For communities that live in dry and infertile regions, investment in irrigation and diversification of crops and techniques can yield extraordinary results. Malawi is one such example.

SO, YES: LET US MOVE AWAY, WHERE possible, from only addressing crises after the fact. The solutions exist and they are dramatically cheaper than the alternative of emergency appeals and massive response operations.

But let’s not throw the baby out with the bath water. The answer is not to do away with relief. The truth is that we can – and should – do both. The humanitarian imperative demands that we give food to people who are starving and provide relief to communities that have been battered by disasters.

So, in the Horn of Africa and in other parts of the continent affected by hunger or disasters, let’s avoid politicising or theorising the suffering of people. Let’s spend the acute initial months ensuring that people don’t die.

And then, once the situation has stabilised, let’s spend time and money attacking the root causes of this despair, and let’s try to ensure that it doesn’t recur.

Mr Bekele is secretary-general, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.