A coalition of “[a]id agencies said on Monday they are facing a multi-million dollar funding shortage to deal with a food crisis in the Sahel,” News24 reports. “Action Against Hunger, Oxfam, Save the Children, and World Vision said they have raised only $52 million of $250 million needed to provide emergency assistance to six million people in the region,” the news service writes, adding that the groups “have called for a donor pledging conference to rally wealthy governments and donors” (4/23). They also “are calling on G8 leaders to consider the Sahel crisis at their summit next month,” according to VOA News.

The coalition said the funding would go toward emergency food aid, health care, and shelter, as well as initiatives “to boost community resilience, such as livelihood development and agricultural reforms,” which “could help communities better withstand erratic rainfall and political instability,” VOA writes. The U.N. “has appealed for more than $700 million dollars, but so far has received less than half,” the news service notes (DeCapua, 4/24).