Associated Press: South Africa: Drought leads to failed crops, water shortages
“…The drought [in South Africa] is a sign of a changing climate the whole region must prepare for, say experts. The El Niño weather phenomenon has returned to southern Africa, marked by delayed rainfall and unusually high temperatures, according to the World Food Programme. The environmental effects of El Niño are expected to last until at least 2017, affecting the food security of 29 million people due to poor harvests, said the WFP report…” (Chutel, 1/10).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Aid agencies call for funds to save lives in El Niño-hit countries
“An inadequate response to El Niño would put tens of millions of people at risk of hunger, water shortages, and disease, a group of leading aid agencies said, calling on donors for funding to save lives in countries hit by the weather phenomenon. … The aid groups, including Oxfam and World Vision, said ‘urgently required’ funding should go into disaster preparedness, resilience building, and crisis response, which would save money in the future…” (Mis, 1/8).