MADAGASCAR, August 3, 2021 – A total of 400,000 people in Madagascar are facing the threat of starvation as the region suffers its worst drought since 1981.

Their crops were destroyed by locust infestations which make their agricultural sector suffered huge losses.

Thousands of people have to eat unsafe foods such as locusts, cactus, leaves, and mud for survival.

According to the World Food Program (WFP), 1.14 million people are facing food insecurity.

Currently, 392,000 people are in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) level 4.

If this situation remains without any humanitarian response, this number could be double by October 2021.

Based on other analyses and observations, 484,000 people will be in IPC level 4 meanwhile IPC in level 5 will increase to 28,000 people.

Islamic Relief is currently initiating response activities by delivering food and livelihood aids to help those in need for the 3 to 6 months in collaboration with a humanitarian partner.

AFGHANISTAN, August 3, 2021 – At least 14 million people are experiencing high levels of acute food insecurity, and more than 9.5 million people are in Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) level 3.

The food crisis keeps getting worse due to ongoing forty years conflict, natural disasters such as drought and flood, high food prices, rampant unemployment, and COVID-19.

The conflict continues to cause severe bodily and psychological trauma. It was also left millions of people in need of urgent humanitarian assistance to survive and forces hundreds of thousands of people to flee their homes each year.

Food storage and limited water access were increasing the prevalence of severe malnutrition.

By the end of 2021, the number of acutely food insecure people in Afghanistan could increase to almost 50% of the population.

Islamic Relief Afghanistan has identified the urgent needs for those affected such as food, livelihood support, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), shelter, and non-food items (NFI).

The humanitarian assistance planned will be implemented within 12 months for the most affected areas such as Kabul, Nangarhar, Balkh, Herat, Daykundi, and Faryab.

Islamic Relief will collaborate with other humanitarian partners and local authorities to ensure more than 210,000 people benefited from this program.

TURKI, 2 Ogos 2021 – Sekurang-kurangnya lapan maut dalam insiden kebakaran di wilayah selatan Turki.

Antara kawasan yang terlibat dengan bencana ini ialah Antalya, Mersin, Osmaniye, Adana, Kahramanmaras, Mugla, Kirikkale dan Kayseri.

Usaha mengawal kebakaran yang berlaku di 14 kawasan hutan masih diteruskan sementara 57 kawasan lagi sudah berjaya dipadamkan.

Usaha-usaha memadamkan kebakaran dijalankan oleh 4,000 petugas, lima pesawat udara, 45 helikopter, sembilan pesawat dan satu helikopter tanpa jurupandu, 55 kenderaan berat, 680 lori pemadam kebakaran dan satu tangki air.

Selain daripada bantuan daripada pihak kerajaan, banyak pihak lain juga turut serta membantu antaranya ‘Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency’ (AFAD), Persatuan Bulan Sabit Merah di Turki dan juga pasukan mencari dan menyelamat yang lain.

Islamic Relief Turki kini sedang bersiap siaga untuk memberikan bantuan berdasarkan situasi semasa.

INDONESIA, July 30, 2021 – More than 1,000 death tolls were reported in Indonesia since July 16 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The numbers are consistently happening every day.

Indonesia reported the highest new Covid cases daily in the world surpasses India and Brazil.

Hospitals in the islands of Java and Bali had to be closed due to a lack of oxygen supply.

To date, more than three million Indonesians have been infected with the virus while the death toll has reached 83,000 people.

Indonesia has been battling a tide of coronavirus infections and deaths driven by the highly contagious Delta variant for the past month.

Less than seven percent of Indonesia’s population has been fully vaccinated.

Islamic Relief Indonesia is still monitoring the situation with help from local authorities and other humanitarian partners.

The most urgent need especially in Jakarta is medical assistance, which is now almost running out of supply.