300,000 children in danger of starvation

(CBS News) 

DADAAB REFUGEE CAMP, Kenya - The famine emergency in East Africa is taking on historic proportions. The United Nations says 3.7 million people face starvation. The United States government estimates that 29,000 children under the age of five have died in the last 90 days.

400,000 Somalis have taken refuge at the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. Every day, 1,500 more throw themselves on the mercy of the camp.

Madina Ali was one of those waiting to be admitted to the camp. CBS Evening News anchor Scott Pelley reports Ali sat with the quiet resignation of a woman who had fought to save her children in an unforgiving land.

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Ali says she was walking for 17 days. She has four children with her now, but one child did not survive the journey. One boy, just two years old, died on the way.

The Somalis are farmers and ranchers who tried to hang on after one year without rain - then two, and three. Now the land is pale and the livestock have fallen. There's no help at home. Somalia hasn't had a stable government in decades, and much of it is run by a brutal militia called al Shabbab.

To trace the path of the refugees, we drove north today with the U.N. to the border. There, we got the help of a local militia to take us into the country.

"We just crossed from Kenya into the failed state of Somalia," Pelley said. "This is essentially no man's land. Al Shabbab has controlled this part of Somalia for a long time, but now this militia has taken over this small part of the country, and are now providing cover for humanitarian assistance that is just now penetrating Somalia."

Six days ago, the United Nation's children's agency UNICEF set up an emergency feeding station in the Somali town of Doubli.

UNICEF's Leila Abrar, our guide, says, "They come in groups from these villages so they kind of help each other. Abrar added, "But by the time they get to a place like Doubli - which is a transition village, or they come to the camps in Dadaab, they are barely alive."

US announces $105M in aid to Somalia

A woman named Madina told us she walked three months before she reached camp yesterday. But all of her children didn't survive the journey.

"Two children died on the way," Madina said. "One was eight years old, and one was nine years old."

"Where did you have to leave them," Pelley asked.

"We left them exactly where they died because we didn't have the strength to carry them and we didn't have the strength to bury them."

Saruure Dhbow walked in with her young granddaughter, just one and a half years old. UNICEF's Maulid Warfa showed us how they used a color-coded measuring tape to diagnose malnutrition. Anything in the red is life-threatening.

"She went beyond the green, she went beyond the yellow and she went far beyond the red," Warfa said. "She's there 9.6."

At 9.6 centimeters, she's ten centimeters or so smaller than she should be.

Warfa said she's "severe malnourished in need of specialized treatment." He added, "you can see she already her eyes are already white-ish, her lips are dry. It really is a severe situation that we see everywhere in Somalia. She is already starving - she is on the brink of dying actually."

The U.N. tonight tells CBS News the number of children acutely malnourished comes to about 340,000.

[werfedup2]

I do not find having many children disgusting.......... Just be able to feed and support the children you have and not depend on the working class to feed them. Most of the working class have a difficult time feeding & clothing their own families. Again stop handing out "freebies" to illegals and the people on welfare who continousuly have more & more children just so they can "pocket extra money". Also drug testing should be given randomly on welfare receipents so that our money goes for food and not drugs. I am not heartless and do help those in need who are helping themselves.

[MAGICRULE]

Imagine that, another US Citizen who has a computer and an internet connection. A whole list of problems about what is wrong with the country and no solutions. Anyone wanna bet money he would fail the US Citizenship Test?

I have a feeling he would. Simply from the nature of his comments its clear this man is a moron.

[MAGICRULE]

I would like to see ONE, JUST ONE of you fat slobs go TWO DAYS without your McDonalds and Starbucks, let alone 30 days with no food. But with half of America Obese anyway I think you lard buckets would be no worse for the wear after 30 days of no food

Fat ******* Americans. So Disgusting....

[MAGICRULE]

Wow. A lot of these comments are ignorant. Then again they are made by US Citizens. The same ones who support Wars on "Verbs" wait do they even know what a verb is? It hasn't rained in Somalia so they cant grow food. What does that have to do with having 8 kids? Although it is a fortunate thing that so many of you dim witted apathetic degenerates find having many children disgusting. No more future generations whose thought process would lead them to believe "little kids starving, put on condom, I am american have 30k year job and drive honda. if you like me you no starve. screw afrika"

Oh to be adrift in a sea of Apathetic Morons known as the United States People...

[robham777]

You have a way with words. From my perspective, as a parent of three, If I lived in a war torn and famine plagued region ,(not a new phenomenon) of the world, I might consider the consequences of satisfying my sexual urges.

Is it your opinion that the people of this region have no idea of the outcome of their carnal urges, or no consideration of the consequences?

Obviously their are extenuating circumstances (i.e. rape by the ruling war lords),but obviously that would be a stretch when you are talking about 7+ children.

[tonkatr]

Magicrule sounds like the old worn "I hate Americans and all they stand for ... until I get a chance to emigrate to the States.... Then I'm first in line with all my family."

[fld7158]

Im sorry but seeing how some of these people are sitting there with 7 or 8 kids that they cant feed i have no pity or feelings for them at all.
This is the kind of nation our goverment (U.S.A.) is trying to turn us into and there doing a pretty good job of it.
There are people here in the states that at this time at least have the option of eating catfood so they can get there meds and Washing is tellin us that they need to cut this entitlemet program that we paid into our whole working lives.
Yes its true soon u.s.a will be nothing but a third world nation overrun by ******* that wont work and have kids they cant support

[MAGICRULE]

You sound like a lazy fat moron who is upset that Washington is going to cut off his gravy train

[shameonbush]

Some of the posts on this story makes my skin crawl. I didn't realize just how greedy some people are, their solution for these people is not a meal, but a condom. It's this shallow attitude that has contributed to a silent genocide of the poor. We need to feed these people,and by we I mean everyone. Nobody should have to starve in today's world,nobody.

[yolandanelson31]

why should we have to feed children in other countries when we have hundreds of thousand of starving children here in the USA, but not one reporter is reporting this to the American people what our children here don't matter?

[werfedup2]

In place of these women having so many children that they CANNOT FEED why doesn't the goverment give them birth control pills.
I get so disgusted with the news media reporting these things and not report some solutions or at least suggesting it. To send money does absolutely no good!!!! The greedy and uncaring rulers just use it for themselves. While I am at it I say the same goes for these people in the US on Welfare having more & more children. NO increase in their checks for additional children while on Welfare!!!!! AND no Welfare for illegals....

[ak1145]

I actually work for a newspaper. It is my job to follow stories such as this. The only one here sniveling is you, furious that we want to help these defenseless people, who are not at fault for the situation their militants and clans have put them in. We can not solve the problem. The fact that any one thinks that we can causes many of these issues. It was our mistake by thinking that we could come in there for such a short time and gain order and help the people, and once we left they would be able to sustain this. This problem can not be solved, so kudos to you. Yet, we can certainly help these people during this time of famine and drought. This is not about politics, it is about providing food and water to starving and thirsty children. We are America, and we fight for the good of everyone. We do what we can, rather than walk away

[werfedup2]

Report about the starving and neglected in American. If you search long and hard enough you would have lots to report about. You then would see sooooo much response and hopefully it would go to feed & clothe these children. Responsible charities like Salvation Army can take care of these families & children if they had the donations.

[ak1145]

@werfedup2- After my father died, we received food from meals on wheels. We received plenty of assistance, even though we were poor and nearly homeless we did just fine and I am now a member of the middle class. The government is basically throwing food stamps around like confetti.... you don't think that these "starving" Americans have access to this? And I do follow stories of neglected children in America more often than anything else. The American charities do receive donations. We are not losing children due to starvation by the hour. This is the type of cruelty we are trying to rid the world of....

[zunitribe]

Black Hawk Down? let em starve, were starving here on the indian reservation in NM, and no one cares

[ak1145]

There are actually a lot of donations going to Indian reservations. Are people on this reservation losing children by the thousands due to starvation?

[ak1145]

Better yet, has there been a single death yet due to starvation on this reservatoin? Last time I check, the answer was no....

[boater_11]

i don't think the usa should give any money to any countery in africa we should be taking care of our own. they say we are so far in debt and look at all the money we give away to other counterys that should stop

[Riverjump]

These countries are always abusing their kids, yet they keep having kids. Pull out or buy some trojans. sheesh. And yes,I feel for the young-uns.

[ak1145]

They do not have the luxury of birthcontrol. Many girls are impregnated under the age of and are uneducated. Many of them do not realize that by having sex, they could have a child. I can't say for sure, but I think it's pretty safe to say that they don't have sex-ed in their classes....

[ak1145]

We are doing what is right.

[tmittelstaed]

Is it some sort of rule that people are supposed to have no brains to comment here?

A little history for you. Somalia was a stable country until the British "colonized" it. The British maintained control over the country - extracting resources, killing off the ruling clan, etc. - until 1960. Don't forget the US rebelled against British rule.

Then Somalia was taken over by a Communist dictator who received heavy support from the Russians until 1978 or so when the Russians broke with Somalia and sided with Ethiopia. And who should step in? Yes, we did.

The US spent the next 10 years funneling hundreds of millions of dollars to a known Communist and human rights violator who was so horrendous his own people finally couldn't take it anymore and revolted, and he was thrown out of office in 1991.

For the next 20 years the country has been in a civil war. The southern half of the country is under control of Muslims now who have instituted Sharia law. That is the part that is the most violent, and is the worst disaster. The northern part is a multiparty democracy and is fairly stable. It has also declared independence from the southern half.

Somalia would most likely be a unified country today if the US had not spent 10 years and a billion dollars supporting a communist dictator. And yes, the Republican Bush Sr. administration was responsible for this. We left a terrible mess behind.

[MAGICRULE]

HA HA HA why do you suffer fools?

They know 3 things. Facebook McDonalds and Jersey Shore. Don't believe me? Peruse these comments and tell me if they are made by what you would consider an intelligent society...