Dear USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah:

The ingredients of a crisis have all come together to create a dangerously critical situation in the Sahel region of Africa. Widespread civil unrest has caused millions of people to flee their homes in search of safer accommodations, but in the Sahel, there is virtually no such thing.

Drought and subsequent famine rage through the region, to the point that roughly 18 million people are at risk of malnutrition. People like children and the elderly whose immune systems are already compromised are at especially high risk of sickness and death from lack of water and adequate nutrition.

But while violence cannot be predicted, we can anticipate drought and famine. Instead of throwing billions of dollars at an immediate emergency, we need to help nations within the Sahel rebuild their infrastructures, from the ground up, in an effort to push them into food and water independence.

This means investing in programs that encourage agricultural productivity and access to food and water. It means helping Sahel Africans spot and prepare for potential food insecurity.

Please continue to aid in the Sahel's recovery by promoting long-term solutions that tackle issues at their core.

Thank you for your consideration.