April 2010Niger on the Brink of CatastrophySpecial from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian AffairsA severe food and malnutrition crisis is looming in Niger, a landlocked country in West Africa. More than 20,000 under-five children are being treated for malnutrition nationwide, and at least another 200,000 are at risk of severe malnutrition, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). “You need to go to the field to realize that we need to act now,” said Kalil Hamadoun, Médecins Sans Frontières field director in southern Niger, which had the country’s second highest percentage of children underweight for their height, according to a December 2009 government study. Selling prized cattle, cutting meals, eating food intended for animals and scrounging for anything to sell as firewood or animal feed have become increasingly common, according to local officials and the national information system for livestock sales. Food and fodder prices in parts of the country are up around 30 percent. But March incomes have been cut in half since last September due to more agriculture workers competing for dwindling jobs. “We need to ensure people have access to food. We are not even in the hungry season yet,” said Aboubacar Mahamadou, the Health Ministry’s deputy director of nutrition services, referring to the June to September planting season, when most families have finished eating their previous harvests and are waiting for the next one in October. The World Food Program (WFP) is planning food distributions to 500,000 children aged 6 to 23 months in 20 of the neediest communities. “If we look at a map of interventions at the moment, we see they are drops of water in the ocean [of need],” said WFP regional director in Zinder, Doumbaye Djimadoumngar. According to OCHA estimates it will cost more than $200 million to cover 60 percent of Zinder’s food needs before the next harvest, and to continue nutrition activities. The European Commission for Humanitarian Aid (ECHO) has pledged an additional $27 million to fight malnutrition in Niger and neighboring Sahelian countries. The amount Niger will receive will be decided in the coming months. Last year, ECHO granted Niger $17.7 million. The United Kingdom recently announced additional emergency funding for Niger. This comes on top of $81 million emergency aid from the European Commission, Islamic Development Bank, and the governments of Japan, Spain and the United States. Those interested in donating to Niger should contact Steven Moss, steven@moss.net, 415.643.9578. |
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