At the start of last May, SOS Children’s Villages launched an Emergency relief program to help the famine ridden nation of Niger.

THE NEED

SOS has implemented a two-tiered program which is aiming to provide 10,000 people on the verge of starvation with immediate supplies, as well as longer-term restructuring to prevent future crisis of the same ilk.

The current famine has caused hundreds of villagers to migrate to larger cities and towns in search of work and food, forcing away from their smaller towns and farms. This leaves children in a vulnerable position as they are unable to labour like their parents and are in great need. With this mass exodus, they are either taken with their parents, leaving them exposed to exploitation and dangerous traveling conditions, or left with relatives in the impoverished villages. These smaller towns are struggling to feed the remaining children and aid is longer in reaching these locations.

IMMEDIATE RELEIF

Throughout May, SOS provided 700 larger families – about 10,500 people – with basic food staples and a food supplement specifically developed for the nutritional needs of malnourished children. Two more of these large-scale distributions are planned for Niger in later June and August.

Emergency medical supplies have also been distributed and SOS is currently training medical helpers for eight locations throughout the country. They are targeting basic medical procedures and teaching others rudimentary first aid skills.

LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS

SOS has started practices that will ensure a continued food supply in Niger in the future, the fist of which is the creation of cereal banks which, once they have been constructed and stocked, will be run autonomously by elected administrative committees in each of the seven villages that were chosen for this programme due to their especially precarious situation. This will protect the inhabitants not only from the effects of drought, but also from food price inflation, a frequent problem in the past.

Changes to growing practices are also needed and plans are currently underway for major agricultural restructuring. Niger suffers from erradic rainfall and according to the latest data, seven million people are facing food shortages. Your donation can make a difference in the life of a child today.