One of the largest Christian relief and development organisations in the world signed a contract with the World Food Program (WFP) last week to distribute food in Niger one day before the Government officially declared an emergency on May 27.

As Niger appeals for international aid to help feed 3.6 million Nigeriens who are in critical need – including 800,000 children under five – World Vision, along with Catholic Relief Services will be distributing a total of 10,000 metric tons of food, supplied by WFP.

"Children in our project communities desperately need this food," said Olivier Saugy, Operations Director for World Vision Niger.

Recent nutrition surveys conducted by World Vision and other agencies in the districts of Maradi and Zinder show that child malnutrition rates are alarmingly high. Some 13.4 percent of the children are acutely malnourished and 2.5 percent severely malnourished - rates that are normally associated with war-torn countries.

Saugy said the 1,480 tons of WFP food assigned to World Vision will be used for complementary feeding of malnourished children, "food for work" agro-forestry programs and to stock 75 cereal banks. World Vision supports 23,000 children in Niger, who are sponsored by donors in Canada, New Zealand, Switzerland, U.K., and the U.S. A reported 400,000 people in all 11 of World Vision’s rural program areas are affected.

World Vision and Catholic Relief Services were both given food contracts by WFP, which supplied a total of 10,000 metric tons of food. The 1,480 tons received by World Vision is valued at US$853,573 (including food and distribution costs).

An estimated 223,487 metric tons of food are needed in Niger after drought and locust swarms destroyed most of the last year’s harvest and almost 40 percent of livestock fodder. The Government has provided 42,000 tons of cereals at below-market prices. However, prices for cereals like millet and sorghum have soared in recent weeks. Villagers can’t afford to buy the little food that is available in the market.

Niger - with a population of about 12 million people - ranks 176th out of 177 countries according to the UNDP Human Development Index. Most families depend on subsistence farming and earn less than a dollar day. The current food crisis is forcing them even further into poverty. People are abandoning their villages as their pastures wither and their animals die.

Jan Egeland, U.N. Under-Secretary General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, describes Niger as "the number one forgotten and neglected emergency in the world." He has criticised international donor countries for not responding to his appeal for US$16.2 million in emergency food assistance.

In addition to immediate emergency relief, long-term solutions are needed to address Niger’s food security problems. World Vision Australia has provided US$75,000 for an acacia tree program to help reverse the deforestation that has depleted soil in this arid, land-locked country.





Anthony Chiu
Christian Today Correspondent