Niger EmergencyA major food shortage has hit West Africa which has caused severe droughts and a massive locust invasion sweeping the area during the growing season and destroyed the harvest. The food shortage has affected millions of people in West Africa, leaving them at risk of severe hunger and malnutrition.
The crisis hit four of the world’s poorest countries: Niger, Mali, Mauritania and Burkina Faso. These are areas characterised by extreme poverty and high levels of vulnerability.
Isaar Trust is aiming to raise funds and focus on the the distribution of emergency food supplies, focusing on the most vulnerable – children and pregnant women. Mobile feeding centres, nutrition programmes for children and cereal banks were set up.
Isaar Trust will also work to prevent diseases that occur due to lack of food – such as cholera, typhoid, diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections and measles – as well as treating illnesses related to malnutrition. Rehydration salts were provided for severely dehydrated children, mobile monitoring teams visited people too sick to get to hospital, and supplements supplied (such as vitamin A for malnourished children and folic acid for pregnant women).
In the longer term, we aim to work with the people affected to help rebuild food supplies and set up irrigation systems so women can grow vegetables to feed their families, provided cattle fodder to feed cattle during the dry season and organised seed fairs to distribute seeds. To prevent a disaster of this scale happening again, we need to educate the people on how to protect the crops from locusts.
Niger is the poorest country in the world, sufferring from a total lack of basic needs with little or no food, shelter, clothing, education and health.
Help us to help them. Your donation could make the diference.
