The InterAction members listed here are
accepting contributions for assistance they or their affiliates are providing
to those affected by the food crisis in Niger.
InterAction has also developed guidelines
on the most appropriate ways to help those affected by overseas disasters.
InterAction is a coalition of more than 160 US-based private relief, international development and refugee assistance organizations. InterAction members have agreed to abide by a set of standards to ensure accountability to donors, professional competence and quality of service.
Details of InterAction Member Assistance
Action Against Hunger (Aug 2, 05) Action Against Hunger is operational in Niger since middle July (though has worked in Niger since 1997 in other emergencies). The first distributions started on July 24th in the Maradi and Dakoro areas and will begin next week in Tahoua region. The distributions include over 18 tons of flour, oil, sugar and Plumpy'nut (a highly nutritious paste for young children). Purchases of food are ongoing in Niamey. The training of the staff in Maradi region continues while the teams in the Tahoua region are being set up.
ADRA International (Aug 2, 05) ADRA is organizing its emergency response in Niger according to the findings of its assessment team. ADRA is also reviewing the emergency food needs in the Sahel region, including Mali, Mauritania, and Burkina Faso.
American Jewish World Service (Aug 2, 05) American Jewish World Service is supporting community based organizations in Niger that are responding directly to the crisis with food, water and emergency supplies.
Catholic Relief Services (Aug 2, 05) CRS is responding to the crisis in Niger with a $2.7 million emergency relief program. CRS is in preparations to expand its already robust emergency food distributions leading up to the October/November harvest and plans to implement therapeutic feeding activities, including provisions of medicine and milk supplements, for approximately 7,000 malnourished children.
Concern Worldwide, US (Aug 2, 05) Concern is on the ground responding the food crisis in Niger. Concern's first charter of emergency supplies including, blanket, nutritional supplements, medical kits and plastic sheeting arrived in Niamey on July 19 and there is a team of nurses, nutritionists, engineers and logisticians on the ground in Tahoua delivering emergency supplies and care to suffering Nigeriens.
Lutheran World Relief (LWR) (Aug 2, 05) Working through local partners, LWR is providing 146 tons of food and 6 tons of seed stock to the affected populations in Tillaberi, Dakoro, and Tahoua. LWR is currently preparing to expand the project to reach affected populations in neighboring villages.
Mercy Corps (Aug 2, 05) Mercy Corps is working closely with colleague agencies to determine how to best contribute to the relief effort in Niger. The agency is in the process of determining its next steps, and is accepting donations. Mercy Corps is currently operating in six African countries: Eritrea, Ethiopia, Liberia, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe.
Operation USA (OpUSA) (Aug 2, 05) Operation USA is collecting relief supplies for Niger in tandem with Islamic Relief Worldwide for shipment to partner agencies in Niger. OpUSA is focusing on health, nutrition, water purification and shelter.
Oxfam America (Aug 2, 05) Oxfam is setting up a $2 million food support program. It includes a vouchers-for-work project that allows people to exchange the vouchers they earn for food from local traders. Through a second project, Oxfam is buying livestock from nomadic herders, thereby providing them with a source of cash to buy food.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance and Hunger (Aug 2, 05) Presbyterian Disaster Assistance (PDA) is assisting with the provision of staple foods (millet) and milk powder, seed and animal fodder. In addition, cereal banks are being constructed for food security, and appropriate mechanisms are being established to ensure efficient distribution. In addition, PDA is supporting efforts to families keep their children in school. This is support is targeted especially to young girls. PDA has also supported a center to rehabilitate severely malnourished children.
Relief International (RI) (Aug 2, 05) Relief International is focusing on food assistance through supplementary and therapeutic feeding for severely malnourished populations in Niger. RI is also planning for a more long-term response through a sustainable agricultural development program to increase the capacity of regional cereal and livestock production.
Save the Children USA (Aug 2, 05) Save the Children is expanding its emergency response to the food shortage crisis in the West African country of Niger, where tens of thousands of children and their families face starvation. A Save the Children aid plane arrived in Niger in late July with enough food and equipment to support one month of therapeutic feeding for severely malnourished children and those recovering from malnutrition. With more than 40 tons of essential supplies now on the ground, Save the Children is working to provide nutritional assistance to children under 5 who are facing severe food shortages following the lethal combination of poor rainfall and a locust infestation earlier this year.
U.S. Fund for UNICEF (Aug 2, 05) UNICEF has issued an additional emergency appeal for $14.6 million to care for 32,000 children suffering from severe malnourishment and 160,000 children suffering from moderate malnourishment in Niger and to help stop a deadly cycle of starvation. In addition to providing therapeutic and supplementary food for severely and moderately under-nourished children, UNICEF is working to: supply essential drugs, vaccines, mosquito nets, vitamin A supplements and iron and folic acid supplements (critical interventions as under-nourished children are particularly susceptible to illness), and establish additional therapeutic feeding centers.
World Vision (Aug 2, 05) In addition to its ongoing development work, World Vision is responding to the Nigerien food crisis by partnering with USAID/OFDA to implement therapeutic and supplementary feeding programs for moderately and severely malnourished children under five. In addition, World Vision is partnering with WFP to implement food for work activities including construction of community grain banks, planting acacia trees for long term food security and environmental sustainability and public sanitation activities. World Vision's work is focused in the critically affected regions of Tallaberi, Zinder and Maradi.
Press Contact:
Kim Abbott, 202-667-8227 x115
NGO Contacts:
James Bishop, Director of Humanitarian Response, 202-667-8227, x104
Elizabeth Bellardo, Program Associate, x166