CARE International food aid is reaching the hardest-hit families in Niger's crisis
The number of children suffering from severe malnutrition in Niger is falling, thanks to the food aid they have been given, CARE International has found.
Malnutrition rates in the West African nation are still extremely high, but according to a monitoring survey, many families are starting to benefit from improved diets.
CARE conducted a nutritional monitoring survey of 3,270 children from 69 communities who were receiving food distributions in the first week of September. By measuring the circumference of the children's mid-upper arms, CARE found that more than 33 per cent were malnourished - 7.5 per cent severely so. By contrast, the most recent statistics show that Niger overall has a global malnutrition rate of 20 per cent and a severe malnutrition rate of four per cent. Monitoring teams will return to the same villages after a month to evaluate the impact of further food distributions.
Humanitarian organizations and the Nigerien government are providing 15 to 30 days' worth of food for the most vulnerable families. CARE in Niger has already distributed 8,000 metric tons of food in the zones most affected by the crisis in the regions of Diffa, Maradi, and Tahoua, in partnership with the government, the World Food Program (WFP), and Save the Children. The ration includes grains, dried beans, and, in the most critical zones, oil. These distributions are improving both the quantity and quality of food for whole families, including mothers and children.
In the regions of Tahoua and Zinder, CARE has opened nutritional recuperation centers for moderately malnourished children and is referring severely malnourished children to special treatment clinics. In 16 centers in the Zinder region, more than 1,000 moderately malnourished children have been admitted and have begun treatment using nutritionally dense and locally available foods. More than 100 severely malnourished children have been referred to specialized clinics. The number of centers is increasing in both regions to meet the needs of the great numbers of moderately malnourished children.
Child malnutrition is chronic in Niger - and was aggravated this year by the food crisis, which meant poor families had to consume fewer meals of worse quality.
While food prices have come down slightly in recent weeks, healthy food remains unaffordable for the poorest Nigerians. The price of a 220-pound sack of millet, the staple grain, is between £25 and £28 - about one quarter of a typical Nigerian's gross income. The supply is still limited in most rural markets and in the eastern commercial center of Maradi.
The poor have become increasingly vulnerable during this food crisis, since they have had to sell many of their possessions to buy food to eat. Many families have sold their animals, which are vital to their livelihoods in this agricultural nation.
Confronting malnutrition in Niger requires both immediate relief and a long-term commitment. CARE's strategy includes:
- Providing food assistance to children under five and to breastfeeding and pregnant women who are malnourished
- Creating mobile nutritional recuperation centers for mildly and moderately malnourished children
- Supporting local health-care facilities in their efforts to provide quality care to children and mothers (treatment, vaccinations, pre- and post-natal consultations)
- Assuring nutritional education for parents in order to encourage them, to the best of their ability, to provide varied and nutritious foods, prevent illness, and adequately treat their children's illnesses when appropriate
- Helping cattle herders replenish their herds and improve animal health
CARE Niger has benefited from long-term experience in the country, dating back to CARE's response to the 1974 drought. Today CARE has the largest presence of any international humanitarian agency in the country, with a staff of 309 Nigeriens and two expatriates. CARE works in more than 25 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, in close partnership with communities and local humanitarian organizations.