Project achievements to date include:
· The re-stocking of 240 pastoralist households (1,680 individuals) with livestock; special attention was paid to determine appropriate species, breeds, types, and age class of animals, and to the ecological and economic carrying capacity of the local environment. 40% of beneficiary households are headed by women.
· The provision of veterinary services to 240 pastoralist households, including increased access to a range of veterinary pharmaceuticals, and targeted training of Community Animal Healthcare Workers.
· Training of beneficiary households in improving existing techniques for production, preservation and storage of pastoral produce, including training in more efficient and productive dairy processing techniques, and the introduction of dry meat schemes and granaries.
· The construction and management of two types of food banks- one for cereals (for human nutritional needs) and one for fodder (for livestock nutritional needs). These are used in times of scarcity, particularly the dry season between April and June. A management committee elected by the community has been trained to administer the cereal banks.
The aforementioned achievements have resulted in an overall project impact of combating hunger for the most vulnerable – including women and children – and improving food security for pastoral communities in rural Niger. With generous support from RI’s network of Global Giving donors, RI has been able to transition whole villages from emergency hunger to a more equitable, secure, and healthy future.
Project achievements to date include:
The rehabilitation of 6 wells, which provide clean drinking water for upward of 1,100 people. Increased knowledge amongst families and communities of the importance of clean water and RI-constructed access points.
The promotion of local contingency/early warning systems and mechanisms that promote better natural resource management. Selective installation of hand-dug wells, used to increase the availability of water resources where other supply options are limited.
Construction and Operation of a Clean Delivery Room, Zam Zam Camp
In an effort to expand upon the safe motherhood or maternal health services offered through the Zam Zam Clinic, RI constructed a safe delivery room within the clinic’s safe motherhood center. Since completing construction, trained RI health personnel have assisted in 13 clinic-based deliveries. In the coming months, RI will work with community-based health staff to increase awareness and sensitize the community on the benefits of using the clinic’s clean delivery room. In general women continue to deliver babies in their homes with the assistance of Traditional Birthing Attendants (TBAs). RI has been training TBAs since 2005 as part of an effort to ensure that they have good skills in clean delivery and recognition of emergency obstetric complications. But RI hopes that the delivery room option sees higher utilization for benefit of both mother and child survival impact. In consultation with the community, RI is now devising culturally appropriate messaging that highlights the benefits of deliveries in the new RI-supported clean delivery room which include better access for emergency support.
Construction and Operation of the Satellite Nutrition Center
Relief International continues to be the sole provider of therapeutic nutritional support to vulnerable populations in Zam Zam Camp. Over the past year RI has focused on increasing access to nutritional support in the camp through the construction of a second nutrition facility. The RI nutrition team completed construction of the Zam Zam satellite nutrition center in Jafalo in February 2008. It is strategically located on the south side of the camp to reduce the prohibitive distance vulnerable women and children must travel in order to obtain necessary medical treatment for malnutrition. This center is also focused on care that extends directly to the household through trained regional community workers who can conduct necessary home monitoring. Preliminary data for RI’s nutrition program revealed the malnutrition cure rate increased and the follow-up visit default rate decreased in the first quarter of ‘08--a great success.
Skilled nutrition teams are the front line responders the deteriorating nutritional status among Dafuris. One of the battles that face humanitarian workers at this point in the Darfur crisis is access: the nature of the conflict is such that national and expatriate staff all face risk of attack or limited movement to reach populations in need – especially in rural areas of camps and villages. So we are moving to a largely “community-based” approach for health, nutrition, and agriculture. This also builds access in remote villages and trains residents to be advocates and help with identification of emergency care that otherwise might never have been found. For a nutrition worker to function primarily in his or her home village, rather than travel daily to a central and distant worksite, reduces the risk of harm overall and maximizes those community’s access to an expert on a more routine basis.
Training of Nutrition Center Staff and Community Nutrition Workers
Zam Zam Clinic serves as a resource, education, and training hub for 7 village-based clinics. In the last two quarters RI has trained 62 nutrition staff regarding malnutrition management, home-based care, support and monitoring, as well as skills to raise beneficiary awareness of different nutrition aspects.
