Fight child hunger in Niger

Fatouma is a widow and mother of two who receives assistance from World Food Program (WFP) cereal (grain) banks. “When my family’s cereal stocks ran out, I was able to purchase cereals from the bank at moderate prices,” says Fatouma. Towards the end of the lean season when all of her financial resources were exhausted, she was then also able to purchase cereal on credit which she hopes to pay back with her next harvest. “I am glad the cereal bank was there for me and my family when we needed it the most.”

Over 70 percent of Niger’s 13 million inhabitants live below the poverty line and are suffering greatly under the impact of the current global food crisis, just as Fatouma has. The country’s weak economy is almost entirely fueled by agriculture, which is constantly hindered by drought and locust invasion. Nearly 44 percent of children experience chronic malnutrition and one in five children in Niger does not live to see their fifth birthday.

World Food Program assistance in Niger is designed to address the root causes of poverty by promoting rural development and increasing education rates, while also responding to immediate relief needs, such as the treatment of children suffering from malnutrition. WFP supports several programs in Niger including food-for-training and food-for-work (FFW) projects to increase independent food production.

But, recently, WFP has given special attention to the impact of the global food crisis in Niger. The price of rice in Niger has risen 51 percent compared to the price average over the past five years. The increase in cost of other similar items is of particular concern to the people of Niger as grain serves as a staple of the local diet. WFP is working to combat this growing issue by setting up village-level cereal banks to ensure the availability of grain at reasonable prices. This program allows families to afford the food they need when they need it and has significantly softened the blow of the global food crisis on Nigeriens.

WFP Niger is assisting about 1.3 million people this year and plans to maintain this level of service, if not increase it, but has further financial needs to continue improving the quality of nutrition for Niger’s vulnerable populations throughout 2008. Your contribution has had an important impact on allowing Friends of the World Food Program assist WFP in initiating vital projects like village-level cereal banks, which have saved countless lives. Thank you for your continued support.