Ongoing Crisis in Niger
Tuesday, 29 November 2005
Recent press reports from Niger have highlighted the ongoing crisis in the country. In Tahoua, where Concern works, there are still high levels of malnutrition despite a good rainy season and recent harvest.
Concern’s emergency nutrition programme started in July and is now treating 7,000 children at 18 distribution sites. We also provide 24 hour medical care and intensive feeding at our stabilisation centre where children are referred by Concern and other agencies. In addition, family rations supplied to the children’s families have provided supplementary food to approximately 50,000 people. We have a team of 18 international and 200 national staff working throughout Tahoua region.
The reasons for the ongoing crisis are complex and go beyond access to food. There is long-term, grinding poverty in Niger, made worse by poor health services, a weak education system, lack of manufacturing and exports and a harsh environment straining to provide enough food for the population.
Even in a so-called ‘good’ year, one in four children in Niger do not live to their fifth birthday and many of these children die of preventable diseases. On average the government of Niger spends £16 per person per year on health care, compared to £1,400 in the UK. Life expectancy stands at 44.
All of these combine to make Niger the poorest country in the world and its population among the most vulnerable, even in a ‘normal’ year.
The food crisis of 2005 pushed many households’ coping strategies to the limit and it is becoming clear that a good harvest in 2006 is not enough to put an end to the crisis.
Concern’s nutrition programme will continue as long as the numbers of malnourished children remain high, but we are also looking to the future and how we can work with the government and the local population to tackle some of the many issues the country faces.
