International community must wake up to ongoing food crisis warning signs in Niger

18 November 2005 The international community is in danger of ignoring the warning signs in Niger again this year, exactly 12 months after this year’s food crisis was first highlighted by aid agencies, cautions leading humanitarian agency CARE International.

‘This year’s crisis was not a one-off event. This is a recurring cycle of hunger,’ said David Sanderson, CARE International’s regional manager for south and west Africa, who has just returned from a two-week visit to Niger. ‘Emergency food does not solve this problem in the long-term - though of course it is vital to save lives.’

‘It is time for donors to wake up to the fact that Niger is the world’s poorest country. Niger needs donors to devote money to long-term rehabilitation and poverty-fighting programmes rather than simply waiting for the next emergency.’

Despite a reasonable harvest, the pattern of debt and extreme poverty means that many Nigeriens have only a few months’ worth of food left and have little means to cope beyond that.

The village chief of Libatan, a village in Tahoua region where CARE is working, said “We’re not hungry today and our children’s health is improving, but we are still worried about the future. Once we have repaid our debts, at best we will only have enough left over from this harvest to keep us going for the next four months. Without help from somewhere, we’re scared of falling into the same situation again next year.

But, community leaders have told CARE staff that they don’t want hand-outs. What they want is the opportunity and long-term support to lift themselves out of poverty and the cycle of hunger.

“Our village needs many things. We need a road because access is so bad. No one ever comes here. Even during the distributions some of the trucks couldn’t get through and we had to send camels to carry the food. We need water too, to help improve irrigation so we can grow things. We also need more tools and equipment to help us farm better.”

CARE – the largest international NGO (non-governmental organisation) in Niger – distributed emergency food to over one million people and is helping agricultural and pastoral (animal herding) communities replenish their cereal stocks and livestock and use the new harvest to free up money for health care, housing, clothing and food. CARE’s food-for-work schemes and long-term women’s credit and savings groups are helping vulnerable communities rebuild their household assets.

In Diffa, where the loss of crops and livestock was greatest and where children must often travel for one to two days to reach school, CARE is beginning a school feeding programme to enable children to continue with their education.

About CARE International: CARE International is one of the world’s leading humanitarian organisations fighting global poverty. In 72 developing countries, CARE helps poor communities create lasting solutions to their most threatening problems. CARE’s integrated projects include emergency relief, community rehabilitation and longer-term projects in areas such as education, health and small-business development.

For more information or interviews with David Sanderson, regional manager for south and west Africa, please contact:
Amber Meikle, senior press officer, meikle@careinternational.org tel: 0207 9349348