People are already reducing the number of meals they eat or eating food intended for animals and scavenging for firewood and other items to sell. Others are taking their children out of school, moving to urban areas in search of support and selling off their livestock below the market rate in order to buy food — further reducing their ability to earn money in the future and recover from this crisis.
Food stocks exhausted
While the government estimates that 7.8 million people (58% of the population) are at risk of food insecurity, this number could rise even further as families’ ability to access and buy food deteriorates. Many families have totally exhausted their food stocks and cannot afford to buy food due to high food prices which have risen by 20% per year every year since 2007.
Niger is the poorest country in Africa and one in six children already die before the age of five. The country is entering into malaria season which could lead to thousands of additional deaths over the next few months.
What we’re doing
We began working in Niger in 2005 in response to the hunger crisis. We are launching an emergency fundraising appeal today for $10 million so we can urgently scale-up our work and provide more families with life-saving food and medical treatment.
“We know how to stop this tragedy from unfolding and there is nothing standing in our way except a lack of money,” said Gareth Owen, Save the Children’s Emergencies Director. “The world must not wait until children are dying in huge numbers before it acts.”
Please support our Niger appeal.