August 23, 2005

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Drought, economic pressures, and reduced access to grazing land are affecting hundreds of thousands in Niger, especially the nomadic herds people of the Wodaabe and Tuareg tribes. CRWRC's international relief administrator Jacob Kramer reports.

"These families are in great need. Many of their children are paying the ultimate price."

Some reports estimate that 2.7 million Nigeriens are at risk of starvation, including 800,000 children. While tracking migrating tribes is challenging, increasingly substantial pockets of starving people are being discovered and there is not enough food to meet their needs.

CRWRC has been working in Niger since 1991 in the areas of agriculture, literacy, health and income-earning programs. These programs have helped shield hundreds of families from hunger and drought. Some farmers who participate in CRWRC programs planted early-maturing millet and use fertilizer-enriched holes to improve their crops. As a result, they had, even in drought, a good harvest that will carry them through the current "hungry season."

At the same time, CRWRC is working with its Nigerien partners to protect communities from future disaster. They are building emergency grain banks to draw from to provide early assistance to villages experiencing poor harvests. And they are developing plans to evaluate food security throughout their regions on an annual basis.

During this time of crisis, CRWRC is working with its Nigerien partners to carry out a food response program to those most in need. This includes distribution of 60 metric tons of rice and 1.2 metric tons of cooking oil to 1,199 families from the Tuareg and Wodaabe tribes.

Christian Reformed Church Communications