Helping our Neighbors

If you haven't looked at a map of West Africa lately, maybe now is the time to refresh your memory. Right smack in the middle of the Sahel and Sahara deserts is a country called Niger. The UN Human Development Index lists Niger as the least developed country in the world, an honor that brings less attention than one would expect. The CIA World Factbook describes Niger's geography as landlocked; one of the hottest countries in the world; northern four-fifths is desert, southern one-fifth is savanna, suitable for livestock and limited agriculture.

Recent political conflict plagues the capital, Niamey, where a coup d'etat in March took the president and his supporters from power. President Tandja, although elected to office democratically, had single-handedly abolished his own term limits and was attempting to unconstitutionally stay in power. The coup leaders claim to be re-instituting a democratic government, although only time will tell how truthful and successful this claim will be.

In the midst of this conflict, Niger faces another potentially dire situation: a food shortage estimated to affect about 7.8 million people, which is about 60% of Niger's population. International aid organizations are asking for millions of dollars in order to help the already struggling rural populations, many of which have been forced to leave their homes and villages because of the complete depletion of food supplies. The UN is predicting there will be approximately 1.5 million cases of malnutrition in children under the age of 5, and another 35,000 cases among pregnant and lactating women.

Niger is a country composed of many vibrant cultural groups, including those of the Tuaregs, the Fulani, the Hausa and the Zarma. Our intern, Emily, spent four months in Niamey last semester studying international development and immersing herself in the culture and society of Niger. More than anything else, it is the people she met there that have left an incredible impression on her.

In this awful time of widespread famine for a country already so stricken with the problems of under-development, we ask that you take some time to learn more about Niger and the ways in which you can help out the millions of people facing starvation and death.

Some organizations currently working in Niger to prevent the spread of the food shortage are Action Against Hunger, Catholic Relief Services, and the International Committee of the Red Cross.