2012 Sahel Food & Nutrition Crisis response

by ECHO & partners

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Cover photo: © EC/ECHO/Jan Eijkenaar

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CONTENTS

Introduction……………………………………………………………4

2012 Sahel Food & Nutrition Crisis: ECHO’s response

at a glance………………………………………………………………5

Niger……………………………………………………………………12

Mali……………………………………………………………………..16

Cameroon……………………………………………………………..20

Burkina Faso………………………………………………………….22

Nigeria……………………………………………………………..…..28

Chad…………………………………………………………………….32

Mauritania…………………………………………………………….34

4

Their resilience eroded after four consecutive food and nutrition

crises in less than a decade, 18 million people in the Sahel

faced severe food shortages in 2012. Many saw their children

succumb to malnutrition and disease.

While it is widely acknowledged that the aid provided by ECHO

through its partners has helped to avert a large-scale disaster

in 2012, any complacency would be misplaced at this stage.

One year later, harvests have overall been good, but more than

10 million people will again face food insecurity and close to

one and a half million children will suffer from the severest

form of malnutrition.

Experiences show that we need to become better at targeting

the poorest people in the Sahel and understanding what makes

them vulnerable to malnutrition and hunger. This is key to

inform long-term investments and development strategies that

could put a stop to the endless cycle of food and nutrition

crises.

This document provides a summary of ECHO’s response to the

2012 Sahel food and nutrition crisis as well as a non-exhaustive

illustration of some of the work that was achieved thanks to its

partners.

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As early as October 2011 poor rains combined with high food

prices and a significant drop in migrants’ remittances from

Libya, Côte d’Ivoire and Europe signaled the start of a severe

food and nutrition crisis across the Sahel. In December 2011,

the Food Crisis Prevention Network estimated a cereal deficit of

2.6 million tons for the Sahel. Production was 25% lower

compared to 2010 and 2% below the five year average.

By December 2011, the five most affected countries - Niger,

Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso and Chad1 - had declared a crisis

and called for humanitarian assistance. Apart from Niger who

had previously prepared a food crisis response plan, it was the

first time for the other governments. The estimation of needs

was a relatively complex process involving governments of the

region, INGOs, the UN and the Permanent Interstate

Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS).

By early March, it was estimated that 7.8 million people were in

need of emergency food assistance and 1.03 million children

under five would suffer from severe acute malnutrition. In May,

the figure of food insecure was revised upwards to 17 million

people, 8.1 million of whom were facing severe food insecurity.

To make matters worse Mali became the scene of political

turmoil. What started with a Tuareg uprising against Malian

government forces in January 2012 and a subsequent military

coup in March, degenerated into a profound crisis. This

severely hampered humanitarian aid to people in the north of

the country, disrupted supply lines, and led tens of thousands

of Malians to flee to neighbouring countries and to the south

where they found refuge in already food insecure host

communities.

1 Niger: October 2011; Mauritania & Mali: November 2011; Burkina Faso & Chad: December 2011; Senegal

only declared a crisis in May 2012 following the election of a new president.

Sahel 2012, a crisis in the making - poor harvests, high

prices & conflict against a backdrop of extreme poverty

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Together with its partners, ECHO contributed to the early

recognition of the 2012 food and nutrition crisis and to

formulating an adequate response. In total, ECHO mobilized

€173 million for the food and nutrition crisis, in addition to €58

million to address needs arising from the Mali conflict.

This was the highest ever envelope allocated to humanitarian

aid in the Sahel by ECHO, more than three times the amount in

2011 and twice the amount mobilized during the last nutrition

crisis in 2010.

ECHO funding - quick, substantial & complementary

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Early detection of food deficits by ECHO and some of its

partners enabled a swift mobilization of funds, despite the

initial failing of some early warning systems. These funds were

essential to ensure appropriate supply lines, especially to

landlocked countries such as Chad and Niger where these take

months to organise. By February 2012, ECHO had already

made €95 million available to partners so that they could

mobilize resources and start operations prior to the lean

season.

The European Commission’s development aid department

DEVCO mobilized another €164.5 million for Senegal,

Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and for regional

projects. More than €20 million of DEVCO funds were used for

immediate food assistance with the majority earmarked to

support the recovery phase in 2013 and beyond, among others

for livelihoods support and the replenishment of food stocks.

In West Africa, an estimated 600,000 children continue to die

each year of causes linked to malnutrition (Lancet, 2008) with

countries of the Sahel recording some of the highest child

mortality rates in the world.

Since 2007, ECHO therefore developed a regional Sahel

strategy which has focused on the prevention and treatment of

malnutrition. In addition to a considerable scale up of nutrition

care directly funded by ECHO – from 250,000 severely

malnourished children in 2010 to 460,000 in 2012 - the

strategy has encouraged the prevention of acute malnutrition

through targeted blanket feeding with nutrition supplements,

food assistance and health care.

Priority sectors - nutrition care, cash transfers &

response to conflict

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More than one-third of ECHO funded food assistance in 2012

consisted of cash or voucher distributions. If we exclude Chad

where the capacity to implement such distributions is minimal,

the ratio of cash and vouchers versus in-kind food assistance

was 2 to 1. Compared to ‘traditional’ food distributions, cash

and vouchers allow for a more targeted and dignified response,

give beneficiaries more flexibility and support local economies

rather than disrupt them by importing food.

Overall, one-fifth of ECHO funded assistance in 2012 could be

considered resilience strengthening, i.e. it aimed at preventing

the poorest and most at risk of crisis impact from being

severely affected. This type of funding also included support for

improved early warning data, better targetting of the poorest,

community care and training.

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A specificity of ECHO funding in 2012 was the support to

projects at regional level in order to enhance the consistency

and coherence of the response. Even if a scale up of aid efforts

without compromising on quality remains challenging, the aid

provided by ECHO and its partners is widely acknowledged to

have helped avert a large-scale disaster in 2012. Another

particularity of ECHO’s Sahel strategy is the increasing

collaboration with governments to ensure a sustainability of

achievements.

Finally, the conflict in Mali required substantial funding for

emergency assistance of a different nature: to address the

most basic needs in terms of shelter, health, water, food and

nutrition as well as protection of the more than 350,000 Malian

refugees in Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Niger and internally

displaced in the south of the country.

In the interest of coherence and quality, ECHO funded more

‘regional’ projects in 2012 enabling UN agencies such as

UNICEF, WFP and OCHA to conduct operations across the

region and according to needs. Save the Children also received

support to carry out and promote Household Economy Analysis

(HEA) within the region in order to identify the poorest

households, better understand their needs and the risks they

face.

This analysis has shattered the myth that boosting local food

production is THE answer to food insecurity in the Sahel. It

appears that the most impoverished and indebted families have

less and less access to farmland and are increasingly reliant on

casual work and markets where prices of staple foods are often

beyond their reach.

ECHO partners – unprecedented scale-up of aid effort

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ECHO has funded numerous partners in 2012. INGOs received a

smaller share of ECHO funds compared to 2011 (35% in 2012

compared to 73% in 2011) but the absolute amount disbursed

was superior (€50 million in 2012 compared to €33 million in

2011). UN agencies received a large share of the funds due to

the need to organize the region-wide supply and distribution of

therapeutic and supplementary foods (UNICEF), blanket feeding

and food assistance (WFP), and the assistance to Malian

refugees.

Supporting INGOs who have proven to successfully manage

nutrition and health projects remains a crucial avenue for

ECHO. They are often at the forefront of innovation. ECHO has

funded pilot projects which have demonstrated the benefits of

family planning; of providing free health care for under fives

and pregnant and breastfeeding women; and of combining cash

transfers with the distribution of fortified foods in order to

prevent malnutrition.

Overall, ECHO financed a wide range of partners in 2012,

aiming for maximum impact and quality while promoting

analysis to help pre-empt future crises.

People in the Sahel are facing a triple crisis: an ongoing food

and nutrition crisis; an erosion of their resilience due to

recurrent stresses and chronic food insecurity; and region-wide

ramifications of the Mali conflict.

ECHO is concerned that optimism following good rains and

harvests in 2012 may eclipse the critical situation still facing

many people in the Sahel this year. In spite of last year’s

significant aid effort, funds and capacities did not stretch to

include livelihoods support for the poorest. 10.8 million people

remain food insecure in the Sahel and 1.4 million children are

Lessons learnt for 2013

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at risk of dying from severe acute malnutrition if left untreated.

Niger and Burkina Faso aside, governments are late drawing up

crisis response plans, and the mobilization of funds also seems

to be lagging behind compared to last year.

In an effort to stop the endless cycle of crises in the Sahel, the

European Commission (EC) has been instrumental in forging

the Global Alliance for Resilience Initiative (AGIR-Sahel)

launched on 6 December 2012 in Ouagadougou. The initiative

brings together West-African governments and organizations,

the donor community, development and humanitarian

stakeholders around a ‘Zero Hunger’ goal within the next 20

years.

With its focus on humanitarian aid which is resilient

strengthening, ECHO intends to save as many lives as possible

by shifting from crisis management to risk management and by

sharing its lessons learnt for a more effective development aid.

Experiences show that to better target the poorest and

understand what makes them vulnerable to malnutrition and

hunger are key to inform long-term investments and

development strategies. A narrow focus on increased

agricultural production will not prevent a rapidly growing class

of poor Sahelians from falling prey to malnutrition or hunger. It

is equally important to ensure basic services such as health and

nutrition care. And ultimately, the creation of safety social nets

for the ultra poor is indispensable.

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Niger

© Concern Worldwide

Widowed Mrs. Kandé Nomaou, 50 years old, with three

grandchildren amongst whom two are orphans, is a beneficiary

of a Cash for Work program at Koukatalla’s village (commune

of Tebram, region of Tahoua). Here working on her field being

recuperated from the desert.

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The region of Tahoua in Niger was one of the worst

affected by the severe food crisis which struck in 2012.

With a poor harvest at the end of 2011, food supplies

rapidly declined and prices rose meaning many families

were at risk of completely running out of food by as early

as March 2012.

Concern Worldwide Niger supported by the European

Commission, provided emergency cash transfers to

extremely poor households to help them buy food and

meet other basic survival needs.

The programme also worked with local health centres to

ensure they had the capacity to diagnose and treat

children for malnutrition. 6,350 extremely poor

households received cash transfers whilst 100,000

children under five were screened for malnutrition. The

programme also included cash-for-work projects to

prepare the land for the next agricultural season.

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The small village of Assakaram is

located over 1,000 km north east

of the capital Niamey,

somewhere between the cities of

Agadez and Zinder. To get there,

you have to leave the main road

and drive for at least an hour on

unmarked desert trails.

Assakaram is a cluster of simple

mud brick houses, often

surrounded by straw fences.

Saying that life here is difficult is

an understatement. People grow

© Photo : Stephanie Tremblay

food on parcels of land that have more in common with sand

pits than agricultural fields. “This is millet,” a farmer and his

wife proudly say of tiny green shoots emerging from the sand.

Assakaram is isolated, extremely poor, and also representative

of many communities the World Food Programme works with in

Niger.

“All we have left to eat is this,” says Nana Aboubacar as a

member of her family shows a handful of maize. Like everyone

else in the village, her family are farmers. And like everyone

else, last year’s harvest was bad so they make do with

whatever food they can get. Maize is not her favorite food and

she knows that eating only this day after day won’t give her all

the vitamins and nutrients she needs to properly breastfeed her

baby.

Two days earlier, WFP distributed Super Cereal, a fortified

blend of corn and soya flour that is used to prevent

malnutrition. Each household with children below the age of 2

or with breastfeeding mothers received a monthly ration of the

highly nutritional product. “Preventing and treating acute

malnutrition is at the core of WFP’s response in the country,”

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said Darline Raphael, head of WFP’s nutrition unit in Niger.

Malnutrition has always been a concern in the country,

especially during the lean season.

Outside her house, with her baby in her arms and her other

children watching, Nana Aboubacar demonstrates how to cook

a porridge with the fortified food she received from WFP. “When

I eat this, I have a lot of milk for my baby,” she said. Her little

girl wears a few “gris-gris” –charms given to her by the local

marabout- to protect her from diseases.

Aboubacar is convinced this helps keep her baby healthy, but

she also knows that eating the Super Cereal every day is at

least equally as important.

Even before the crisis, malnutrition rates were high in Niger -

20 percent Global Acute Malnutrition rate among children under

two last year. During the lean season, WFP therefore provided

special fortified food to prevent malnutrition to close to 1

million children under 2 as well as nursing mothers in Niger.

Listen to photographer Rein Skullerud comment his photostory on Drought In Niger

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Mali

The severe food and nutrition crisis caused by drought, crop failures,

and sharp rises in food prices affected around 4.6 million people in

Mali. In a region hit by recurrent droughts, many people had had little

time to recover from the previous crisis in 2010. With very limited

resources to fall back on, families were forced to sell off livestock and

other assets just to buy enough food to survive.

© Oxfam

Cash transfer beneficiary picking up her money at the local

distribution point organised by Oxfam, the microfinance

institution and the community.

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To reach some of the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis, Oxfam helped 3,500 families rebuild their livelihoods in the Kayes region of western Mali. Between August 2012 and February 2013, these families received cash grants through local banks and a local microfinance organisation.

Most of those who received the money were women and all of them also got trained on household budget management, nutrition and hygiene.

As a result, most of these people have not

only been able to feed their families through the leanest months of the year, but also to invest in building livelihoods that will make them more resilient to future shocks.

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Fatouma Dicko a 54 ans et vit avec

son mari et quatre enfants à

Dyelmael, un village Maure de la

commune de Guidimé situé proche de

la frontière de la Mauritanie.

Avant la crise alimentaire de 2012,

Fatouma Dicko et son mari pratiquaient plusieurs activités pour

subvenir aux besoins de la famille. Pour se procurer des

condiments nécessaires, son mari pratiquait l’agriculture, le

ramassage et la vente du bois de chauffage qu’il transportait

jusqu'à Yélimané qui est distant d’environ 50 kilomètres de

Dyelmael. Cependant, Fatouma de son coté amasse le tamarin

pour vendre aussi à Bandjicula et à Yélimané pour pouvoir

contribuer à l’achat des produits alimentaires pour la nourriture

de la famille.

"Au moment de la crise, la situation économique de ma famille

a été vraiment dégradée que l’on n’arrivait même pas à

prendre un repas avec nos propres moyens. Ce sont des voisins

qui nous ont aidés trouver quelque chose à manger."

Un jour elle a pris connaissance, via le chef de son village,

qu’Oxfam allait cibler les personnes les plus pauvres des

villages pour leur donner de l’argent. J’ai pu trouver ma chance

d’être sélectionnée, car ma situation économique était très

grave."

Grâce au montant reçu lors du premier transfert, j’ai pu acheter

du riz, de l’arachide, des semences et d’autres condiments pour

subvenir à mes besoins alimentaires et ceux de mon mari et

mes enfants. Maintenant, j’ai pu augmenter le nombre de repas

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journalier de ma famille à trois par jour. Le montant que je

viens de recevoir pour la 2e distribution va me permettre de

consolider mes trois repas de la famille en réapprovisionnant

davantage en riz, arachide et autres condiments et améliorer le

plus possible la qualité. Mais pour ce que concernent les

cinquante milles que je recevrai lors de la prochaine

distribution, je projette d’acheter du sucre, des produits de la

récolte en cours, le thé, etc.… pour revendre dans la zone

frontalière de la Mauritanie. Elle s’explique en affirmant que la

période de récolte arrive sous peu, elle compte acheter un

stock de céréales pour revendre en période rareté."

La bénéficiaire se dit être très contente du soutien d’Oxfam aux

ménages vulnérables dont elle fait partie. Sa joie n’est pas due

seulement au fait que c’est elle en tant que femme qui a été

retenue comme bénéficiaire, car cela ne fait aucune différence

que ce soit elle ou son mari "c’est la même chose et c’est pour

le bien-être de la famille" a-t-elle ajouté. D’ailleurs, les

dépenses de la famille, selon Fatouma, sont planifiées de

commun accord avec son mari qui lui est responsable d’acheter

les céréales tandis qu’elle se charge de tout ce qui est de

l’approvisionnement en condiments nécessaires.

Fatouma Dicko, reconnait l’utilité du soutien d’Oxfam dans sa

vie et celle de sa famille. Sans cette aide, elle n’aurait pas pu

faire la culture cette année et espérer des récoltes. "Si Oxfam

continuera à l’appuyer, Inchalah, ce serait une très bonne

action car, ceci permettrait de maintenir la paix dans les

villages".

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Cameroon

In the border region

between Chad and

Nigeria, the Far North

region of Cameroon is

severely affected by

the malnutrition

crisis occurring in

Sahel.

The prevalence rate

for severe acute

malnutrition among

under-five children

largely surpasses the

emergency threshold.

© Croix-Rouge française

Joined efforts of ECHO, the Cameroon Red Cross and the

French Red Cross enable to support the Ministry of

Health in the treatment and follow-up of severely

malnourished children.

The program also includes raising awareness among

communities and the training of health staff.

Political mobilization and advocacy to integrate nutrition

as a key element in health programs will contribute to

the fight against malnutrition and give it the required

visibility. In 2012, 3,553 children have been

treated through this program.

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Région transfrontalière entre le Tchad et le Nigéria, la

région de l’Extrême-Nord du Cameroun est durement

touchée par la crise nutritionnelle du Sahel avec un taux

de prévalence de la malnutrition aigüe sévère pour les

moins de 5 ans de 2,9%, dépassant le seuil d’urgence.

Les actions conjointes de l’aide humanitaire de la

Commission européenne, de la Croix-Rouge

camerounaise et de la Croix-Rouge française

permettentd’appuyer le Ministère de la santé dans la

prise en charge et le suivi des enfants malnutris sévères

et d’agir en amont de la crise, à travers des activités de

sensibilisation communautaires et de formation du

personnel sanitaire.

La volonté politique d’inclure la nutrition comme un

élément clé des programmes de santé permettra de

redynamiser la lutte contre la malnutrition en lui

donnant enfin la visibilité dont elle a besoin pour être

combattue. L’espoir renait enfin pour plus de3 553

enfants, dépistés et pris en charge en 2012 dans ce

programme.

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Burkina Faso

© ECHO/Raphael De Bengy

Fields of Bodiaga in March 2012 Fields of Bodiaga in August 2012

« L’intervention a été salutaire pendant la crise alimentaire, tant

du point de vue des transferts monétaires que des aménagements

de bas-fonds. La négociation foncière dans laquelle nous avons

été impliqués a permis d’éviter que les impacts de l’intervention

ne soient compromis dans les années futures »

Sana Bouruima, Directeur de la Direction Provinciale de

l’Agriculture et de l’Hydraulique de la Tapoa

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In the region of Tapoa, 300 kilometres away from Ouagadougou, the European Commission has supported a cash-for-work programme implemented by Action

Contre la Faim.

In exchange for cash to buy food, 900 households have helped to build embankments around what will become

rice fields.

The intention was that rainwater would be retained for the next crop. In total, each worker received €90 over 2 months, the equivalent of about three 100kg bags of sorghum. Overall, ACF was able to assist about 40,000

people in this region.

« Je suis veuve et sans moyen ;

je souffre pour prendre en

charge mes enfants ;

l’argentque j’ai reçu en début

d’année m’a permis d’acheter

des vivres pour mes quatre

enfants. J’ai aussi été formée

mais ce qui m’a le plus marqué

est l’obtention d’une parcelle

dans le bas-fond aménagé pour cultiver du riz ; en plus de mes

productions habituelles, cette année, je vais produire du riz qui

est déjà même à maturité. J’espère récolter 4 sacs de 100kg de riz

sur ma parcelle et cela permettra de couvrir mes besoins

alimentaires d’au moins 3 mois. Je voudrais dire que je vais

continuer à travailler car c’est dans mon intérêt ».

Tianyiénou COMBARI, mère de 4 enfants

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Face aux conséquences de la sécheresse dans la région de la

Tapoa, ACF a mené un programme répondant, non seulement

aux besoins immédiats des ménages pauvres, mais permettant

également de renforcer leur résilience en amorçant leur

réinsertion dans un circuit productif.

En dehors de tout contexte de crise, plus de la moitié de la

population de la Région de l’Est du Burkina Faso vit en dessous

du seuil de pauvreté ; les taux de malnutrition des enfants de

moins de 5 ans sont parmi les plus élevés du pays : plus de

10% d’entre eux sont touchés par la malnutrition aiguë et plus

de 40% par la malnutrition chronique. En 2011, les poches de

sécheresses enregistrées lors de la campagne agricole ont

provoqué une baisse de la production céréalière; ceci a

constitué un choc majeur pour les ménages pauvres et très

pauvres chroniquement en situation de déficit.

Assurer une aide alimentaire

Plus de 1.600 ménages ont participé début 2012 dans des

activités de cash-for-work (argent contre travail) dont 900 ont

pris part aux aménagements de 10 bas-fonds; ces terres, une

fois aménagées permettent la production de riz pluvial avec des

rendements intéressants. En échange de son travail, chaque

ménage a reçu un transfert monétaire qui a été massivement

utilisé pour assurer les besoins alimentaires de base pendant

une période allant de 2 à 4 mois.

Permettre un accès à la terre

En amont, ACF a conduit avec les services techniques de

l’agriculture et les services des communes concernées des

négociations foncières avec les propriétaires des bas-fonds.

Objectif : faire en sorte que les agriculteurs aient un accès

pérenne à la terre. A l’issue des négociations, les propriétaires

se sont engagés à céder aux ménages pauvres et très pauvres

participant aux travaux une parcelle aménagée d’environ 500

m2. Dans la Tapoa, le programme a permis à plus de 500

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ménages pauvres d’accéder à ces terres fertiles. Dès la

campagne agricole 2012, ils ont pu mettre en valeur leur

parcelle et réalisé en décembre 2012 leur première récolte de

riz. Les résultats de la campagne montrent que chaque ménage

a récolté environ 200kg de riz paddy ce qui représente une

valeur marchande d’environ 50 000 FCFA (75 €) soit environ ¼

des revenus annuels des ménages très pauvres de la Tapoa.

A travers cette opération, l’aide d’urgence a répondu au besoin

immédiat des ménages pauvres et très pauvres mais aussi

contribué à renforcer leur résilience à l’insécurité alimentaire et

à leur réinsertion dans un circuit productif.

Aujourd’hui, l’enjeu consiste à pérenniser les acquis;

l’accompagnement des ménages est nécessaire pour permettre

de « transformer l’essai » et assurer une mise en valeur

durable des aménagements ; des fonds de développement ont

pris le relais d’urgence dès janvier 2013 : un programme

EuropeAid permet à ACF en partenariat avec les services

provinciaux de l’agriculture d’assurer pendant 24 mois

l’accompagnement technique et organisationnel des exploitants

des bas-fonds mais également de développer autour de

l’aménagement de nouvelles activités génératrices de revenus

comme

l’étuvage du

riz dont les

femmes

seront les

premières

bénéficiaires.

26

© WFP/Rein Skullerud

Aissatou Hama is a 44 year old mother of 6. She lives in Bani

village in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso. As the head of her

household she participated in WFP's cash-for-work activities.

20 community members, half of them women, set to work on 15

hectares of degraded land, where grass had not grown for years.

Some dug the holes while others collected compost to fill them

in order to capture moisture and rehabilitate the soil.

All participants received a monthly payment in cash of 12,000

FCFA (€18) for their work in May. "Since January, our family

had no choice but to start selling our goats and sheep. This

money is a huge relief for us. It allows us to buy sorghum and

millet in the market," said Aissatou. "Building the zai allowed us

to buy food immediately but it is also helping our village for the

future," she added.

27

Crop failures in 2012 in Burkina Faso resulted in a 16%

decline in grain production compared to 2011.

In response to the government’s call for support the

World Food Programme planned to reach 1.2 million

people by providing food assistance to families over a

four-month period during the lean season from July to

October 2012.

To prevent acute malnutrition WFP also provided special

foods for the six months to all children under the age of

two.

Click on yellow links to view photo galleries of WFP’s work in Burkina Faso involving food assistance, cash transfers or responding to food insecurity and refugee crisis.

©WFP/Celestine Ouedraogo

28

Nigeria

© Save The Children

CMAM is a community-based approach for treating Severe

Acute Malnutrition (SAM), where most children suffering from

SAM with no medical complications can stay at home and

receive free treatment at health facilities in their communities.

Children with SAM and medical complications are treated, also

for free, in hospitals and there is community outreach for

community involvement in early detection and referral of cases.

29

Save the Children has been working in collaboration with

Nigeria’s Katsina State Government to reduce the burden

of malnutrition in one of the States with the highest

rates of acute malnutrition in Nigeria.

In 2010, treatment of severe cases of malnutrition in

children became available in 2 local government areas

(LGAs) with European Commission and Save the Children

support, doubling the LGAs a few months later.

Thanks to this initiative, over 37,600 children have

accessed quality treatment in a health facility near their

homes. To make this possible around 750 health workers

from over 40 government health facilities were trained,

as well as 1,700 community members who are currently

volunteering to identify and refer children suffering from

malnutrition.

In addition the volunteers do home visits to follow up on

those on treatment. The success of this programme

encouraged the State Government to allocate a monthly

fund of around € 1,250 per LGA to support the ECHO

funded activities.

Likewise, the State Committee on Food and Nutrition saw

their budgetary allocation increased in order to increase

ownership and sustainability of the programme.

30

Rabiu, another chance to live

One of the children enrolled in CMAM is

Rabiu, a 3 year-old boy, son of Murja and

Mallam Rabiu, a family who live in

Northern Nigeria. Rabiu was brought to a

health center providing CMAM services in

September 2012 by his grandmother,

Hajiya Nana. He looked very ill. Hajiya

Nana said Rabiu was referred by

community volunteer who went to their

town screening for cases of malnutrition.

Rabiu’s Mid-Upper Arm Circumference

(MUAC) was 10cm and his weight was

only 4kg, despite his age. MUAC was the

measurement used to diagnose him with

severe acute malnutrition, he would have

been healthy only if his arm measured

over 11.5cm. He also had fever when he

was enrolled for treatment. Rabiu was

given routine drugs as part of his

treatment and his grandmother received

health and nutrition education. On the

2nd visit his MUAC started increasing and also his weight.

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Rabiu appeared much healthier during the

3rd visit since. His MUAC was already

11.1cm and he weighed 7.5kg. However,

according to his mother, he had had light

fever for two days, those were signs of

infection. The health worker prescribed

treatment for Rabiu to take home in the

following week.

On Rabiu’s 4th examination visit, a month

since his first visit, Murja, his mother, was

very happy with the treatment as she saw

a very rapid improvement. As Murja

arrived to the facility with Rabiu in her

arms, she was full of happiness and said

“for the past 16 months I have never seen

the face of my child like this”. According to

her, Rabiu could spend days without eating

before he was treated and now he’s taking his treatment of

RUTF eagerly, he’s also more active.

After some weeks, Rabiu improved and was then discharged.

His mother and grandmother had tried traditional medicine

previously with no success, but they were courageous to keep

looking for help and succeeded in finding a lasting solution to

Rabiu’s illness. Rabiu’s life was saved without needing the

family to spend a kobo on this treatment. He is now looking as

healthy as any other child. “I say a very big thank you for

giving my son another chance to live” said Murja in her native

Hausa language.

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Chad

© WFP/Rein Skullerud

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In the Sahelian band of Chad, pastures are extremely dry

due to the poor rains. Cereal production in 2011 fell by

50% compared to 2010.

A World Food Programme (WFP) post-harvest national

food security assessment showed that 3.5 million people

were food insecure at the beginning of 2012.

Remote, land-locked Chad faces tremendous logistical

challenges when it comes to moving food aid. WFP’s

main operation, which started in April 2012, aimed at

assisting 1.5 million people, including food rations for all

children under 2 years and mothers with babies.

Food-for-assets programmes were used in 7 priority

regions of the Sahelian belt. In addition, more than

205,000 students received school meals in 2012.

© WFP/Rein Skullerud

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Mauritania

© Croix-Rouge française

Since July 2007 the French Red Cross and the Mauritanian

Red Crescent conduct have been implementing a project

of severe malnutrition treatment in the region of Gorgol.

The partnership which was built over 6 years ensures

care for thousands of children and pregnant and

lactating women in this region where malnutrition rates

are above the emergency threshold of 15% during the

lean season.

The objectives are to contribute to the reduction of

under-five mortality linked to severe acute malnutrition

and to reinforce the treatment management system by

integrating malnutrition activities within 27 health

facilities.

The added-value of the International Red Cross and Red

Crescent movement is based on the active involvement

of volunteers who come from the communities

themselves, and participate in the screening and

malnutrition treatment.

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Depuis juillet 2007, la Croix-Rouge française et le

Croissant-Rouge mauritanien mettent en œuvre un

projet de prise en charge de la malnutrition aiguë dans la

région du Gorgol, en Mauritanie.

Le partenariat tissé depuis 6 ans permet d’assurer la

prise en charge de milliers d’enfants et de femmes

enceintes et allaitantes dans cette région où les cas de

malnutrition dépassent le seuil d’urgence de 15%, en

période de soudure.

Les objectifs poursuivis sont de contribuer à la réduction

de la mortalité des enfants de moins de 5 ans liée à la

malnutrition aïgue et de renforcer le système de prise en

charge via des actions intégrées au sein de 27 structures

sanitaires étatiques de la région.

Un atout majeur du Mouvement International de la

Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge est de disposer de

volontaires issus des communautés. Ceux du CRM, qui

interviennent dans le dépistage et la prise en charge,

contribuent grandement au succès du projet.

Cliquer ici pour regarder l’histoire de Saada sur vimeo.

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