Millions in Niger facing food shortages once again

Abstract

In a rudimentary medical clinic on the southern edge of the Sahara desert a baby is taken from his mother’s arms. He is placed inside a black harness attached to handheld scale. All of his ribs are visible his limbs are emaciated. The child is 10 months old. He weighs 4 kg down from 5 kg 2 months earlier. He should weigh twice as much. By the harsh calculations of the feeding centre one could say the child is lucky. He is so badly underweight he will receive a ration of therapeutic feeding: 3.5 g of enriched cornmeal and oil. Resources are so badly stretched here that out of the 200 children brought here by their mothers only a third will receive food. “People get upset but we only have enough supplies to help a few of them” says Ibrahim Chalare the field coordinator for the feeding centre which is run by the British charity Islamic Relief. Childhood hunger is a perennial problem in this landlocked sub-Saharan country but it is unusual to see so many malnourished children so early in the year he says. Rates of admission are double what they were last month Chalare continues and he expects it to triple by summer. (excerpt)