Partnering to End Hunger in Niger

As a member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, the Christian and Missionary Alliance supports food assistance programs and agricultural & livelihood programs with matching funds from the Canadian Government's Humanitarian Assistance funds. As Niger is one of the most underdeveloped countries according to the United Nations, we use most of our CFGB funds in programming there through our implementing partner, Samaritan's Purse - Niger.  

DIFFA FOOD ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 2016

Mahamadou, pictured here shared, "Each month I get a full food ration of maize, beans and oil for my family. In fact, the ration you see here with me can keep me and my family for a month without selling my goats or wood.  It is a great support in my life." 

This food assistance program in the Diffa region of Niger fed 4,801 individuals in 900 households throughout 9 villages.  This program provided unconditional food distribution to the most vulnerable in host communities over 4 food-insecure months prior to their annual harvest. Nutrition and infant feeding instruction, screening children for malnutrition, and mosquito net training were activities done during the food distributions. This program was funded with a 4:1 match from Global Affairs Canada.

Registration  day

Preparing for a distribution

Nutrition and infant feeding instruction

Malnutrition Screening

Mosquito net instruction

Djahara is a widow who has had to provide food for her grandchildren, She shared, " Some call me a beggar.  It was not easy to live in such a situation. We lived in the same situation until the day when Samaritan's Purse came to register us as the poorest of the village and brought us food for free. My suffering has been greatly reduced.  I do not have the words to describe how much this means to me. 

The chief of the village of Mandawa testified,
 “With this intervention in my village, even the health of our children has improved!”

ALFARI* AGRICULTURAL AND LIVELIHOOD PROGRAM

(Assisting Local Farmers to Adopt Resilient Improvements)

As well as 'giving fish' we are also committed to 'teaching people to fish' as the old adage says. We have invested in many programs over the last 10 years that focus on agricultural livelihood training.

The most recent program was a three-year program that ended in the fall of 2016. The ALFARI program worked with 900 farmers (600 women and 300 men).  The program focused on a variety of areas:

• Conservation Agriculture training along with:
• Sustainable agricultural technique training
• Improved seed distribution
• Improved seed production 
• Improved seed boutique creation
• Field school demonstration farms established 
• Farmer exchange sisits
• Tree nurseries

Training in new farming techniques

Digging zai holes to prepare for planting

Improved seed provides a greater harvest

Observing the new crop

Tree nursery planting

• Vegetable gardening training, including:
• Tree planting
• Women's exchange visits
• Cash crop generation

Vegetable gardens provide added nutrition for families
and money for household needs when sold

An exchange visit to another village provides motivation
for these women to start their own gardens.

• Household Nutrition instruction including:
• Soap making
• Mud stove introduction 
• Infant feeding practices

Demonstration of more fuel efficient stoves
that will use less wood and burn more safely. 

Learning to make soap

Mariama testifies to the value of learning to exclusively breast feed her infant. 

I took too much time before getting into the practice of exclusive breastfeeding, as I heard a lot of discouraging things about this practice. But due to the awareness and training sessions conducted by the nutrition supervisor, I finally understood all what I heard was wrong. My daughter you see here is my eighth, and this is the first time I applied exclusive breastfeeding. I have noticed the difference between the behaviors of my daughter with my other children. For instance, my daughter has never gotten sick, while with the others I was frequently in Niamey, which was 25 km from our village. I am very proud with my beautiful and healthy baby. Now I am convinced that breast milk is a blessing. To conclude, the ALFARI project has impacted my life and the life of my family.

• Cash for Work
• Land reclamation initiatives
• Tree planting
• Zai hole and demi-lune contruction
• Gabion box construction to stop soil erosion

Gabion boxes to combat soil erosion

WHAT IS NEXT?  

We will be starting another multi-year 

agriculture and livelihood project in Niger in 2017.  

To donate to this work, click here: FOOD AID