MALI/NIGER

Niger suffers worst food crisis in 20 years, which ranks as the second poorest country in the world. Some 150,000 children will die soon without aid, according to Jan Egeland, head of UN Humanitarian Affairs.

A deadly combination of poor rains and locust invasions have devastated last year's crops leaving around 3.5 million people in Niger with little or no food.

A further 1.5 million people in the north of neighbouring Mali are also affected. Dozens of villages have been abandoned as their hungry residents wander the desert in search of food. Some people head for the towns and cities, or even neighbouring countries.

Teams from Islamic Relief's Mali office were amongst the first to reach some of the worst affected regions in Niger and Northern Mali. An office has been set up in Niamey, the capital of Niger which will work with IR Mali office to tackle the food crisis.

In Niger, IR staff distributed 10 tonnes of emergency food aid in the Ouallam district. This distribution covered 3 villages, reaching over 5000 people. IR is working with the UN WFP to implement a Blanket Feeding Programme, distributing food packs across all of the critically affected areas.

Monthly food distributions are planned to target the most vulnerable including children, women and the elderly in Tillaberi, Tahoua and Ouallam districts in Niger. In Mali, 95 tonnes of food have already been distributed to families across the Gourma Rharous region in northern Mali.

IR is establishing 30 Supplementary and Therapeutic Feeding Centres across four districts, Tillaberi, Ouallam, Filingue and Tera in Niger. The Supplementary Centres help moderately malnourished patients and refer severe cases to Therapeutic Feeding Centres where more intensive care is provided.

IR is providing medical equipment to the main hospital in Tillaberi which is one of the worst affected areas in Niger. Free medical aid is provided for the most vulnerable people in the Tillaberi region, who would otherwise be unable to afford healthcare.

A Mobile Nutritional Monitoring Team will visit local villages and health centres around Tillaberi to monitor diseases and nutrition and to refer severe cases to the hospital. The team will work closely with the Ministry of Health.