Three children played happily on Thursday in the courtyard of an orphanage in the southern Niger town of Maradi. Only a month ago, the three were at death’s door as a result of severe malnutrition. But while they appear to have fully recovered, doctors warned that many other children might be affected for the rest of their lives.
While mothers continue to bring children weak with hunger to feeding centres, market stalls are filled with food — but at prices well out of the reach of many in this desperately poor nation. ”It is the government’s job to deal with the hungry, we the traders are here for business,” said Ibrahim Baye, who sells millet, a staple in Niger, at Maradi market.
The World Food Programme (WFP) said on Monday that thanks to the outpouring of international aid in recent days to help hungry Niger, emergency food distribution to 270 000 people could begin this week. ”Our goal is to distribute 4 000 tonnes of food this week,” WFP country director Gian Carlo Cirri said.