By Rotimy Djossaya, Country Director, CARE International Niger
“Last week, I departed from Niamey, the capital city of Niger for a very special three day trip. Together with members of Niger’s Humanitarian Country Team, the Minister of Humanitarian Actions, Laouan Magagi and the UN Under Secretary General and Regional Coordinator for Sahel, Toby Lanzer we travelled to the Diffa region. We wanted to talk to communities, refugees, displaced people and local authorities to show our solidarity, to further understand the crisis in Diffa, to observe the emergency response and to assess the remaining humanitarian needs.
Daily life in Diffa remains challenging for thousands of people: the recurring attacks let them live in fear, many of them had to flee, leaving behind all their belongings, their homes, their livelihoods. Everything.
For more than two years now, violence at the hands of armed groups has pushed hundreds of thousands of people from their homes, disrupted trade and livelihoods and heightened malnutrition and food insecurity.
Children in a household in Nguel Kolo, a small village in Eastern Niger. (Photo: CARE/Frederic Courbet)
The most affected people in all the sites we visited (Boudouri, Diffa Town, Kindjandi, Toumour, Bosso, Chetimari) were women, children, youth and elderly people. Many of those we met have already been displaced at least three or four times seeking safe sites - each time stretching their resilience to the limit and further deepening their suffering. Entire villages have been emptied of their residents. A large proportion of fields have not been tilled; and access to basic social services such as water, health and education has been further restricted. More than 400,000 people need emergency food assistance. The Global Acute Malnutrition (GAM) rate of 17 per cent, a standard measurement for the malnourishment of children, exceeds the emergency threshold.
From our discussions with communities individually and in focus groups, it's clear that the main urgent needs are food and nutritional assistance, shelter, water and sanitation, protection especially for women and children, education and sustainable livelihoods for host families, refugees, displaced and returnees.
Huge needs, changing situation
CARE and other humanitarian organizations have scaled up their operations during the current lean season which stretches from June to September. But the needs on the ground remain huge due to the ever changing situation. Insecurity and lack of funding are limiting our humanitarian teams’ ability to reach those most in need. Let me give you some bleak figures: The humanitarian response in Diffa is only 38 per cent funded, with US $28 million of $73 million secured. About 50 per cent of food needs for the rest of the year will not be covered if additional funding is not received.
‘’We need $45 million USD to respond to this massive crisis and deep suffering,” the Humanitarian Coordinator in Niger, Fodé Ndiaye, tells me.
During my stay in Diffa, I visited some child-friendly spaces which are supported by CARE to help children live in dignity and security despite this complex and challenging context. I am really encouraged by the positive environment created for children and their families through these initiatives and other CARE's interventions in Diffa. To hear children’s voices, to see them play and forget their traumatic experiences for a while makes me happy and proud of our work.
Act now
Everyone can make a difference in the lives of these refugees, returnees, displaced and host families who are continually affected by violent attacks. I call out for your solidarity with the brave people in the Lake Chad region who have welcomed those displaced by the attacks: Let's Act now saving lives and helping people to rebuild their livelihoods! This means we need to create youth and women’s employment as well as socio-economic opportunities, and strengthen social cohesion.”
“Despite difficult living conditions, lack of sustainable income and basic means of daily subsistence, thousands of families continue to care for those who have even less’’, Toby Lanzer said during our meetings in Diffa. ‘’People in the Lake Chad region provide us an example of humanity that should be an inspiration for us all,’’ he added.
My dream for Niger and especially Diffa is a world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and all people live with dignity and security. My colleagues and I at CARE Niger are working hard every day to ensure this dream will become reality.
Together this is possible!”
About CARE in Diffa, Niger:
CARE has been working in Diffa Region of Niger since 1998 and remains fully committed to continue to provide assistance to affected people and support the developments efforts as part of our overall Lake Chad Basin Strategy. CARE started its operations in Niger in 1974.