West Africa Relief 

About 13 million people spread across countries such as Niger, Mauritania, Mali, Chad, and Senegal are either already facing desperate food shortages or are in imminent danger of such shortages. Poor rains have led to poor harvests. Crop yields have been nonexistent in some areas and severely reduced in others. This deepening food crisis in West Africa may easily mirror the kind of devastation seen recently in the Horn of Africa unless urgent action is taken.

Hungry children are more vulnerable to malnutrition and disease, and they must walk longer distances to find water — making them vulnerable to attacks by animals and human predators. In addition, children are more likely to drop out of school. They find it hard to concentrate on lessons, girls seek domestic work in the cities to support their families, and schooling is disrupted when families leave hard-hit areas in search of food and opportunities elsewhere.

World Vision has extensive programs in Niger, Mauritania, Mali, and Chad designed to bring relief to immediate needs and to improve long-term food security. Activities include:

• Nutrition programs for children
• Food Programs
• Vaccinating livestock
• Distributing seeds
• Drilling additional wells
• Restocking cereal banks
• Providing additional livestock — much of it through World Vision Gift Catalog donations

More action is needed to prevent this food shortage from being coming a famine. The consequences of inaction are likely to be an extended period of hunger and malnutrition, a lack of seeds for a new harvest next year, mass migration from rural to urban areas, massive loss of livestock, exorbitant food prices, and a diminished ability of affected populations to feed themselves in the future.

And, of course, the most dire consequence of extended drought and famine is loss of life.

Your help is needed now. Please donate using the form below or call 1-866-595-5550