Assessment of the food shortage crisis in Niger is underway by the Adventist Development and Relief Agency’s (ADRA) crisis assessment team, which arrived there Aug. 5. ADRA’s assessment follows a mid-July United Nations report that found some 2.5 million people in approximately 3,000 villages in the West African country at risk of food shortage, including nearly 800,000 children, many who were severely malnourished.

The food shortage was caused by a severe drought and locust infestation, which left behind a harvest too small to adequately feed the people of Niger.
Once the assessment is complete, ADRA will allocate private funding and contact interested government corporate partners and other donors to assist with additional funding. The assessment will end on Aug. 19.

“ADRA is committed to helping the victims of the current food crisis in Niger,” said Mario Ochoa, executive vice president for ADRA International. “We are currently organizing a response in terms of food, potable water and public health activities. We are confident that we will soon begin the implementation stage of our response, and will promptly deliver aid to the areas where it is most desperately needed.”

ADRA is also looking into other areas in the region that are experiencing food shortage, such as Mali and Burkina Faso. “We are expecting to organize a significant response,” stated Frank Teeuwen, bureau chief for emergency management, ADRA International.

Donations to help ADRA prevent mass starvation in Niger can be made online at www.adra.org, or by phone: 1-800-424-ADRA (2372).