7th May 2010
The Irish Red Cross is pleased to announce that with the support of the British Red Cross it is implementing an emergency Cash for Work programme in response to the deteriorating food insecurity situation in the Tanout region of Zinder in Niger.
According to Noel Wardick, Head of International Department at the Irish Red Cross: "This initiative will provide communities with cash to allow the purchasing of food and necessary household goods while at the same time implementing much needed environmental protection/agriculture improvement projects. This approach is considered appropriate when items are readily available in the markets but where communities do not have the necessary assets to obtain them. We are most grateful to the British Red Cross for the critically important funding they have provided for this much needed intervention". In addition, community members who are not in a position to participate due to reasons such as illness, age or disability will also receive an unconditional cash payment.
According to the UN, at least 900,000 children are at risk of moderate malnutrition and 378,000 of severe malnutrition over the next 12 months if urgent action is not taken to prevent the consequences of a worsening food crisis caused by drought.
The United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, John Holmes travelled to Niger last week as part of an official visit to the Sahel region. During the visit, Mr. Holmes travelled to Zinder, to meet local communities and organisations, including the Irish Red Cross, working in the area. Mr. Holmes made an urgent appeal to mobilize the international community for additional financial resources. "There is food in parts of (Niger) and food in the region (West Africa) but the people don't just have the money to buy it", Holmes said.
In addition to the emergency Cash For Work Programme, the Irish Red Cross livelihoods programme continues to rehabilitate, construct and support cereal banks (community food stores) in the Tanout area. Through a partnership agreement with the World Food Program (WFP for 260 tonnes of cereal, stocks of the 44 Irish Red Cross supported cereal banks will be replaced and/or replenished. This will further ensure that cereal is available at a low and affordable price to those most affected by the current food shortage.
The Irish RC continues to monitor the situation and is actively coordinating with other national societies working in Niger: French Red Cross, Spanish Red Cross, Qatar Red Crescent and ICRC, all of course in collaboration with the Niger Red Cross. "We have to act as quickly as we can to help those most vulnerable although we know that we must also treat the underlying long term causes of these emergency situations in order to prevent their recurrence", said Mr. Wardick.