Zali, a mother of twins, holds Ousseina at Action Against Hunger’s feeding centre in Niger | Copyright ACF-Niger, courtesy S.Hauenstein Swan
When her small twins Ousseina and Alassane got thinner and thinner, their mother Zali brought them to the local health centre in the small village of Grado in Niger. Both twins were suffering from severe acute malnutrition, which can be fatal if left untreated.
But thankfully, help was at hand and the twins were immediately transferred to Action Against Hunger’s feeding centre for special care.
When they arrived, the twins were weighed and measured before being put on a treatment programme. For the next few weeks, the team monitored the twins closely and fed them therapeutic milk formula every two hours without fail.
“Times have been difficult,” said Zali, a mother of five children.
“My husband has left to find work in Nigeria, and I am struggling to make ends meet.
“It’s been difficult for me to produce enough breast milk to keep them nourished. I work on a farm far away from the village to be able to buy food for everyone and my body is just too tired.
“Thankfully, Ousseina and Alassane are already getting better and I hope things will improve and my husband returns soon.”
Ousseina and Alassane receive life-saving treatment in Action Against Hunger’s feeding centre | Copyright ACF-Niger, courtesy S.Hauenstein Swan
Drought, poverty and skyrocketing food prices have exhausted families’ food reserves in Niger, leaving millions of children at risk of malnutrition.
Action Against Hunger’s teams are treating malnourished children as well as providing families like Zali’s with cash grants so they can buy food and other important supplies during the difficult months before the next harvest.
But much more needs to be done to help save lives and provide families with a lasting solution to hunger. With more than one million children at risk from severe acute malnutrition in West Africa, there could not be a better time to support Love Food Give Food, our appeal to help get child hunger off the table.
Remember, every Pound you give will be doubled by the UK Government, helping us to reach more children like Ousseina and Alassane. So please give now.
Every pound you give will be doubled by the UK Government.