Published: Friday 02 July 2010
Don't forget starving Christians in Niger
Project(s): 38-568
Country: Niger
| Barnabas Fund is urging Christians not to forget their starving brothers and sisters in stricken Niger following mainstream news reports about the escalating food crisis. |
The renewed call follows aid appeals from Oxfam, which described the situation as “extremely desperate”, and Save the Children, which warned that up to 380,000 children under five are at risk of death by starvation.
Barnabas Fund is already helping the Christian community, having provided 681 families each with a 100kg sack of either maize or millet and a 50kg bag of rice – funded by donations totalling £40,000 – but more aid is urgently needed.
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| Sacks of food being delivered for starving Christian families in Niger, with support from Barnabas Fund |
Our project partner in Niger said this week that those who have been fed have enough food for two to three months, adding: “But, there are still areas to cover — nearly 803 families in the Maradi region.
“We have done what is within our ability to cover the affected areas but what is available is far below the actual food needed in the field."
“The first rains have started and we pray that they do not stop anytime soon.”
More than seven million people – around half the population – face food shortages as a result of a severe drought and failed harvests.
Christians comprise an estimated 0.3 per cent of the population, which is 97 per cent Muslim, making them particularly vulnerable during this time of crisis.
Famished families are surviving on flour mixed with wild leaves and boiled plants while staple food prices soar and people are forced to slaughter malnourished livestock for reduced sums. The shortages are forcing people to leave their homes in search of help in the towns and cities, even crossing borders.
The crisis is expected to get worse and families need food supplies for another three months until the next harvest in the autumn. The cost per family is around £25 a month.
For more background information visit: Niger: Christians Plead for Help From Their Brothers and Sisters as Famine Looms.
Give today
If you would like to make a gift to help Christians in Niger, please click to donate online using our secure server (Please quote project reference 38-568).
If you prefer to telephone, dial: 0800 587 4006 from within the UK or +44 1672 565031 from outside the UK. Please quote project reference 38-568.
If you prefer to send a cheque by post: Click this link for the address of our regional office. Please quote project reference 38-568.
For a quick donation of £3.00 by SMS (see terms and conditions here) text Barnabas/568 to 70007
- That aid will quickly reach those in the greatest need, particularly children.
- That Christians will find hope in the Lord and have a strong faith to sustain them through this crisis.
- That the rain will continue and the harvest in the autumn would be fruitful.
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