Saving Lives in Niger, Mali & Sahel Region

Hawa and her 6-year-old daughter, Ramatou, are bracing themselves for what’s to come: the grinding pain of hunger and the weakness and vulnerability to sickness and disease that come along with it. 

Drought has ruined their crops. The lean season between harvests is always difficult, but the millet they rely on for nutritious porridge and pancakes barely grew last year. The family has already eaten what little they were able to salvage from the meager harvest. Many days there is only a bowl of wilted lettuce for Hawa to feed her little girl — and it will be six long months before any crops grow again. Hawa says, "Every day, we will have to just eat less if we don't find food. We are very hungry, that's why we are asking for help." 

In the West African nation of Niger where they live, their situation is all too familiar. Sixty-six percent of the population faces severe food shortages. Over 13 percent of children under five are acutely malnourished. To save lives, please act now.

Join us by donating today to prevent hunger from claiming countless lives — and destroying families’ hopes for a healthy future. 

You have already brought lifesaving relief. Thank you! Your donations have saved lives by providing stronger seeds suitable for drier conditions that yield new crops like beans and peanuts and help families eat a diverse, nutritious diet. Your support helped deliver goats that became a vital source of income and milk, and helped launch village saving and loan groups that ensured women have a financial safety net to buy the food they need. 

With your help, Hawa started a business selling peanut oil and has been growing her herd of goats. But now she’s worried. The persistent droughts have destroyed the crops she depends on; she has nothing to sell and little to keep her goats healthy. Not only does she wonder every minute where her daughter’s next meal will come from, but she also fears that her hard work to better their lives will be lost. 

That's why Hawa and millions in Niger need help again. "If we are in good health and if we have enough to eat, then I am happy. We're very grateful to Mercy Corps. They helped us before so we could be stronger." Together, we can continue to put lifesaving resources like improved seeds and food into the hands of hardworking women like Hawa. 

When you join us with a gift of $35, $75 or $150 you’ll help give families the stability they need to survive until the next harvest. Whether it’s emergency food aid to nurse a malnourished child back to health, or improved wells to help the land recover from drought — you can save lives in Niger, and everywhere that hunger plagues families on a daily basis. 

In times of crisis, when hunger, war and poverty threaten so many people around the world, your support couldn’t be more important. 

Sincerely, 

Dan O’Neill
Mercy Corps Founder 

Links:

• Join Mercy Corps' work in Niger