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Niger + 2 more

WFP Niger Country Brief, July 2017

Attachments

Highlights

  • WFP continues to assist 16,000 people seeking refuge in villages and sites surrounding Kabalewa in the Diffa region following an attack on the Kabalewa camp in the beginning of July.

  • WFP started to providing food and nutritional assistance to some 1,500 newly arrived Malian refugees in Abala region following a recent influx linked to increasing insecurity in Mali.

  • The number of food-insecure people in the Diffa region is estimated at 408,000, an increase of 25 percent since last year’s Cadre Harmonisé results.

Operational Updates

  • Results of technical meetings with the Government indicate the number of very poor households affected by food insecurity has significantly increased from 1,201,168 to 1,847,546 people, exceeding projections made in March (Sources: Early Warning System).

  • Training on Natural Assisted Regeneration (RNA) took place from 3 July to 2 August, in all 5 regions of Niger (Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder, Maradi and Diffa). RNA is an agricultural technique that consists in supporting populations to restore degraded land as a result of droughts and deforestation. The first phase of the training given at Abdou Moumouni University in Niamey, involved NGOs, WFP and technical services of the Government.
    Implementing partners will start providing training to beneficiaries by September.

  • As part of its advocacy efforts for the schools meals programme, WFP met with the First Lady of Niger, Ms.
    Aissata Issoufou, on 11 July.

  • Officials from the World Bank visited WFP sites on 14 July in Balleyara (Tillabéry region), for complementary activities (vegetables gardens and school meals) as part of the Support Programme for Quality Education (PAEQ) funded by the World Bank.

  • An attack in the Kabalewa camp in the Diffa Region at the beginning of July led to the displacement of 16,000 people, who lived in the camp, to surrounding villages and sites; WFP continues to assist them in the sites where they have relocated.

  • WFP started to providing food and nutritional assistance to some 1,500 newly arrived Malian refugees in Abala region, following a recent influx linked to increasing insecurity in Mali.

  • According to the first cost-effectiveness analysis, electronic cash transfers and SCOPE registration are expected to generate savings of USD 60,000 per year compared to paper vouchers, in the Mangaizé camp alone.
    An extension is planned in the other camps for 66,300 beneficiaries and by the end of 2017, all beneficiaries, except for nutrition and education activities, should be registered through SCOPE.

  • A WFP HQ Gender Unit support mission for the finalization of the improvement plan for the Gender Transformation Programme took place on 17–19 July. The plan has been finalized and approved by HQ, and a gender support mission from the regional bureau took place the following week.

  • In July, UNHAS transported 1,709 passengers and 3,276 mt of cargo and carried out one medical evacuation.

Challenges

EMOP: After a period of calm, tension has been building up across the Diffa region following Boko Haram activities. WFP is coordinating with the Government and other humanitarian partners to put in place necessary measures.

PRRO: Critical shortfalls continue to negatively affect WFP activity implementation particularly lean season assistance, school meals and nutrition activities. A funding gap of USD 16 million needs to be urgently addressed.