In Numbers 3,391 mt of food assistance distributed USD 1,686,620 cash-based transfers made USD 75.62 mil –six months (June -September 2018) net funding requirements, representing 48 percent of total* *funding requirements include all three projects WFP Niger 445,605 people Country Brief assisted In May 2018 May 2018 Operational Context Operational Updates Niger is a land-locked and food-deficit Sahelian • In May, a State of emergency was declared in the country with a population of over 21 million people regions of Tillabéry, Tahoua and Diffa, thus increasing and an annual demographic growth of 3.9 percent, assistance needs and bringing the number of one of the highest in the world. According to the displaced persons to 252,305 (refugees, returnees, national vulnerability analysis, food insecurity affects IDPs) in Diffa and 65,500 (Malian refugees and IDPs) 2.6 million people, of which nearly 500,000 are in Tillabéry and Tahoua. severely food insecure (EVIAM 2017). Acute malnutrition rates remain above the WHO serious • Food delivery for emergency school meal canteens in threshold, and stunting rates remain critical. Food the communes of Bosso and Toumour in the Diffa and nutrition insecurity are driven by poverty, region was resumed after a suspension due to travel environmental degradation and cyclical shocks, restrictions caused by insecurity. A total of 11 schools which negatively affect livelihoods. The economy is and 7,496 children benefited from WFP support in largely reliant on the climate sensitive agricultural these communes. sector, with 90 percent of Niger’s poor living in rural • From 20 to 22 May, WFP Executive Director (ED), Mr. areas. In addition, persisting regional volatility and security issues add to national fragility. David Beasley visited Niger. Several high-level meetings were held, including the meeting with the The Government has put resilience building and President of the Republic of Niger, the United Nations social protection at the core of its development Country Team and the ambassadors of the G5 Sahel. agenda, highlighting the importance of a multi- The ED and his delegation also visited the sites of sectoral integrated approach, for example the Boussaragué and Dargué in the Maradi region to national Nigeriens nourish Nigeriens (3N). Food and assess WFP's resilience building programme nutrition insecurity remains one of the major achievements. development challenges. Work is ongoing to ensure • During his visit, the ED stated that to promote lasting alignment to Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. WFP’s intervention is placed within this solutions to the recurrent crises Niger is facing – including the security crisis – WFP needs an framework, especially the SDG 2 “Zero Hunger”. WFP has been in Niger since 1968. unprecedented scaling up of resilience activities to lift people out of poverty. • On 10 May, WFP signed a partnership agreement with the Ministry of Environment to enable formalizing the supervision and technical support provided by the decentralized services of the Ministry to WFP and partners on the resilience intervention sites; support the work on national policies and strategies for land restoration and support communication and advocacy for common goals. • The April edition of the Diffa region Food Security Working Group newsletter highlighted that 318,000 Population: 21.5 million 2017 Human Development Index: people are affected by food insecurity in the region. 187 out of 188 Ninety-seven percent of the target group received Income Level: Lower Chronic malnutrition: 42.2% of assistance in the Diffa region. children between 6-59 months Main Credit: WFP/Katia Oslansky Caption: Thanks to WFP FFA activities, communities in Photo Contact info: [email protected] Dangueza, Zinder, extra stocks will be available for the Country Director: Sory Ouane most vulnerable of the community during the lean season. Further information: www.wfp.org/countries/niger Confirmed 6 Month Total Contributions Net Funding Requirements This transfer will provide meals for 8,900 students (in USD) Requirements (in USD) (in USD) * throughout the third school term. Using cash transfers for school meals is part of a pilot project Strengthening resilience in Niger through an integrated multi- sector and multi-partner safety net approach with the goal of transferring skills to communities in view of the appropriation of the canteen management PRRO 200961 126.7 m 420.1 m 67.8 m by the Government and the community. (Jan 2017 – Dec 2019) (30%) Providing life-saving support to directly affected by insecurity in Resilience northern NigeriaWFO Food assistance For Assets Regional EMOP 200777 122.5 m 184m 3.9 m (Jan 2015 – Dec 2018) (66.6%) • From 25 to 26 May, a joint WFP and FAO Maradi Provision of humanitarian air services in Niger mission was conducted in four sites in Chadakori commune where the Rome-Based Agencies SO 200792: 25.9 m 32.4 m 3.9 m collaborate. The mission noted that large pasture (Jan 2015 - Dec 2018) (75%) areas are being restored. WFP and FAO * June - September 2018 supervised a team of researchers working on the collection of baseline data conducted by the National Institute of Statistics to sensitise the Vulnerability Analysis and Mapping communities and management committees on the Joint RBA resilience Initiative and the objectives • From 30 April to 12 May, WFP participated in the of this project. analysis of chronic Food Insecurity classification (Chronic IPC analysis) caused by structural factors. • From 15 to 17 May in Tahoua, a workshop was This research, overseen by Permanent Interstate held on results of the progression strategy, Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel bringing together actors involved in WFP (CILSS) and the Government, was funded by intervention sites to evaluate their performance USAID through Famine Early Warning Systems and the degree of communities involvement. Network (FEWSNET). Discussion revolved around the seed deficit, the stocking of Cereal Banks, Agricultural Input Banks • WFP facilitated a training workshop on 18 May and health insurance systems. 2018 for Save the Children International partner staff and colleagues from Diffa's Sub-office on the • From 2 to 3 May, WFP participated in a workshop new targeting methodology based on the as part of the Land Restoration Week, co- Household Economic Approach (HEA). The organized by the Ministry of Environment and the objective was to enable WFP partners to World Resource Institute, within the theme of understand the approach recommended for land restoration. Participants worked on the best targeting beneficiary households, children and approach to restore 3.2 million hectares of adolescents. degraded lands by 2030. Nutrition • Within the context of favouring women empowerment in Koira Tegui (Niamey region), In May, the launch of the Food fortification support trainings on market gardening and livestock project (FOPAT) was chaired by Zinder Governorate management were carried out for two groups of representative, with the presence of the regional and 20 women each. In Darey (Tillabery region), 30 departmental technical services, the Farmer’s women were also trained in preserving gardening Organizations and the mayors of the two communes products (tomatoes, cabbages, onions). belonging to Farmer’s Organizations and Sahel Sahara Food. Challenges: Seasonal forecasts show excess to normal cumulative Education rainfall in western Niger for the period June - August 2018. However, the same period could be marked by In the frame of the Project on Adolescent girls, 1,176 delays in the onset of rainfalls with uneven spatio- adolescent girls from the communes of Allakaye and temporal distributions. This could have negative Bagaroura (Tahoua Region) received a grant for their effects on the pastoral lean season, causing delays in second term (total USD 17,500). The adolescents of seasonal movements in pastoral areas generating the communes of the cooperating partner AREN possible conflicts over access to resources. (Maradi Region) will receive their scolarships in June. Donors School meals Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, ECHO, Finland, In early May, WFP transferred USD 113,000 to provide France, Germany, Japan, Multilateral, Netherlands, school meals in the communes of Dogo (Zinder region) Norway, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and Guidan Amoumoune (Maradi region). United Kingdom, UN CERF, United States of America WFP Niger Country Brief 2018 .