Friends of Niger,
Heavy rains, extreme flooding starting in August, and the collapse of the dam near Niamey have led to severe property destruction, displacement, malnutrition and now the spread of malaria in many parts of Niger. As of September 15th, 71 people have died due to drowning or injury, and over 350,000 have had to leave their homes. The most severely impacted regions include Dosso-Tillabery, Niamey, Tahoua, Maradi, Zinder, and Agadez.
Friends of Niger has reviewed proposals from 6 reliable non-governmental organization partners to support their relief work. In view of the urgency of the situation, FON plans to send at least $1,000 to each of these NGOs. With your extra help we could send more to each group to be used to address urgent needs such as: impregnated mosquito nets, emergency food, and medical aid. How many mosquito nets and supplies can we send? Can you help?
Friends of Niger focuses its energy and resources on sustainable development activities, but also recognizes the importance of responding to emergencies such as the current one. Please give generously now to support this work! The online donations page is at http://www.friendsofniger.org/donate/donate-via-paypal, or you may mail a check payable to Friends of Niger, PO Box 452, Haverford, PA 19041.
We are fortunate to have some Board Members with strong connections to some of the most flood-affected areas, in Niamey, Maradi, and Agadez. They have agreed to act as Project Monitors with partner NGOs.
- Association pour le Développement de l’Éducation et la Sauvegarde de la Santé (ADESS), in Mont Bagzam, a remote rural community in the Agadez Region.
- CONUSA (Conseil des Nigériens aux USA), of which Seybou is president, and Yari is a former officer. CONUSA has already independently raised over $14,000 towards their flood relief efforts in Niamey.
- Cadres et Étudiants du Niger (CEN), working in Niamey.
- Alliance des Jeunes pour un Développement Endogène (AJDE), a medical team in the University district of Niamey working in coordination with a Nurse Volunteers team.
- Association HIMMA, which FON has previously supported in ongoing Cholera prevention and microfinance (grants) programs in Tibiri and Gabi in Maradi Region.
- Organisation Vie et Développement-Tedhilt, in the Agadez region.
With your help, FON can send more funds to address urgent needs, without taking away from our support of projects that build Niger’s capacity in a long-term way. Possibly we can send a second distribution to our partners in a few weeks. We will also work with them to support preparedness for the future, as such floods become more common every year.
Thank you very much for responding to this emergency,
John Baird, President
Friends of Niger
