World Vision New Zealand :: West Africa Hunger Crisis Photo Album

This is Koulou, a gorgeous but severely malnourished 6-months-old boy. His mother had been ill (and probably malnourished herself) and wasn't able to breast-feed. She had managed to bring him into the World Vision health centre where he began treatment, including eating Plumpy'nut® - a highly nutritious food supplement.

Koulou - 6 months old. One simple way the clinic determines malnutrition is by using the MUAC band, which measures the circumference of a child's arm. The red zone, which Koulou was in, means severe malnutrition.

Koulou - 6 months old. Now that Koulou has begun treatment, his mother will receive supplements to take home. She will still need to bring him into the World Vision health centre each week to check his progress until he's out of danger.

Some of these mothers waiting outside the World Vision health centre with their babies had spent hours walking to get there. On this day they were having their babies weighed, measured and assessed by a nurse.

Aicha, 10, just loves school, but she has to walk 5 km to get there. She also loves singing and dancing. Aicha is lively and friendly despite the hardships her family are facing.

Aicha, 10, pounding millet with her mother. Aicha's family have only one meal a day right now because the poor rains have meant a bad harvest. Millet forms the basis of their meal as well as a porridge-like drink that keeps the family going. However, millet lacks many of the nutrients they need.

Today, with your help, World Vision is saving lives in West Africa.

Right now, we are giving families emergency food and water, and our clinics are providing medical care and food to those in need, particularly malnourished children. Through our Child Sponsorship programmes in Niger and Mali, we are able to help entire communities meet their immediate needs and address the causes of poverty.

Sometimes images are more powerful than words

To show you some of the people your support is helping, I'd like to share with you some vivid photos from Niger taken by well-known Kiwi photographer Chris Sisarich. Chris visited Niger with World Vision New Zealand staff recently. He got to see the scale of the food crisis - and World Vision's life-saving work - for himself.

The crisis builds

Unfortunately, as families wait for rain, the number of people affected by the crisis is rising dramatically. Many are living on one meal a day, and selling their animals - their sole livelihood - to survive. We only have a small window of opportunity before this situation becomes a famine.

Can you help us?

World Vision is committed to acting now, and we need to let more Kiwis know what's going on. Please continue helping us in West Africa by forwarding this email and photos to families and friends. We can make a difference today, but we need everyone's help.

Warm regards,

Seth Le Leu

Seth Le Leu
Director of International Programmes
World Vision New Zealand

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West Africa Hunger Crisis Photo Album