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Band Aid Trust & The Hunter Foundation To Fund Unicef Niger Response
The Band Aid Trust is to use part of The Hunter Foundation (THF) £6 million commitment to fund UNICEF's humanitarian response to the ongoing crisis in Niger.
Following agreement between the Band Aid Trust and THF the £300,000 aid programme will support upwards of 29,000 severely malnourished children in two of the worst affected areas of Niger and help support security of food stock for the future.
John Kennedy, Trustee of the Band Aid Trust commented;
“This is a very focussed response that will not only support those children most in need of food, but also provide for sustainable food delivery by stocking and developing cereal banks.”
Tom Hunter, Chairman of The Hunter Foundation noted;
“It seems to us almost criminal that if this crisis was being predicted months ago, as it was, that something was not done to avert this human tragedy earlier. UNICEF’s mid-year review indicates just how little, despite all the talk of Africa and other severely impacted nations, is being done in proactively intervening to prevent needless suffering. We must ask why and who is responsible?”
David Bull, Executive Director of UNICEF UK said;
“We have an extremely severe food crisis in Niger and it’s the children that are paying the price – many with their lives. UNICEF teams are on the ground but it’s clear that we need to do much more. The commitment from The Hunter Foundation and Band Aid will enable us to treat more severely malnourished children with therapeutic food and assist their families in recovering from this crisis.”
As well as treating upwards of 29 000 severely malnourished children for six months with therapeutic foods, vaccines, medications and micronutrients, UNICEF will provide nutritional education for mothers.
And as part of the programme of intervention, UNICEF will also restock 50 cereal banks and livestock feed banks in the worst affected areas, train cereal bank committees to improve their management skills and help them to develop strategies for anticipating and addressing food shortages after poor harvests. The funds will also be used to supply seeds and equipment to promote irrigated gardening for villagers to have another source of food. UNICEF will also provide feed for the livestock of affected breeders.
In addition the programme will provide training in malnutrition awareness, prevention and treatment and promote community-based growth promotion activities.
The programme is expected to assist as many as 29,000 severely malnourished children. Mothers and children will also have access to affordable food through restocked cereal banks and vegetables raised in irrigated gardens. Healthy livestock will provide more milk, improving the quality of children’s meals. Family migration will be reduced, allowing children to continue their education, which is vital to their development, and helps provide a sense of security and continuity during times of difficulty and stress. Training for communities, local authorities and health agents will improve government agents and cereal bank committee management skills, and will prevent severe malnutrition and promote child growth.
Band Aid Trust Word Document (85.0k)