Tuesday 16 October 2012
ShelterBox returns to help families in Niger
Flooding in Niger, October 2012.Extensive flooding in Niger has caused significant damage and displacement across all of the African country's eight regions, including the largest of Tillabery, Dosso and Niamey, said top official Aghaly Abdoulkader, the director of the cabinet.
Over the past few months, heavy rains have damaged infrastructure, fields, rice paddies and water points destroying large quantities of food and washing away many cattle.
Furthermore, there are displaced Malian families who have been forced to flee their homes into Niger due to political instability and ongoing conflict in their country.
ShelterBox worked with Women and Health Alliance (WAHA) International to set up this camp in Kollo District for families made homeless by recent flooding, Niger, September 2012.
A ShelterBox Response Team (SRT) has arrived in Niamey to continue the disaster relief charity's response to both disasters by finding suitable solutions to distribute shelter already in country with various aid agencies, including Femmes France-Niger, Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) and Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA).
'Yesterday we had meetings all day with organisers of response to both issues,' said SRT member David Hatcher (UK). 'Today we have plans to asses some sites with Femmes France-Niger where flood survivors can be possibly relocated, and to talk to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) about how we may be able to support them with the Mali refugee crisis.'
