Tuesday 16 October 2012
Response team returns to Niger to help families displaced by flooding and ongoing conflict
Flooding in Niger, October 2012.Extensive flooding in Niger has caused significant damage and displacement across all of Africa's eight regions, including the largest of Tillabery, Dosso and Niamey, according to 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, Malian families have been forced to flee from 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 humanitarian relief charity's response to both disasters. The team is exploring 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).
UK-based ShelterBox Response Team members, David Hatcher and Joanna Reid are working with Femmes France-Niger to find suitable land to provide emergency tented shelter for flood survivors and with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to aid with the Malian refugee crisis.
Despite logistical challenges and the heat, with the temperature forecasted at over 100°F (38°C) every day this week, the SRT is working as quickly as possible to bring shelter, warmth and dignity to families in need.
