Phase 2 – Feed our most vulnerable students and their families! image

Phase 2 – Feed our most vulnerable students and their families!

Schools are closed because of the coronavirus, and many students are missing the only meal they receive each day. They need our immediate help. Scroll down for our detailed plan.

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$24,000 goal

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Phase 2 – Emergency Food Relief for 264 Students and their Families

COVID-19 in Niger

The spread of the coronavirus is increasing in Niger. The government has closed the country’s borders, including all planes in and out of the country. Public transportation has been closed and all gatherings have been suspended. Further, schools are closed and people have been asked to shelter in place and to only go out between the hours of 8am and 2pm only if absolutely necessary.

Growing Concerns for Food Security

This time of year is already a difficult season for Nigeriens because the timing of the harvest in the fall. By April, most families’ food supplies are starting to run out. Because of the impact of COVID-19 and the border closure, the flow of imported goods has stopped. Ultimately, this means that coupled with food supplies naturally starting to run out because of the season, the cost of purchased food will rise, making it extremely difficult for the majority of Nigeriens to feed themselves and their families. Many of the families that Remember Niger supports already struggle to feed their children under normal circumstances. Very often the only meal children in Remember Niger’s programs receive is at school and with schools closed; these children are at high risk of hunger and malnourishment.

Remember Niger’s Emergency Food Relief Program

To respond to the imminent food crisis, Remember Niger is utilizing its network of partnerships to purchase and distribute immediate food relief to the most vulnerable students and families in the schools we support. We are inspired by the verse in Matthew that reads “The King will reply, Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” In an effort to serve “least of these” in Niger, we will provide relief to students and families that currently attend the Niamey School for the Deaf, the School of Hope for Children with Disabilities, the Hamsa Center for Girls Education, and the Salama School in Tahoua.

This program will be led on the ground in Niger by Remember Niger’s Ibrahim Abdou in partnership with the Hosanna Institute of the Sahel. The organization was founded in 2000 out of the vision of a Nigerien pastor to create an organization focused on working alongside the people of Niger.

What Will Be Provided

Each family will be provided with food and supplies to last three to four weeks. Each food and supply relief package will contain:

25 kilos of rice

10 large bags of beans

1 can of oil

15 pieces of soap

1 protective face mask

The relief packages will aid over 1,800 individuals, including students and their families. Remember Niger has already identified the households most in need of immediate relief and will provide the following number of relief packages to each school-based community; the Niamey School for the Deaf (180 families), the Hamsa Center for Girls Education and Salama School (50 families), and the School of Hope for Students with Disabilities (34 families).

Timeline

The initial distribution will take place between April 15 and April 22. Remember Niger anticipates providing a second distribution in May and is prepared to extend to a third distribution in June.

What is Needed

In order to have this emergency program up and running in the next two weeks, Remember Niger needs church partners to join this effort with financial support. This support will facilitate food purchases and vehicle rental for the distribution. Current food and supply price information in Niger indicate that it will cost approximately $53 to provide a relief package to each family. The total cost of each distribution will be approximately $17,000.

Emergency Food Relief Program Budget (per distribution)

Item

Cost Per Family

Total Program Cost

Rice

$18.33

$4,839

Beans

$16.31

$4,306

Oil

$8.15

$2,152

Soap

$7.99

$2,109

Masks

$2.41

$637.42

Truck Rental

$2,800

Total

$53.19

$16,842

Program Monitoring and Evaluation

Remember Niger is committed to providing updates and data on the impact of its Emergency Food Relief Program. Remember Niger’s Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist, Ibrahim Abdou, will participate in and document the relief package distribution. Remember Niger will keep all partners informed on the progress of the program and will send a report on the final costs and number of participants after each distribution.