Human Appeal charity worker: Don’t forget about Niger’s humanitarian crisis

Niger ranked as the poorest country in the UN’s Human Development index – and Insiya Salam from Manchester-based charity, Human Appeal, is urging the world to take action.

With 40% of children chronically malnourished, the country of 20 million faces a severe crisis – which is worsening.

Salam visited the poverty-stricken country last month and is helping to put a plan together to tackle the desperate situation Niger finds itself in. Human Appeal plan to begin providing emergency aid in 2016.

“I would like to ask you all to not forget about the humanitarian crises affecting that region,” Salam said.

The 33-year-old from West Didsbury, Greater Manchester, also spoke on the issue of the inequality women face in Niger, “The country also faces other issues such as high infant mortality rates, a weak education system, rapid population growth, and gender inequality. The country also faces other issues such as high infant mortality rates, a weak education system, rapid population growth, and gender inequality.

Human Appeal’s plan is to support district health offices in tackling child malnutrition, through training health and community workers, providing logistical support and distributing lifesaving supplies and materials to health centres and stabilisation centres for children suffering from severe malnutrition. On top of this Human Appeal plan to distribute food parcels in the refugee camps during Ramadan.

Othman Moqbel, the CEO of Human Appeal – the charity that Insiya Salam works for – commented on her work in Niger, “Insiya’s analysis of the situation in Niger is as insightful as it is accurate. Hopefully, with Insiya leading the way, our work will help combat the crises crippling Niger.”

Mr Moqbel continued “Unfortunately it seems, whilst the mainstream consciousness only has room for one disaster at a time, the reality is the world has no limit on the amount of suffering ongoing at any moment. Currently the focus is all on the crisis in Syria. But be under no illusion that the crisis in Syria is the only crises in the world. We, at Human Appeal, are helping fight suffering anywhere and everywhere. As well as delivering food, medical aid and shelter to the people of Syria, we are also helping people in desperation globally.

"Whether that is in Niger, Bangladesh, Palestine, we are fighting disaster wherever and whenever we find it and we won’t stop until we beat adversity into extinction.”