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Humans of Assamaka

Niger

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Niger is affected by violence and displacement around its border regions, which are part of the central Sahel and the Lake Chad basin.

Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali share a border region in the central Sahel where state and non-state groups operate against a backdrop of high levels of poverty, climate change, rapid population growth, and increased competition for dwindling resources. 

Southeastern Niger is part of the Lake Chad Basin, where violence that began in Nigeria in 2009 spread. The region was already extremely vulnerable due to social inequalities, poverty, poor infrastructure and recurrent droughts. MSF runs health programmes throughout Niger. 
 

Key Activities

Treatment of malnutrition - English
video
Niger

Treating severely malnourished children in Madarounfa

July 2021

Every year from July to October, the combination of the hunger gap and rainy season triggers a spike in the number of children suffering from acute malnutrition and malaria in southern Niger. Follow our teams through our hospital in Madarounfa where we treat severely malnourished children with emergency care.

Our activities in 2022 in Niger

Data and information from the International Activity Report 2022.

MSF in Niger in 2022 Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) runs a range of projects in Niger to address the significant medical needs caused by conflicts, displacement, food insecurity, child malnutrition and epidemics.
Niger IAR map 2022

In 2022, our teams carried out mass vaccination campaigns, distributed drinking water and relief items, such as hygiene and cooking kits, constructed shelters, and ran mobile clinics for displaced people in Diffa and Tillabéri regions.

In the second half of the year, Niger was hit by devastating floods, which affected hundreds of thousands of people. As well as running mobile clinics and distributing relief items to displaced people, we helped boost bed capacity in Niamey regional hospital.

We also supported the health authorities’ responses to outbreaks of measles and meningitis in Zinder, Diffa and Tahoua regions. During the peak malaria period, due to the exceptionally high number of patients requiring inpatient care in Magaria, we constructed two observation rooms in Tinkim and Yékoua health centres.

In Madarounfa district, we provide care for children with sickle cell disease, which includes vaccinations, antibiotics to prevent and treat infections, pain medications and blood transfusions. In 2022, to better prevent and manage severe complications of the disease, we introduced treatment with hydroxyurea, a drug listed by the World Health Organization as essential for haemoglobin diseases in children but still difficult to access in Niger.

In addition, we offered medical and nutrition care to children with malnutrition, malaria and other childhood diseases in Madarounfa hospital and five health areas in Maradi. As a result of our partnership with the health authorities and the World Food Programme, dedicated to treating children with moderate acute malnutrition, the number of hospital admissions for malnutrition was the lowest in four years.

The two-way flow of migrants over the Niger-Algeria border continued unabated in 2022. Thousands were deported by the Algerian authorities and stranded in the desert. MSF denounced the inhumane treatment of migrants expelled from Algeria and Libya, and called on authorities to take immediate measures to respect human dignity in border control.

 

In 2022
 
Niger. Thousands of newly displaced people in Diffa Region
Lake Chad Crisis

Testimony of Falmatou, a Nigerian refugee in Niger

Voices from the Field 31 Mar 2016
 
Lake Chad - people in dire need of support
Lake Chad Crisis

Lake Chad crisis update: Trapped in deadly violence

Project Update 30 Mar 2016
 
Journal article

MSF's study in Niger shows no significant benefit from routine use of antibiotics in malnourished children

4 Feb 2016
Journal article
 
MSF treats malaria cases in Dan Issa, southern Niger
Photo Story

MSF treats malaria cases in Dan Issa, southern Niger

27 Jan 2016
Photo Story
 
Niger - 10 years of MSF - Nurse Elise Danzara- testimony
Niger

“Today, Nigeriens know that their children can recover from malnutrition”

Voices from the Field 22 Dec 2015
 
PPCSI in Tama, Niger
Niger

Getting children to grow healthily

Project Update 22 Dec 2015
 
Niger: thousands displaced from Lake Chad
Niger

MSF assists victims of new wave of violence in Diffa region

Press Release 27 Nov 2015
 
Medical and mental healthcare for people displaced by violence in the Lake Chad area.
Lake Chad Crisis

“The only certainty is that people will remain uprooted and continue to live in fear”

Voices from the Field 23 Nov 2015
 
Emergency response in Diffa for refugges fleeing Boko Haram attacks in Nigeria
Niger

Influx of Nigerian refugees in the Diffa region continues

Voices from the Field 20 Aug 2015

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17 December 2018