Humanitarian context
The crisis in Nigeria has multiple facets: The insurgency in the north-east, the
increasing violence of banditry in the north-west, persistent inter-community conflicts
in the middle belt and an increase in Cameroonian refugees in the south. The ongoing
conflict between non-State armed groups and government forces in Borno, Adamawa
and Yobe states, which has been going on for 12 years, has generated serious
humanitarian needs.
In 2022, 1.74 million children were undernourished in the north of the country and there
were over 2 million people internally displaced by armed groups and bandits. In
addition, Nigeria suffered severe flooding in the rainy season, which worsened food
insecurity in the country.
BENEFICIARIES
workers
NUTRITION
WATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE
EXPATRIATES
NATIONAL
Our activity
During 2022, Action against Hunger continued its nutrition and health interventions,
focusing on the detection, treatment and health education of severely undernourished
children. The quality of health, mental health and psychosocial support services at the
Borno and Yobe health centres was also ensured.
The organization opened a new base in Sokoto and launched an emergency programme
to address the dire nutritional situation in the area. In north-eastern Nigeria, it provided
food assistance to internally displaced persons and host communities, as well as
initiatives to improve livelihoods and build resilience. In Jigawa and Kano, it played a
crucial role in ensuring food security for the most vulnerable and contributed to the
adoption of social protection laws.
It also carried out water and sanitation projects, promoted hygienic practices and
provided rapid response services in cases of population displacement due to violence
and flooding.
WHERE WE HELP
We help 24.5 million people each year. We work in 55 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Europe, those most threatened by hunger.
EYEWITNESSES
KOLOM: "WE LACKED FOOD BECAUSE OF THE ARMED
FORCES SURROUNDING OUR COMMUNITY."
It is estimated that by 2050, Nigeria will be the third most populous country in the world. Currently, half of the country lives below the poverty line and conflicts in the north of the country have already forced 2 million people to flee in 2018. In the same year 2.9 million people suffered food insecurity.
Ongoing conflict drove Kolom to flee. To survive, they fled conflicts with armed groups and today do not have enough income to survive. "My husband was able to flee a month before me. He came here to find a place to live, then he came back for us, but we couldn't move because of the presence of armed groups." Army air strikes soon began, wreaking havoc in the town. "We lacked food because of the armed forces surrounding our community. If we were lucky, we cooked one meal a day. We spent two years of endless sadness, because although we had food, we could not cook; and even if we cooked, we were afraid to start eating because we feared being attacked by surprise. Some men used to sneak out at night, around 3 a.m., to look for food. They had to wait until the next night to return, because if they were discovered in broad daylight, they would be killed. Food was also a problem for the insurgents; they attacked villages, robbed vendors, even blocked roads to find it."
One day, Kolom took the opportunity to escape with her children and walked through the bush for four days. On arrival in Maiduguri, exhausted by fatigue and hunger, Kolom was able to take refuge in a camp with other displaced people. "I have been living here for three years with my husband and three children. I come from the local government of Marte. We lived for two years under the yoke of the insurgents," Kolom recounts.
Kolom was identified as particularly vulnerable. She is seriously ill, suffering from hypertension, malaria and typhoid fever, but "as soon as I go to the hospital, I have to get into debt to get medicine, which I can't afford," Kolom explains. Because of her and her family's situation, Kolom received support from several programmes, including the cash transfer programme and the Porridge Mums programme, groups of women who learn to cook nutritious recipes for their malnourished children.
Today, she is the treasurer of a group of Porridge Mums and, together with the group's secretary, they both go to Maidaguri, the capital and main city of Borno State in Nigeria, to buy supplies for the group and cook together to practice new recipes each week. Indirectly, the Porridge Mum group also serves as a support group; mothers can confide and share advice about their lives in the camp or their children's health.
