Europe Steps Up Support To Fight Against Malnutrition In Niger

The funding from the European Commission’s International Cooperation and Develop-ment directorate (DEVCO) will allow WFP and French NGO GRET to support the pro-duction of more nutritious foods by local farmers’ organizations. It will also help identify ways for farming groups to win the trust of new consumers and thus increase their in-come.

«We are very grateful to the European Commission for its ongoing support and encour-agement to WFP’s projects in Niger» said Benoît Thiry, WFP Niger Country Director. « This generous contribution will not only help improve the nutritional quality and diversity of diets, but increase the overall food security of the people we support.”

Since 2011, WFP in Niger has sustained farmers’ organizations by buying locally some of the food it distributes, improve the quantity and quality of local production in the pro-cess. For its part, GRET has expertise in supporting production of fortified flour for in-fants. The new project builds on these initiatives’ success.  

Improving nutrition is vital in Niger, where many women and children suffer from anaemia and nearly half of all children are stunted. The EU contribution helps WFP in its broader aim of ensuring an adequate nutritious diet at all stages of life, a building block for sustainable development and growth.

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WFP is the world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger worldwide, delivering food assistance in emergencies and working with communities to improve nutrition and build resilience. Each year, WFP assists some 80 million people in around 80 countries.

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For more information please contact:

Tiphaine Walton/WFP/Niamey : tiphaine.walton@wfp.org / +227 92 19 16 81

Elizabeth Bryant/WFP/Dakar: Elizabeth.Bryant@wfp.org/+ 221 639 4271