Lutheran World Relief Responds to Growing Food Crisis in Niger | Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

BALTIMORE -- Lutheran World Relief (LWR) has received a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to address Niger’s growing food crisis. With the $949,959 grant, LWR will work with more than 40,000 people in the rural Kalfou municipality to meet immediate needs for food as well as reduce their vulnerability to future crises.

Landlocked and drought-prone, Niger is one of the world’s poorest countries. This spring, Niger’s government confirmed the critical situation, finding nearly half of the country’s population to be food insecure. Drought has severely affected crop production, and increased prices have made the food that is available in markets out of reach for the poorest families. Most rural communities have already depleted whatever food they had in reserve, and will not harvest again until October. Many families that raise small livestock have sold their animals so they can buy grain, leaving them without a source of milk or meat in their diets or a future source of income.

To read the full press release, visit the Lutheran World Relief website.