by Suzanne Green, SIM UK
18 January 2006
Our SIM missionaries in Niger had to be told that the famine was making the headlines back home. This country, which on average only yields enough food to feed its people in 3 out of 10 years, always knows a 'hungry time.' It was made worse over this past year because of the lack of rain at the end of the 2004 rainy season and a locust attack on the crops. But the truth is: 40 years of development intervention from UN agencies and other bilateral programs have failed to solve the hunger problem.

As SIM continues to respond to the needs of people who are hungry now, we also want to think long-term. As Jon Shea, SIM's Deputy International Director for West Africa, comments: 'The sad thing is that when this year's shortages are met and things have settled back toward normal -- which is bad enough -- the problem is not solved. Our challenge is to stay there, year after year, and make a difference after the media and the interest are gone.

'If we can convert some of the immediate attention into an understanding of the long-term benefits of the kind of integrated development programmes that SIM is doing and has done, we can make a real difference.'

Feeding the hungry

SIM has responded to the needs of the moment, with feeding programmes and relief projects. These have included:

Danja Food Aid Programme : This project was set up in order to provide immediate food and assistance to the 5,000 people in 32 villages surrounding the Danja hospital. Those who have been helped: people affected by leprosy and other disabled people; the elderly, orphans, breastfeeding women and malnourished children; people living below the poverty level and those who have been identified as being directly affected by the famine. An additional (US) $33,000 was raised in partnership with The Leprosy Mission to help with the increased numbers coming for care.

Galmi Famine Relief : This relief project was established when the government of Niger declared a "state of emergency," due to general shortage of food in the country. It was intended to meet the particular need in the Galmi region, covering Galmi, Madaoua, Konni, Malbaza and Tahoua and to help about 250+ families. Its aim was to provide relief to families most in need, especially among evangelists, church members and others in the villages most severely affected in this region.

Tera Famine Relief : This project was set up in order to help believers and friends in Tera and the nearby village of Doumba. Millet, rice and maize were distributed to 17 families in Tera and 15 families in Doumba every 3 weeks until the end of October. A SIM missionary and several members of the International Church of Tera worked together to buy three types of grain at the cheapest price possible and to store it in a rented house. The grain was then sold at a very low price to a predetermined list of people during the rainy season months.

Goure Famine Relief : This initiative was set up as a neighbor-to-neighbor sharing operation, involving local churches. Some 1,200 people were helped after church members picked up the grain and, within 24 hours, began to give it away to people they knew had been in need for weeks or even months. A bag of grain was given to each church family, but it was reported that most of this grain was given away. Within a few days—in some cases, just 1 day—all of the grain was gone. This used up 1.5 of the 1.7 million CFA (US $3,300). Following this, a SIMer started again, with another $3,300 USD allotted for a similar distribution.

Zinder Food Aid and Food for Work Programme : About 8.5 million CFA (US $17,000) was given for relief work in Zinder. This aid was given in conjunction with local churches, and, of this amount, 3.5 million CFA was used for a "Food for Work" programme. Through this scheme, unemployed people have been able to clean up the public streets in Zinder, in exchange for food aid.

In addition to these projects, funds were made available through the Dogon Gao Bible School (Danja area) and the Aguie Bible School for food aid. And approximately (US)$18,000 was sent from the Niamey SIM office to the Maradi office to meet needs in that area. All of these projects have been effective in feeding the hungry and helping people to get by until harvest time.

Long-term thinking

But, according to SIM Niger Director, Gordon Evans, "our philosophy of intervention focuses on the long term, not just the immediate crisis." Quick fixes will not solve Niger's problems.

"We recognize that appropriate answers to 'chronic issues' can only come through education in all areas," he comments. "These include: health, academics, theology and technical training.

"Niger has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world, as well as one of the highest infant mortality rates. There is a connection between those two grim realities, and we believe appropriate education from a Christian perspective can introduce transformation and hope where there is currently despair."

The Centre d'Education et Rehabilitation Nutritionelle (CREN) is a famine relief intervention center that is thinking long term and bringing hope. Designed to care for a maximum of 30 children, CREN was helping 54 children in August 2005. Including mothers, it helped 108 people at that time, and the number was increasing by approximately 12 (mothers and children) per week. Mothers were asking to be allowed into CREN because they had no food at home to give their children.

Faced with a near-refugee situation, the CREN team decided to expand in order to accommodate more people, proposing a long-term, proactive five-year project. This initiative would deal not only with the immediate nutritional problems they see, but would also seek to give mothers a long-term understanding of their children's nutritional needs.

Educating people about nutrition and general health is crucial if we are to see the kind of transformed lives Gordon Evans speaks of. To this end, SIM seeks to educate through our two hospitals at Galmi and Danja, and also through two community health programs.

Another project with its eye on the future has been established by SIMer Khamada Abdoulsalame and members of the Niamey Tamjeq church. After distributing food aid in their area, they were inspired to start a grain bank to address the longer-term food needs.

Making famine history

"One locally-discovered, sustainable, improved farming practice is worth more than a shipload of grain from Europe," says Gordon Evans. "But it often takes years to discover such developmental gems." That's why donors who want to "get a quick bang for their buck" shy away from transformational development.

Our SIM treasurer in Niamey received a gift from a discerning donor concerned about 'ongoing development work' in Niger. The letter of thanks he sent to the giver conveys our hopes for alleviating famine long-term:

...We really appreciate that you are concerned about addressing the long-term causes of famine. We may not be able to change the rainfall, but there are many things that farmers here can do to alleviate the effects of famine.

One example is a lovely Christian couple, Issa and Chimma, who voluntarily do a lot of agricultural and health promotion, as well as evangelism, in their small village.

I visited Issa's farm last Friday and saw the wonderful results he is getting because of introducing a variety of crops, reintroducing trees and useful grasses and herbs, and using simple techniques such as crop residue mulching and compost making, which improve soil fertility.

The good rainfall this season is showing results. But even last year, when the rainfall was poor, he had a better crop than many others--and that from land that was previously useless hardpan!

He said their food had only run out 40 days ago. Most others ran out of food long before that. When I asked him what he did, he said he sold his oxcart to buy food, and will be able to buy it back again when he has the money.

The fact that he had previously put money into an oxcart, which would be used to improve his farming, says something in itself. I hope this story is an encouragement to you, as it is to me.

How can lives be changed?

It is very gratifying to see changes lives changed because of education, prayer and patience. SIMer Tony Rinaudo spent years teaching people about the importance of planting, farming, guarding and using trees. Imagine his joy at visiting Niger and seeing a multitude of trees, where several years ago none had existed.

Or consider how SIMer Mike Murphy felt when he was approached by the Tera Church with a giving question: "If someone in the church needs money, can we use the offering funds to help?" Mike replied, "I don't know. Can you? You are the church. You decide." The church decided "yes" they could.

"Little by little God is building his Kingdom here," writes Mike. "Pray for the church members to make more such decisions on their own. Keep praying for their maturity!"

"When the hearts of individuals are transformed," comments Gordon Evans, "then true transformational development can take place in a society. Education plays a huge role in this, and when it is coupled with the teaching of God's Word and general education from a Christian perspective, the resulting effect will be a changed mindset.

"Light drives out darkness, understanding replaces ignorance, and hope displaces hopelessness--a handup mentality replaces a handout mentality. In short, fatalism is replaced by aspiration."

SIM Niger has four Hausa language Bible schools: one preparatory school at Guesheme, two diploma level Bible schools at Guesheme and Dogon Gao, and one advanced level (after the diploma) school at Aguie. There is also a French language school in Niamey called ESPriT (Ecole Superieure Privee en Theologie - Private Theological Seminary).

"Rapid response to a current time of hunger is one thing," says Jon Shea. "But long-term development is quite another." He explains that, while Niger may welcome short-term help, the need is long-term and SIM has a specific list of the kinds of people we need in Niger. "Our capacity to deliver relief and even to accept funding in the recent crisis has been limited both long- and short-term by the few people we have," he says, "especially when the current interest ends.

"The worldview of the average Nigerien, based on animistic and Islamic religious beliefs, does not well serve his ability to move out of the constant cycle of shortages. Nigeriens are very clever people, as their survival proves, but they are not escaping the basic snares that entrap them, such as ascribing the occurrence of evil to the will of God.

"We are ministering to a spiritually and physically needy people. How will we help them when the journalists go home?"