SOS mother holds a child at SOS Children's Villages-Tahoua, in Niger

March 16, 2010: Niger, a poor, arid African country north of Nigeria, is facing a looming famine that could leave more than half of its 13 million people hungry. Almost half of that nation's population comprises children under age 15. SOS Children's Villages has been raising orphaned and abandoned children in Niger since 1993.

In keeping with its mission to save Niger's vulnerable children and strengthen families devastated by poverty and HIV/AIDS, SOS is launching a program to distribute food that will reach 10,000 children and families between March and September 2010.

SOS's aid will target Tahoua, the interior agricultural region whose inhabitants will suffer most from the drought. That area, roughly 250 miles northeast of the capital, Niamey, is home to some 870,000 people who are at risk of being moderately or severely affected by the famine.

Providing Relief to The Neediest

Members of the Anti-AIDS Club having a meeting at SOS-Niamey, in Niger

SOS has two Children's Villages in Niger-one in Niamey and one in Tahoua. A third village, in Dosso, is under construction. Niger's high rate of HIV/AIDS has produced many children without homes or parental care. In determining which households to support in its emergency relief program, SOS Children's Villages will include families raising children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and other diseases, those headed by a woman, and those raising children with physical or mental handicaps.

Besides distributing badly needed food to affected families, SOS will also offer medical treatment for conditions caused by malnutrition. The goal of SOS's emergency relief program is to implement a system of food banks that encourages self-sufficiency in times of hardship and prevents the explosion of food prices during shortages.

SOS's Long-Term Presence in Niger

Group portrait of children from the SOS Kindergarten in Niamey, Niger

The emergency relief efforts that SOS Children's Villages undertakes in the countries in which it works benefit greatly from the trust and the extensive local contacts that SOS develops on the ground over time.

Vulnerable children in Niger find love, food, medicine, and classrooms at SOS's two Children's Villages. So, too, do needy neighborhood children and families who attend SOS schools and receive its AIDS-prevention counseling services.

Help SOS give hope to children whose lives are threatened by famine. Sponsor disaster orphans today.