Aicha feeds her community

The chronically food-insecure and the fact that some families in Niger are unable to meet their basic food requirements even during years of average agricultural production is a concern for the government and NGOs. This problem has devastated effects in children, leaving them chronically malnourished and delaying their normal growth process. As a result World Vision Niger is committed to enhance food availability, accessibility, utilization and stability through local agriculture by acting on the root causes of food insecurity and by supporting communities to produce qualitative and diversified food, in a quantity that will serve for household consumption and for local commercialization.

In light of this issue since 2006 World Vision Niger food security team in partnership with Soudan Interior Mission (SIM) or locally known as Société Internationale Missionnaire (interdenominational Christian mission organization, established in Maradi since 1940) started a training of trainers for vulnerable rural women of Maradi region finance by New Zealand, Taiwan and Canada office. The training consisted in teaching men how to plant, look after and harvest the exotic eatable Acacia seeds brought from Australia by SIM for multiple purposes (seed production for consumption and tree dissemination, fire and construction wood, leaf for soil fertility, wind breaks). At the same time women are trained to train other women on how to prepare food for children, lactating and breastfeeding women. The success of this project led to many subsequent training sessions in the region. The Acacia plant thrives well in the Niger climatic conditions and grows fully after one or two years. With its fast growing ability the seed production can start in the first year of planting when fully monitored. The exotic Acacia species is rich in protein and in some cases treats child malnutrition.

Between 2011 and 2014, 80000 Acacia plants were grown and 115 women from 23 villages (five women per village) were trained. The115 women in turn trained 345 other women in their villages, As a result today around 690 are trained to prepare food base in Acacia seeds and Aicha Haruna, 45 year old woman from Magaji kore village in GuilbinKaba Area Development Program, is among the women who received training. The women trained were taught how to prepare, porridge, millet pulp, biscuits, cakes, couscous and pancakes with Acacia seeds.

“Our village didn't use to be that healthy, before children were always sick and malnourished even the adults and mothers use to spent their time take them to the health center. In the past we didn't ate good food. Today even the animals are in good physical shape” Says Aicha point to her cattle in her back yard 

“When we finished the training we were told that each of us should go back and train three other women in their village. But I trained more than three in my village and I’m still training” Says Aicha proudly surrounded of most of the women she had trained.

Thanks to the skill Aicha learned, she is able to look after her family, feed her community and help mothers whose children suffer from malnutrition and diarrhea.“Every day I feed around 20 to 30 people in my village, Isale a plate of acacia pulp with okra sauce for 200f cfa ($0.34). I cook and sell the food in my house and at the local market. I also sell Acacia porridge (made of millet and Acacia seed) to mothers with children suffering from diarrhea or malnutrition. I realized the children stop doing diarrhea, when they eat porridge made of Acacia seeds and children that eat food prepare with Acacia seeds regularly are healthy and have smooth skin. Says Aicha pointing out to her friend’s healthy child near her.

“Food prepared based in Acacia seeds is very good for children, my daughter was fed Acacia porridge when she was small and she never fell ill or suffer from diarrhea.” Says Abdourahamane Ousmane project coordinator

Aicha makes profit with her daily sales “to prepare the Acacia pulp I mix 250gm of the Acacia seeds with 800gm of corn flour, in cold water before boiling it and then I mix it until it becomes hard and firm. After finishing with a pulp I do a sauce made from dry okra (ladies' fingers), tomato and spices.  To prepare this plate I spend around 3.000fcfa ($5.125)(the total coststo prepare the sauce is 1.150cfa ($1.965), 800gmcorn flour at 550f ($0.93),100f ($0.17) to grind the acacia seed in the local grinder and 1.000fcfa ($1,708) of wood to make the cooking. When I sell the food I earn around 5.550cfa ($9.480) to 7.000cfa ($11.956) per day.” Says Aicha with smile in her face

“As a humanitarian worker I’m always happy to visit Aicha’s village. If World Vision Niger decides to give a certificate or an award for the healthiest villages after an intervention, Aicha’s village Magaji kore (45 kms from Maradi) will be the first to receive such award. You can't help feeling a sense of gratification and happiness when you see that, children, women and man and even animals are really healthy and the village is alive” Says Joelma Pereira communications manager after a third visit to Magaji Kore.

“A ready to use and prepared porridge is being promoted under the name of "Kounou Dan Maradi’’. The porridge is rich in protein and is made out of well calculated quantity of Acacia flour. This is a good opportunity for promoting the Acacia production and consumption to combat malnutrition in our programs” The seeds of these acacia species are tasty, safe to consume and nutritious. They are high in protein, carbohydrates and fat. They are easily harvested and processed into flour using simple and existing local technologies. The flour can be incorporated into local dishes as well as non-traditional foods such as spaghetti, bread and biscuits. The seed also has great potential as livestock feed. Alternatively, the hard-coated seeds can easily be stored for many years and act as a famine reserve food.” Says Yaou Salifou WV Niger Food Security Advisor

The $650,000 project budget reach to an end last year, but the necessity of insure that rural families of Maradi and Tahoua are food secure is still very present. Is in this perspective that World Vision Niger livelihood and food security project in Maradi is planning to expand the training to saving group members and make Acacia seed food preparation demonstration in two integrated health center in relation to the SFP (Supplementary Feeding programs) to encourage the reduction of child malnutrition in the region. Moreover in 2016 financial year World Vision Niger is planning to organize food security and nutrition workshop where food made out of Acacia seeds is going to be introduced in the PDHeart (Positive Deviant Behavior) project.