Emergency relief donations help Nana Haoua to get back on her feet after devastating floods
Heavy rains which recently hit the whole country have caused huge material damage and many injuries in Niger. In Zinder Region, over 900 kilometers from the capital city Niamey, more than 17,000 persons are victims of floods that have had serious consequences on communities’ lives and their livelihoods, especially among the most vulnerable. In Damagaram Takaya and Gamou, the Government in collaboration with World Vision has mobilised to provide an adequate response to the affected populations.
Nana Haoua, a resident of Damagaram Takaya, is one of the victims of the biggest floods to have affected the commune of Zinder in 2010 and 2020: ‘’My name is Nana Haoua, I am 50 years old and I live in Damagaram Takaya with my my four small children. I still remember this night in 2010, the rain surprised us; we only had time to save our lives. I had lost all my belongings. This year too, the flooding occurred in the night. Usually we would barricade the door to prevent water from entering the house, but the water bypassed and broke the back wall and entered in the house. I have lost everything, I am left with nothing, even the loincloth I am wearing now was given to me by a woman in the village.", she narrates.
Heartbroken, she continues: "After the flood, I sat down with my children in front of my collapsed house, so a neighbour had pity on me and offered to host me in a hut located away from the village which he no longer used. To feed myself I would eat whatever people would give me; I regularly eat cassava flour mixed with moringa leaves. The saddest thing is that two of my daughters were going to get married in less than a month, but with this disaster, marriages won't take place. All I was able to spare for them was taken away by the rain. These goods were worth 470,000 CFA francs ($ 940).’’
The grateful mother of four concludes: ‘’Once I lost my house, people loaned me everything I use. Today I am happy for all the goods I have received because thanks to these donations I will be able to give my neighbours everything they loaned me and have my own things. For me World Vision has become like a mother, because 10 years ago when I had lost everything it was there for me and my community. Even today it is there to support us. I pray that God will watch over this NGO and all its staff who deliver to us exactly and honestly everything that donors have sent us.’’
In Niger, vulnerable communities like that of Nana Haoua are unfortunate victims of phenomena such as floods, but various donations help them to develop their resilience. Thus, a total of 600 emergency kits of Non-Food Items were distributed to 600 affected households in Damagaram Takaya and Gamou. Donated goods contained 1,800 mats, 1,800 treated mosquito nets, 300 blankets, 398 sheets, 600 15L buckets, 1,200 3L kettles, 600 25L cans, 3,000 1L cups, 6,000 bars of soap; all worth a value of 31,500,000 Fcfa ($ 63,000).