#Niger: Children resort to eating animal feed as fighting sees more refugees flood in #Sahel #FoodCrisis

As gunfire continues in Mali's capital Bamako between the military junta and soldiers loyal to the ousted president, refugees from northern villages are still flooding across the border into Niger.

Villages a few miles from the border are crowded with refugees. Families are receiving approximately 40 pence for one bag of droppings, enough to buy a small amount of food, so children are being enlisted to help their families collect wood and animal dung, and taking them away from school. The village chief himself is feeding his family on one bowl of porridge a day.

Plan International has an emergency food response for refugees and villagers, providing food support, cereal grains, vegetables, mosquito nets and blankets.

For the full press release and more details on Plan’s response please visit our website on http://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/media-centre/press-releases/niger-children-resort-to-eating-animal-feed