In the Simari community in Maiduguri, NE Nigeria, community volunteers trained by Catholic Relief Services visit Fanne Jidde to screen her 7-month-old child for malnutrition.

Fanne is provided with key messages on hygiene and Infant and Young Child Feeding (IYCF). Children found to be severely malnourished are referred to emergency clinics for treatment.

Background:

An estimated 10.7 million people in one of the world’s poorest, most drought-prone regions, have been affected by the Lake Chad Basin humanitarian crisis, sparked by Boko Haram extremists. Now in its seventh year, it is impacting Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria. Having re-established its presence in Nigeria in 2000, CRS works with its local partners—leveraging their extensive grassroots networks and capacity to reach the rural poor—in 32 of the country’s 36 states.

Working in 10 local government areas of Yobe State, CRS has been providing a multisectoral emergency response since 2014, including water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), polio and routine immunization, and emergency food assistance for conflict-affected communities. In July 2016, CRS launched operations in Borno State, providing vulnerable households with immediate relief through integrated programming aimed at meeting families’ need for food, living supplies, WASH and shelter.