In Depth

Life remains tenuous for families in many parts of Niger, West Africa. Successive poor harvests put more than 3.5 million Nigeriens — about 20 percent of that country's entire population — at risk for chronic malnutrition and other dire health problems. Children, already Niger's most vulnerable population, have been most affected of all.

An earlier-than-normal end to the rainy season has resulted in another poor crop of millet, Niger's primary staple food. Harvests are down across the region, and most families don't have any cash to buy whatever little grain is available for import.

Back in 2005, Mercy Corps responded to Niger's staggering food crisis by launching a therapeutic nutrition program that supported village health centers in their efforts to identify and treat malnutrition. In two years, more than 50,000 malnourished children and pregnant women in Niger have benefited.