Across West Africa – from Senegal to Chad – more than 18 million people are now facing severe food shortages. We want to say a massive thank you for your incredible response so far. Your donations meant we could respond quickly and effectively to the earliest warning signs. So much has already been achieved because of you, but the crisis isn’t over yet. We’re continuing to help the worst-hit families and we need your help.
Our video below shows how mums like Adjitti are being forced to dig up anthills in the hope of finding tiny scraps of grain inside to feed their children. Your support means we can provide life-saving food, water and other aid.
Ouma and her son Ali from Mauritania were among the millions of people left hungry by drought and food shortages in the Sahel region of central and west Africa, which includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.
Crops had failed to such an extent that Ouma had harvested just two bags of rice all year.
She was hungry and desperate, with nowhere to turn. That’s when your donations helped to save lives.
In Mauritania, 1,300 women like Ouma benefited from an irrigation system and water pump that brought life back to their land, turning dry soil into lush green fields.
We’re bringing vital aid to 1.8 million people across West Africa. With your support, we’re doing this together.
What we're doing
We’re bringing communities out of crisis and helping get them on the road towards a better future. Our emergency care is focused on four key areas.
Food
Water
Cash
Animal care
Latest news on the crisis
How you're helping in West Africa
Widow Adoaga Ousmane is responsible for finding food for her six children as well as caring for three grandchildren. Like many people caught up in the current West Africa food crisis, she finds food by picking tree leaves and digging up anthills to find wild grass seeds.