Introduction
The purpose of this report is to present solutions to
problems related to disease and environmental sustainability in my adopted
country of Niger. Niger is the largest country in West Africa, bordered by
Algeria, Libya, Chad, Nigeria, and Mali. These two developmental goals deal
with eradicating diseases, specifically HIV, AIDS, and malaria, and ensuring
environmental sustainability, which includes sustaining fertile farm land and
water sources. These two goals are possibly the most important for Niger to
meet, as they are major problems for the country. During this report, I will
explain why. I will also give background information on these goals, key
problems related to them, what I believe the solution to be, and the regional
and global impact these solutions will have. I will conclude this report with
specific actions to be taken in order to reach these solutions.
Section 1: Country
Background Information Related to Disease and Environmental Sustainability
Malaria causes more deaths each year in Niger among children
under five years of age than any other infection. In September of 2005, the
World Health Organization dispatched 100,000 anti-malarial treatments to Niger
when an outbreak of malaria hit as the country was in the midst of a drought
and famine; a crisis the country finds itself in again. In 2005, 200,000
children were at risk of malnutrition during the peak of malaria season, and
because the country is now in an identical situation, the same statistic
applies (who.int).
In addition to malaria, which is an ever-looming threat, the
region that Niger occupies is not conducive to environmental sustainability.
Niger is one of the countries that form the Sahel Region, which has seen
recurring drought, food insecurity, and increased desertification over the last
30 years (desertification.wordpress.com).
Section 2: A Key
Problem Related to Disease and Environmental Sustainability
Malnourished children are at a much higher risk of
contracting malaria, and those who are already suffering from it become
extremely vulnerable as a result of the combination. This is currently a major
problem as Niger is in the midst of the worst famine the country has seen since
1973. Malaria further reduces appetite among these children, weakening them
even more as they will not eat what little food is offered to them. In Niger,
malaria outbreaks flare during the rainy season when stagnant pools of water
become breeding grounds for mosquitoes. Although Niger is in the middle of a
drought, seasonal flooding has left behind pools of water that are not fit to
drink, but allow mosquitoes to breed (doctorswithoutborders.org).
This drought has also caused a food crisis. The drought has
destroyed the farmers’ harvests, and seasonal flooding is hampering relief
efforts. Unfortunately, international response to fund the food emergency has
been less than enthusiastic, despite the fact that this crisis arose back in
November. Villagers have said that the current food shortage is worse than both
the famines of 2005 and 1973, when thousands of people died of starvation. Many
people in the region are surviving by eating wild leaves and berries, and have
had to sell their animals in order to by food stocks. Meanwhile, tens of
thousands of livestock have actually starved to death. The people are becoming
desperate; so much so that several international agencies have chosen to
withdraw foreign aid workers for fear of kidnappings. This has only served to
make a bad situation worse, both because foreign aid is almost critical at this
point, and because their withdrawal has only agitated the population—and the
terrorists—further (npr.org).
Section 3: A Solution
That Helps Eradicate Disease and ensure Environmental Sustainability
The Malaria Foundation International (MFI) has recently
joined forces with the Niger Educational System Associates (NESA) to work
towards fighting malaria in Niger. According to NESA, which is led by a group
of volunteer professionals from Niger, in order to fight malaria, it is
critical to work towards achieving improved living conditions for the people of
Niger. However, education of the children is viewed as the single most
important priority towards attaining long-term sustainable success in the fight
against malaria. In addition, ensuring the development of functional health clinics
and the proper diagnosis and treatment of the disease was regarded as
particularly important (malaria.org). Additionally, the foundation Doctors
Without Borders is working on a pilot project with the Integrated Health
Centers, seeking to improve access to health care. The organization’s community
workers are educating the populations at risk and are fanning out to villages
to conduct rapid diagnostic tests for malaria so that early treatment can be
provided (doctorswithoutborders.org).
As far as environmental sustainability goes, during the last
two years, food insecurity and drought have reached abnormally high levels,
prompting a response from the international community and an intensive food
security operation undertaken by the International Federation of Red Cross and
Red Crescent Societies. These two foundations are joining up with 15 other
large-scale water, sanitation, and hygiene promotion projects that have been
established by the Federation Global Water and Sanitation Initiative, and more
than 250,000 people in some of Niger’s poorest communities will benefit from it
(desertification.wordpress.com). In order for these efforts to work, however,
foreign aid must be a stable resource. As I said earlier, several relief
organizations have chosen to withdraw their volunteers. While safety is
definitely a concern, steps must be taken to ensure that these organizations
can allow their volunteers to do their jobs safely and effectively.
Section 4: Regional
Impact
Unfortunately, because of the lack of funds and now lack of
volunteer efforts, the World Food Programme has had to make a tough
humanitarian decision: Only children younger than 2 and their families will
receive protein-rich nutrition distributions from the agency. This leaves many
children vulnerable, and families more desperate (npr.org).
Not all of the side effects of relief efforts are negative,
however. Many foundations are working hard to ensure that everyone is taken
care of. The challenge with all of these current projects, such as efforts to
increase water availability, is to ensure that they will not increase
desertification, but carefully use existing resources wisely and to their best
advantage while increasing sustainability. Existing water points should be
rehabilitated to ensure that already established water sources are used as much
as possible, preserving unused sources for the future. Also, appropriate and
simple technologies should be used, so that communities can operate and
maintain water supplies at village levels and at low costs
(desertification.wordpress.com).
Section 5: Global
Impact
As far as I can tell, though there may be a few negative
side-effects on the regional scale, the impact these solutions will have on a
global scale are all positive. Niger is not the only country that suffers these
issues—far from it. If the organizations that are at work in Niger can find a
way to treat malaria on a large scale and ensure stable water sources, that
knowledge can be passed on to other developing countries, especially those that
border Niger that face very similar situations. Doing this will not only help
other countries, but establish a positive relationship between Niger and those
countries.
Conclusion
I have now covered the steps being taken and the steps to be
taken in eliminating disease and ensuring environmental sustainability in my
adopted country of Niger. The relief efforts are definitely on the right track
and I am pleased to see that many of their plans are already in effect. The
only thing that I would change is the communication between these
organizations. There are so many independent volunteer efforts in place. If
they were to all combine their efforts and work together, I believe that their
goals could be reached faster and more effectively.
