Mauritania: Malnutrition in the Crisis

With the food crisis in the Sahel region growing more acute, children are at the greatest risk. Families say they have cut back on meals.  © Alisha Rodriquez/Counterpart International.

By Alisha Rodriquez, Senior Program Development Officer

It’s easy to see the fear in parents’ eyes when they talk about their children’s health during the current drought and food crisis in Mauritania.

Smiling, giggling babies seem deceptively healthy until you notice the lack of characteristic chubbiness of infancy. Skinny arms and legs suggest an underlying problem.

In the four regions of Mauritania where Counterpart International operates its Community Action for Nutrition and Livelihoods program, Community Health Workers have been screening children younger than 5 for malnutrition.

The results are alarming, with all four communities suffering from significant declines since December and reaching severe or even critical levels of 12 to 20 percent acute malnutrition. Food shortages have grown worse and worse over the last several months, and the persistent absence of rain continues to delay the growth of crops that will bring relief.

Families say they began reducing consumption months ago, eating smaller meals or cutting out a meal altogether. Counterpart provides lifesaving rations of bulgur, lentils, vegetable oil and a nutritionally fortified corn-soy product for small children and pregnant women, the groups most at risk of malnutrition. Even these rations are not enough: As whole families struggle to put food on the table, everyone in the household shares because the entire household is starving.

Parents say they fear for the health and safety of their children. Many have said that Counterpart’s work to teach better hygiene and sanitation practices and increase knowledge about nutrition and child health have made a noticeable impact on their children’s well-being. But, as the food crisis becomes more and more acute, they see their children’s health backsliding into alarming levels of malnutrition. And they see no relief in sight.

The international community and the government of Mauritania have been able to cover little more than half of the country’s food needs. Counterpart is working alongside agencies like UNICEF and the UN World Food Programme, as well as the government of Mauritania, to meet needs with limited resources. As you look at the bodies of the children we are trying to help, and the worry in their parents’ eyes, it is clear that what we have is not enough.

May 8th, 2012 | Tags: children, crisis, drought, famine, malnutrition, Mauritania, water | Category: | Leave a comment

Mauritania: Lowering the Casualty Toll of Drought

A young man tends to his herd of sheep. Livestock plays a crucial part in the livelihoods of Mauritanians, and a Counterpart program aims to keep flocks healthy through the current drought. © Alisha Rodriquez/Counterpart International.

By Alisha Rodriquez, Senior Program Development Officer

On a drive across drought-stricken regions of Mauritania, the desert is punctuated by slowly decaying animal carcasses among the thorn trees and leafless baobabs. Each carcass represents a piece of the calamity for rural Mauritanian communities, which depend on livestock to generate income.

Every year, men and boys take herds of goats, sheep and cattle on long migrations, as far as neighboring Mali and Senegal, in search of pasture and water.

Water shortage tests animal health

The current drought – Mauritania’s worst in 15 years – has contributed to a food crisis across the Sahel region of West Africa, putting more than 15 million people at risk. The U.N. Children’s Fund says it has raised only 38 percent of what it needs to address hunger in the region.

With less water, animals are at increased risk of disease and death. Dehydration and lack of forage are constant concerns. Animals in stressed conditions are more susceptible to disease. Water sources become increasingly contaminated through overuse, and the convergence of large herds around these watering holes creates easy opportunities for large-scale disease transmission.

For poor Mauritanian communities, the consequences of drought and animal disease can be tragic. Livestock provide a key source of income and food throughout the year, particularly when insufficient rainfall compromises production of staple food crops. In these water-scarce periods, successfully maintaining the herd is critical to a family’s survival.

When the health of their livestock is compromised by drought, many pastoralists resort to a process known as destocking – selling a significant portion of the herd to maintain the health of the remaining animals. This can help to reduce disease and dedicate scarce food and water resources to the livestock they retain, but at a cost: Destocking periods mean reduced profits as increased supply drives animal prices down.

The drought has brought other costs. The early onset of herd migration in search of food and water takes men and boys away from their normal seasonal income-generating activities such as farming and trading, and animal deaths reduce earnings even further.

Families suffer. Reduced income means less food for children, the inability to buy medicines or send sick family members for treatment, and the sale of such vital household assets as farm equipment and tools. As a result, malnutrition rates among children and pregnant women rise, communities’ overall health deteriorates, and the next year’s earning ability is compromised.

That’s where Counterpart International comes in.

Through its programs in Mauritania, Counterpart works with pastoralists to promote improved animal health, especially during critical water shortages like the current drought. Counterpart has constructed five animal health parks – fenced facilities where herders can bring their livestock for vaccinations.

Partnering with government to reach more

Counterpart works in coordination with the Mauritanian Ministry of Rural Development, which provides inexpensive vaccines and the services of 57 government livestock extension agents, to offer animal health fairs. Simple vaccination campaigns protect livestock from disease, and improved information and training about good animal health practices help empower pastoralists to manage herds effectively.

Before this year’s drought, Counterpart worked with the Ministry of Rural Development to offer vaccination campaigns that protected more than 200,000 animals in the Assaba and Hodh el-Gharbi regions from disease. Although Mauritania’s weather conditions may always present a challenge for herders, improved access to vaccinations and animal health services can help them better overcome these challenges and maintain vital sources of income for their families.

Back to Mauritania: Hope amidst famine >

May 7th, 2012 | Tags: Africa, cattle, drought, goats, livestock, Mauritania, Ministry of Rural Development, sheep, vaccinations | Category: | Leave a comment

New website promotes community tourism in Ethiopia

Horse riding is just one way tourists can see Ethiopia. Photo by David Snyder.

By Jennifer O'Riordan

A new website is giving tourists from around the world a direct route to the many community tourism destinations, products and excursions that Ethiopia has to offer.

RootsOfEthiopia.com gives visitors an interactive experience, showing them nature hikes, horse riding tours, historic sites and craft shops, and linking them with tour operators so they can book travel there and then. Useful tips and information also introduce them to the country’s food, history and culture.

The website was launched in Addis Ababa at an event attended by the Minister of Culture and Tourism, tour operators, lodge owners and many key stakeholders in tourism development.

“We have nine World Heritage sites registered by UNESCO, making Ethiopia the leading nation on the continent in this regard,” said Tadelech Dalacho, Ethiopia’s Minister of Culture and Tourism, who attended the April 5 event.

Putting Ethiopia on the tourism map

“We are committed more than ever to leading the sector and contributing our part to bringing Ethiopia to its proper place on the tourism map,” Dalacho said.

RootsOfEthiopia.com positions the country as a top community tourism destination, informing and attracting potential tourists. 

Community-led tourism not only provides more meaningful and authentic experiences for tourists but also provides alternative livelihoods for people who might otherwise struggle to earn an income and provide for their families.

Counterpart’s Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Alliance partnered with the Ethiopian Ecotourism Association, which will take over the long-term management and updating of the website, to develop the site along with the Frankfurt Zoological Society and Tourism in Ethiopia for Sustainable Future Alternatives.

“Community-led tourism also creates a sense of pride among the people who get involved,” says Counterpart’s Country Director in Ethiopia, Bedilu Shegen. “This in turn encourages them to protect and conserve the natural resources that tourists come to see.”

“The biggest problem for these small-scale and often remote community tourism ventures is marketing,” Shegen said in his opening speech. “Booking levels and visits to these areas are low, and such communities have to rely on support from donors or go out of business.”

Online booking is the way forward

The Internet is claiming a dominant role in travel: The U.S. Travel Association noted that more than 105 million Americans used it to plan their travel in 2009, and almost 50 percent of Europeans made their travel arrangements online in 2010-2011. ITB World Travel Trends reports that the figures are rising.

The Ethiopia website makes its debut as the country is making other advances in tourism marketing. In March, National Geographic launched its MapGuide for the Southern and Central Rift Valley regions. The MapGuide – only the second of its kind to be produced in Africa – is designed to promote lesser-known destinations and attractions, including places where Counterpart’s Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Alliance is helping communities to attract tourists.

The Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Alliance is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and aims to enhance biodiversity conservation and economic development through sustainable tourism products, services and other opportunities throughout destination regions of Ethiopia.

April 13th, 2012 | Tags: community led, economic development, Ethiopian Sustainable Tourism Alliance, livelihoods, USAID, website launch | Category: | Leave a comment

14 organizations receive grants to improve the status of women

By Jennifer O'Riordan

Six new grants from Counterpart International will support women’s rights and promote women’s leadership in Azerbaijan.

Six NGO coalitions received the grants from Counterpart earlier this month. The coalitions comprise 14 organizations, among them the Women’s Association for Rational Development, Women Leaders, Tomris, Solidarity Among Women, Clean World and Women for Development of Municipalities.

The grants were awarded as part of Counterpart’s Women Participation Program, which is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development. The program aims to improve implementation of the United Nations Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan ratified the CEDAW convention at the Beijing Women’s Forum in 1995 but has not yet reached its goals in improving the status of women in such critical areas as education, employment, health care and domestic violence. 

In its most recent review, in 2009, CEDAW concluded that although Azerbaijan had made significant progress, it still had work to do.

“The situation for women here has improved but it could still get better,” says Ilgar Agasibeyli, Counterpart’s Chief of Party for the program in Azerbaijan. “The grants will give these organizations the extra help they need to do their work and continue to raise the status of women in Azerbaijan.”

Grantees were selected through an open and transparent five-step process overseen by a Grants Selection Committee that included representatives from international organizations, embassies and the government of Azerbaijan.

Upon selection, the grantees participated in a compliance workshop, where all of the forms, regulations and details were clearly explained to them.

Counterpart’s approach is based on empowering local organizations to create and implement initiatives. The idea is that the coalitions’ work will not only improve the status of women in Azerbaijan, but that that change will be sustainable as the organizations grow stronger and have the knowledge and skills to continue their work for many years to come.

The two-year Women’s Participation Program (WPP) is funded by USAID and made possible through the Global Civil Society Strengthening Leader with Associates award (GCSS LWA).

March 26th, 2012 | Tags: Azerbaijan, gender, grants, local organizations, USAID, Women's Participation Program, women's rights | Category: | Leave a comment

Major conference seeks women’s agenda in Yemen

Responsive Governance Project one of the coordinators

Yemen's Prime Minister, Mohammed Salim Baseundwah, at the opening ceremony of the Women's National Conference in Sana'a, Yemen.

By Michael J. Zamba

More than 900 activists, civic leaders and high-ranking officials are meeting to advance a cohesive women’s platform for Yemen’s newly elected transitional government.

“Today’s gathering represents an unprecedented moment in Yemeni history,” Prime Minister Mohammed Salim Baseundwah said at the opening ceremony of the National Women’s Conference. “Currently, Yemen is working to build its future. There is a need to have this conference.”

The two-day National Women’s Conference comes four weeks after the election that was supposed to usher in a new democratic era for Yemen. Abdo Rabo Mansoor was elected president and has pledged to reform the government and prepare a new constitution during a two-year transition.

The National Women’s Conference—organized by a committee that includes Counterpart International’s Responsive Governance Project, Yemen’s Human Rights Ministry and the National Women’s Committee—drew participants from across the political spectrum with the goal of generating support for a common agenda.

It is supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Dutch Embassy, UK Aid and others.

Echoing the Prime Minister’s comments, the Human Rights Minister said that the conference was an important step toward the soon-to-be-announced public-policy dialogue among the government, civil society and the private sector. It will include gender issues.

In anticipation of the dialogue, National Women’s Conference participants will review platform planks including access to education and maternal health services, banning childhood marriage and eliminating discriminatory practices.

Human Rights Minister Horia Mashur emphasized that women must make specific and measurable demands of the new government.

“Discrimination has prevented women from achieving high posts in the government,” Mashur said. “The purpose of this conference is to get women into high-ranking positions.” Women hold only two posts in the Yemeni cabinet and just one of 301 seats in the elected national parliament.

The Prime Minister pledged his support for a quota to require that at least 30 percent of high-ranking posts be held by women.

“I truly believe that if women rule the country, that it would be peaceful and prosperous,” he said. “Yemeni women are important factors in our development, and Yemen will prosper only if women are fully involved.”

More information on women’s empowerment in Yemen is included in this short video: https://vimeo.com/38100411.

“This is the Yemeni spring,” said Human Rights Minister Mashur. “In this Yemeni spring, women are leaders.”

Elizabeth Richard, Chargé D’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Yemen, agreed with the Human Rights Minister.

“We know that women played critical roles in the demonstrations and transition over the past year,” Richard said. “They peacefully demonstrated. They acted as doctors and nurses for the wounded. They lobbied on social media. They have recently joined the ranks of ministers. Today, they demand their fair representation at the negotiating table, where they will play their part in shaping Yemen’s future.”

Richard said the women at the conference have an important role in the peaceful and democratic process that will produce a better country.

“Let there be no doubt, like the presidential election several weeks ago, this is a seminal event in your country’s history,” Richard said. “These next two days, you will be more than witnesses to history; you will, quite literally, write history.”

The Responsive Governance Project is a three-year initiative funded by USAID and implemented by Counterpart International along with the National Democratic Institute and Research Triangle Institute.

To learn more about the Responsive Governance Project, please visit this English-language site: http://www.counterpart.org/yemen.

March 20th, 2012 | Tags: national women's conference, Responsive Governance Project, RGP, USAID, women, Yemen | Category: | Leave a comment