The Overseas Aid Committee of the Council of Ministers has donated ?50,000 of emergency aid to the charity Plan UK to respond to the food crisis in Niger. Niger in West Africa has, over recent months, been battling the most severe food crisis in years. Between January and December 2010 the government and international NGOs provided care to 313,000 children suffering from acute malnutrition, 38,000 being hospitalised and 275,000 treated in outpatient centres. An assessment published in January by the United Nations World Food Programme states that acute malnutrition rates remain high despite a good harvest and urges the international community to continue to provide assistance to the country. Emergency food supplies, medical interventions in severe cases and rehabilitation of livelihoods will be extremely important in the coming months. The assistance by Plan UK aims to deliver food relief and livelihood rehabilitation to 170,000 people. It will provide supplementary food for malnourished children, pregnant and nursing mothers and their families. In addition measures will be taken to ensure that vulnerable communities, which may have sold possessions and livestock to afford food, can rebuild their livelihoods and so aid their economic recovery. The Chairman of the Committee, Phil Gawne, MHK said: “The Committee is glad to be able to provide funding to support this work. Though the crisis has not figured highly in the media recently, there are a great many people in serious need in the country, which ranks third lowest on the United Nations Development Index.” Ends