Our intervention in Mauritania
Pastoralism and subsistence agriculture are the inhabitants’ main livelihoods and climate change is their main problem. That is why they are vulnerable: the seasons are unpredictable and the climatic conditions disrupt their resources.
These random harvests and the lack of access to imported products cut populations off from means of guaranteeing their livelihoods. The conflicts in neighbouring Mali have, moreover, encouraged thousands of people to cross the border. By early 2016, according to UNHCR, more than 50,000 Malians had taken refuge in Mauritania, mainly in the Mberra camp. These refugee populations are in a state of extreme deprivation, particularly in the food sector. We have stepped up our programs in nutrition, health, food security and livelihoods as well as water, sanitation and hygiene in these border regions, notably in Hodh el Chargui, despite the absence of local authorities.