While floods destroy lives in Pakistan, drought is starving families in Niger.

At the local health center, Madina Sanoussi, a stern woman who keeps her sentences short and her smiles to a minimum, says that 85 women had been coming every week to receive about 8 pounds of fortified corn-soy blend for their acutely malnourished children. The food was supplied by an international humanitarian organization.

But soon the stream of women turned to a trickle. Then it dried up all together.

"They'd say, 'We don't have money to buy this,' " Madina says. "So they stopped coming."

That's why the arrival of Catholic Relief Services at the local middle school was such a big deal. Several hundred women, including Maimouna, lined up and received corn-soy blend and vegetable oil for their youngest children—those younger than 2. A cooking demonstration over an open fire taught them how to prepare the mixture.

Maybe now is a good time to remember to donate to Catholic Relief Services, or another international emergency aide organization of your choice. (Although CRS is so good, you really need not look further.)

Labels: Africa, charity