Acute malnourishment threatens Niger’s children

Millions are facing severe food shortages in the West African country of Niger after poor rains and harvests in 2009.

An estimated 3.3 million people in the country – situated in the Sahel, one of the poorest regions in the world--, face malnourishment and potential starvation.

Niger lies at the bottom of the UN Human Development Index, meaning that even in a year of good harvests the region is on the edge of a humanitarian crisis.

UKaid through the British government's Department for International Development (DfID) is working to deliver food, support for families, treatment for malnutrition and to provide seeds for planting.

DfID has provided The Independent Online with a unique glimpse into the humanitarian aid effort, via a photo gallery illustrating the problems facing the region and the measures being taken to tackle them.

Click here or on the image to launch