Planting seeds of growth and empowerment 

Together we helped a community see its future.  

For families in one Nigerien village, food security is no longer out of reach. A simple ‘cereal bank’ has empowered them to combat the threat of hunger.

Imagine waking up without food and without solution. In the heart of West Africa, for a village amidst the bare landscape of Niger, this is reality. 

The state of hunger in such places is magnified by climate change and other unforeseeable crises. With more than 80 percent of those who reside in Niger relying on agriculture to grow their crops and feed their bellies, this is a problem that once had no solution. As death tolls rise, the fear of losing more children to malnutrition sparked an idea in one village leader’s mind, “The Cereal Bank.”

It was through the darkness that Chief Kakale of Garin Dan Ango, found a solution. World Vision and the World Food Programme assisted in bringing this solution to the light. 

What is The Cereal Bank?

A community crop in which all villagers contribute to, on top of their personal crops. Each family gives 1 – 5 cups of millet seed (the cereal!) from their annual harvest. This harvest is stored in a safe and dry building “The Cereal Bank” to guard against unforeseeable circumstances. Managed by the community, this bank of millet is essential to feeding those in need, when their own cereal crop runs short. 

“Having this food at home for us has been a dream come true,” grins Kakale. “Since we installed the bank, no villager has lacked a solution to a food need. No one has needed to migrate elsewhere.”

The Cereal Bank has now surpassed one building of millet seed and is stocking up its second. By supporting Chief Kakale’s solution, we were able to empower a community to now stand on its own and give themselves the opportunity to lead a life, together, without fear of death by malnutrition. 

Fact: Nearly 238 million people in 48 countries are facing high levels of food insecurity, magnified by climate change and other unforeseeable crises.

Learn how you can help kickstart more community initiatives, like “The Cereal Bank”, with a monthly donation. Together we can build a fortified defence against the dread of hunger.