Uh oh, you are using an old web browser that we no longer support. Some of this website's features may not work correctly because of this. Learn about updating to a more modern browser here.

Skip To Content

Nigeria

Above average rainfall in recent months has triggered flooding in Nigeria. This has damaged crops and farmland, causing widespread displacement, and limiting people’s access to safe water supplies and sanitation facilities, increasing the risk of disease and illness.

Over 1.8 million people have already been internally displaced by violence and insecurity, but climate change is exacerbating the situation as people flee their homes.

Reaching the highest level on record, about 19.5 million people are projected to be in Crisis or worse (IPC 3+) levels of acute food insecurity in Nigeria.

What we're doing to help

Flooding

In response to the flooding, we're:

  • carrying out water trucking
  • repairing water points
  • distributing hygiene kits and kits containing non-food items 
  • distributing learning materials
  • providing case management and psychosocial support to children most at risk.

Food insecurity

In recent months, thanks to an allocation from the Humanitarian Fund, we’ve scaled up our hunger response in Zamafara and Katsina states in northwest Nigeria and are doubling our capacity in Borno state.

Over 6,000 families are receiving monthly cash transfers over the next 6 months to help them buy food and meet their other basic needs.

In northeast Nigeria, we’re also supporting over 284,000 people with food e-vouchers.

We’ve also increased the bed capacity at a stabilisation centre in Molai, Borno state from 20 beds to 50 beds, in order to respond to the rising needs for inpatient care for acute malnutrition.

We’re responding to the cholera outbreak in 5 of the most-affected states by deploying the Emergency Health Unit to train up health workers.

We’re also continuing to work with local partners to:

  • deliver livelihoods and income-generating support
  • screen and treat acute malnutrition in communities
  • train parents and caregivers to detect malnutrition
  • raise awareness about infant and young child feeding practices through radio programmes.

How we've helped before

Nigeria has made incredible progress, but millions of children are still being left behind.

We're focusing on child protection, health, nutrition and education to help put that right.

Child protection

Our protection programmes work from the community to the national level. We also campaign to ensure that girls have equal access to education and are protected from child marriage.

Health and nutrition

We're working to improve the health and nutrition of mothers, newborn babies and children, especially the poorest and most vulnerable. Through our campaigns, we advocate for a wide variety of issues that affect children, such as immunisation and breastfeeding.

Education

To advance learning, we're increasing access to education programmes for children in the classroom and at home. And we work with families affected by natural disasters and conflict, setting up child-friendly spaces where children can learn, plan and receive the support they need to recover from trauma.

Page updated October 2022

You might be interested in...