For decades, Mauritania has been battling with high rates of chronic malnutrition, issues around access to basic sanitation and vulnerabilities to natural disasters.
The prolonged drought is exhausting pastures. The country is heavily dependent on grazing, and life for cattle farmers is becoming increasingly difficult. Food insecurity is a major cause for concern in the South of the country.
Mauritania has a population of 4.4 million people.
The country is ranked 161st out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index.
For the third consecutive year, populations continue to face a challenging situation due to scarce rainfall.
We’re responding to the most vulnerable communities who have been affected by the devastating drought in the country. Due to long periods of scarce rainfall, reoccurring each year, our teams have put in place early warning mechanisms. We’ve reinforced our teams presence in the East of the country, where we have identified an increased need for support.
We reached more than 341,056 people in Mauritania through our programmes in 2019.
We have 203 staff based in Selibaby, Bassikounon, Gorgol, Nouakchot.
We started working in Mauritania in 2007
Despite growing insecurity in the country, we continue to treat children under five for severe malnutrition.
One of the world's poorest countries, much of the population in this West African country lives below the poverty line.
Poverty, widespread malnutrition, Ebola and a weak economy are just some of the problems country faces.
