Interview with Rotimy Djossaya, Country Director of CARE Benin/Togo. He warns that the current floods could cause a food crisis in Benin if the humanitarian community does not provide more assistance to affected communities.
Benin has experienced severe floods in the past month. How is the situation at the moment?
It has not rained since early October in the north of Benin and the flood waters have started to recede. This has allowed some displaced people to return to their villages. But it does not mean that the worst is over: the water is still high and travel by motorboat is often the only means of transportation. Many people who go home will find their houses completely destroyed. In the south, rains continue to fall and three communes are still flooded. In addition, we expect further seasonal flooding in November, threatening the communities with a second wave of floods.
What are the greatest needs now?
Many families have been displaced for the last two months and have received very little help so far. Their greatest need is food. The floods have destroyed most of the December harvest, assets and stocks. Fifty percent of rice and corn fields have been devastated. Many communities had invested all their resources in rice farming: water pumps, gas, seeds. Some have contracted loans, others sold their cattle, hoping that the harvest would bring a good income. Now people have lost most of it.
If nothing is done, the risk of a food crisis in early 2013 exists. This would mean that after this disaster we head right into the next one. And people, whose assets were destroyed by the floods have no safety net to protect themselves from a food crisis. When CARE assessed the situation, we noticed that many infants and young children already showed signs of moderate to severe malnutrition. Many people said they have reduced their food consumption. Before the flooding, they used to eat three times a day, while now it is only two times a day. Many have started to sell assets such as livestock in order to buy food.
Many people have lost their homes, 16 villages, 55 hamlets and fields were flooded. Do people have a roof over their head?
No, not all. Availability of shelter is still a major concern for displaced people. Many families are still homeless and living along the streets, creating spontaneous camps which have no sanitation facilities or water supplies. As the water is receding, some communities have gone back to their original land. However, their houses are built with banco (crude earth blocks), the damage by the water is substantial and the walls have been destructed completely. The wooden roof structures have collapsed. Most of the houses will have to be rebuilt entirely. The majority of the affected communities says that even if this year’s flooding is exceptional by its magnitude, floods are a recurrent phenomenon, and that they wish to relocate to safer, higher areas.
Another concerning issue is the lack of clean water. Affected people have no other means but to use the water from the river or from puddles for everything: drinking, washing, cooking, and defecating. Some communities said that stomach aches have occurred, mainly among children. Fortunately, many people have received tablets to clean water, soap and jerry cans, so this is already helping. But we need to reinforce access to drinkable water to prevent water borne diseases.
Why does Benin not receive sufficient humanitarian funding for this disaster?
So far, the affected communities have received very little assistance. They need food, they need clean water and they need shelter. Benin is a very small country in West Africa and the floods are not as big a disaster as many others which currently take place around the world. Many people don’t even know that Benin exists. However, the people suffer as much as everybody else who lost their home, their livelihood and their asset. They deserve our help and we should not forget about them, even though we do not hear about them in the international news.
What is CARE doing to assist the affected population?
CARE is distributing essential relief items to 22,500 people in the communes of Malanville and Karimama. Each family receives soap, purification tablets, aluminum sulphate and jerry cans. We will also deliver mosquito nets for pregnant women to prevent them from contracting malaria. CARE Benin/Togo has lots of experience with emergency response. During the floods in 2010, we provided emergency relief and worked with partners and local actors to support with water, hygiene and sanitation, food distribution and shelter for 150,000 persons. We would like to reach more people, but need urgent funding to scale up our response.
This is the third severe flood in Benin in the past five years. Are floods a devastating, recurring trend?
Yes, flooding in these areas is recurrent. This is why it is so important to help families better prepare for such disasters. Some communities have expressed their wish to move to safer areas in higher regions. In fact, many families already started moving permanently. Negotiations with the city authorities to find new lands for settlements are ongoing in several locations. We need to support these long-term strategies to provide people with assistance that is sustainable, so they can protect themselves from disasters. So people don’t lose their assets and livelihoods again and again.
About CARE: Founded in 1945, CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. CARE has more than six decades of experience helping people prepare for disasters, providing lifesaving assistance when a crisis hits, and helping communities recover after the emergency has passed. CARE places special focus on women and children, who are often disproportionately affected by disasters. CARE started working in Benin in 1999 and today is recognized for its education, gender-based violence, and microfinance interventions. Leran more about CARE's response to flooding in Benin here.