Greetings to Turkish People

Nigeriens send greetings to Turkish people
The IHH Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) delivered aid packages to 1,500 needy families in the Nigerian village of Teessaoua in the city of Maradi, 500 kilometers east of the Nigerian capital of Niamey.

An IHH team reached the village of Teessaoua after an 11-hour exhaustive journey. Announcements were made in the village, where almost every resident is in need of help, and aid packages were delivered to locals from three points without discriminating among them. The aid packages contained millet, staple food in the region, rice, sugar and cooking oil.


The IHH team also distributed balloons, biscuits, necklaces and various toys to local children during the program. The team returned to Turkey with greeting and prayers from locals.


The 90 percent of Niger, which has a population of 13 million, is covered by Sahara Desert and only three percent of it is arable. The country receives rainfalls only in June, July and August. The rest of year is dry with no rainfall. Droughts sometimes endanger locals with famine and plantations frequently face invasions of grasshoppers. Following epidemic diseases add to suffering of Nigerians. In Niger, which is the second poorest country in the world, there is one doctor per 40,000 citizens. In harvest periods, people pray to God as “Oh Lord, bless our crops. Don’t burn them in the sun and decay in the rain.”
Niger, where the whole population is estimated to be Muslim, gained its independence from France in 1960. Unlike other African countries, Niger didn’t allow missionaries that have been active in the continent for over a century and fought against poverty and difficulties, thereby preserving its Muslim identity.