Fighting food and economic insecurity

In an acute crisis situation, the unavailability of or lack of access to food can result in people becoming malnourished, particularly children under 5 and pregnant and breastfeeding women, increasing the risk of death.

reviVING the economy

In order to prevent malnutrition and to save lives, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL works with those affected to provide them with rapid access to food. When markets cease to function properly, we distribute basic food products (cereals, pulses, oil, salt and sugar) to the most vulnerable. When food is available in markets accessible to those affected, we provide them with the necessary financial means to buy them – either vouchers or cash. This approach helps to reinvigorate the local economy, while leaving the dignity of those affected intact, and allowing them to choose their priorities in terms of food.

In the case of physical access problems (destroyed bridges, damaged roads, etc.), SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL focuses its efforts on rehabilitating the affected infrastructures.

To help people regain their autonomy as quickly as possible, SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL works to protect livelihoods (sale of productive assets), along with providing emergency aid and reviving economic activity among households affected by the crisis.

EQUipment AND SKILLS

Taking people’s lifestyles into account, we provide – either in kind or through financial assistance – the capital and services necessary to kick-start activities: help with tools and seeds, advice on production practices for farming communities, herd recapitalization, animal health, veterinary advice for breeders, and support for those restarting micro-businesses (retail sales, bricklayers, carpenters, street food sellers, etc.), aimed at households living mainly in urban or semi-urban surroundings.

SUSTAINABLE RECONSTRUCTION

SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL also has the necessary expertise to rehabilitate damaged productive infrastructures, such as veterinary pharmacies, warehouses, irrigated areas, access roads, etc.

As part of our restoration efforts, we work hard to rebuild while taking into account the risks faced by locals – Build Back Better – so that people are in a stronger position to tackle, bounce back from and adapt to further crises in the future.

Less fertile soils, fluctuating rainfall and prices, rural exodus and insecurity restricting movement… In many countries where we operate, people face a whole host of structural problems that they don’t always have the right resources for in order to adapt to these new constraints in the long term.

maximizing yield

SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL introduces projects to support adaptation strategies for affected communities, such as promoting practices inspired by agro-ecology, introducing specially adapted varieties (short cycle, resistant to soil salinity and certain diseases), developing irrigation, and watering animals, so as to maximize agricultural production and breeding.

Diversifying sources of income

SOLIDARITÉS INTERNATIONAL also helps to push up income generated by agro-pastoral production by providing storage aid, and processing and marketing via training and investment aid (storage buildings, grain banks, agro-input stores, etc.) as well as working to support groups of producers, through natural resource management and by developing microbusinesses in order to diversify income streams.

PRODUCING AND SELLING in urban environment

In urban areas, our teams develop income-boosting schemes (promoting urban farming, supporting microbusinesses, delivering professional training, etc.), as well as projects to improve people’s living conditions by planning and building infrastructures (markets, site development, etc.).