The Round-up offers a weekly sample of what our sister Red Cross Societies are working on around the world.
INTERNATIONAL: The Sahel, a vast region that spans the width of Africa just south of the Sahara, is 
one of the most fragile environments on the continent. Caught in a vicious cycle of food insecurity and recurring epidemics, people living in the Sahel are facing another year of food shortages and hunger. It comes on the heels of a drought in 2012 which affected nearly 18 million people. Immediate Red Cross interventions include distributing enriched flour for children under two years and for pregnant or lactating women who are at risk of malnutrition, and to support the adoption of better nutritional practices which are essential to reducing malnutrition. Cash transfers will allow families to purchase what best suits their immediate needs, while longer term support will see families receive agricultural and livestock support to strengthen and protect their livelihoods.
NIGER: The situation is deteriorating in Diffa, just across the border from north-eastern Nigeria. The ICRC and the Red Cross Society of Niger have distributed food and other essential items to over 20,000 people – both locals and recently displaced people affected by fighting in the region.