Nigeria
Start of program: 2016
Country key figures:
- 218 million inhabitants¹
- 800,000 children with acute malnutrition²
- 7.1 million people need humanitarian assistance³
ALIMA key figures:
- 43,239 children with severe acute malnutrition treated
- 143,453 consultations carried out for children under five years old
Areas of intervention:
- Nutrition
- Conflicts and population displacement
- Maternal health
- Outbreak response
- Research and innovation
Humanitarian context
In 2022, security conditions in Borno, Katsina and Yobe States continued to deteriorate, with armed groups repeatedly attacking civilian and military targets, exacerbating humanitarian needs, and generating widespread displacement. Food insecurity was aggravated in conflict-affected areas in northeast and northwest Nigeria due to major floods and rising food costs, leading to a sharp rise in malnutrition.
ALIMA’s impact on the ground
Maternal and child health
In Nigeria, ALIMA teams focus on providing care to women and children. In Borno State, ALIMA provided medical, nutritional and maternal health care to displaced and vulnerable host populations affected by the crisis in Maiduguri. ALIMA supported three health facilities and provided support to three ATFCs* in the management of severe acute malnutrition.
In Yobe state, ALIMA supported five Primary Health Care Centers for nutrition and health care, and provided inpatient care for severe acute malnutrition cases with complications at the Gashua General Hospital Intensive Therapeutic Feeding Center.
In Katsina state, ALIMA ensured the provision of outpatient and inpatient nutrition and healthcare services for children under the age of five by supporting five Primary Health Care Centers in Kaita local government area and an Intensive Therapeutic Feeding Center at the Kaita Community Health Center.
Fighting epidemics
In 2022, in Yobe State, ALIMA provided emergency response for a cholera epidemic by setting up a 40-bed cholera treatment center and oral rehydration point in the Muna clinic.
In Ondo State, ALIMA has been supporting the Nigeria Center for Disease Control and the Ministry of Health with Lassa fever case management, active case detection, patient triage, public awareness campaigns, and reinforcement of Infection Prevention and Control measures.
In addition, ALIMA, via the CORAL (Clinical and Operational Research Alliance) platform, continued to coordinate several studies to better understand Lassa fever, including an observational cohort study (LASCOPE), and a phase II clinical trial (SAFARI).
* Cover picture © Etinosa Yvonne / ALIMA
¹ World Bank 2022
² United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2021
³ United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA)
⁴ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
On the ground
Our latest news in Nigeria
Surviving Cholera in Borno, North East Nigeria
As communities in Maiduguri recover from the recent flood that devastated the region rendering thousands homeless, ALIMA has stepped up door-to-door community sensitization on cholera
“Our research on Lassa fever could help fight other emerging viruses” – Dr Marie Jaspard on RFI
On RFI’s “Priorité Santé”, Dr Marie Jaspard and Dr Ousmane Abdoulaye discussed Lassa fever, an emerging disease prevalent in West Africa, with host Caroline Paré.
First-ever global alliance of researchers, health workers, and humanitarians join forces to fight the deadly Lassa fever virus
Nigeria enters Lassa fever peak season with new outbreaks underway Abuja, Nigeria, 27 February 2024 – A first-of-its-kind global alliance of researchers, humanitarians, and health
About Us
Our Operations Map
ALIMA is currently operating in 13 countries, providing quality medical care to the most vulnerable populations while developing sustainable solutions to improve local healthcare systems.
Ongoing projects
Beneficiaries in 2023