Recent humanitarian missions
The Sahara Conservation Fund, in collaboration with the non-profits ESAFRO and L’Afrique à Cœur, participates in supporting local populations within the Aïr and Ténéré National Natural Reserve through health missions.
Health- and dental-care missions have been carried out in the towns of Timia and Iferouane with products and dental materials donated by all three organizations.
From September 1 to 8, 2019 a joint Environment and Health Mission traveled to villages and campsites in the area around Iferouane and Timia.
The dental-care mission in Aïr – which was led by Dr. Rabo, head of the stomatology department at Zinder National Hospital, and Dr. Mossi, dental-surgeon from Agadez Hospital – made it possible for 260 patients in the Timia and Tin-Tellous zones of the Aïr Mountains to be examined and treated for free.
Alongside the care provided, ESAFRO raised awareness about hygiene issues and provided key health-education recommendations. The conclusion was that some of the advice provided during earlier missions had been followed, in terms of both oral hygiene and of attention to children’s health.
Because it is also the rainy season, many people drink pond water during the current winter period. For that reason, ESAFRO focused in particular on raising awareness about the importance of disinfecting drinking water.
This mission thus made it possible not only to provide hands-on care, but also to reinforce health-education messages that had been delivered to the region’s inhabitants over the past two years, as well as to evaluate the impact of those educational and awareness-raising actions.
Overall, by the end of the joint mission, over 300 people had received free care. These activities are still extremely important for reinforcing relations with the local population, which is also key to the activities related to wildlife and habitat conservation within that zone.