Note: The menu shows the 36 African countries where Africare has worked, not the other African countries.

 


(Sheila McKinnon photo)

Niger

Niger is the country where Africare began, in 1970, amidst one of the worst droughts in West African history. The first work, from emergency medical aid to "cloud seeding," sought to provide drought relief. Almost immediately, Africare also introduced self-help development projects at the village level — and those have characterized the work in Niger, as in most other countries, ever since. More than 50 assistance projects have benefited communities in Niger in the basic developmental areas of food, water, the environment and health. In the village of Tara, an early Africare "integrated rural development" project supported large-scale irrigated rice production, with related forms of assistance such as the establishment of agricultural co-ops and the construction of farm-to-market roads. Recent work in Niger has included food security and civil-society development.

Current Africare assistance to Niger:

  • Food security
  • Emergency food distribution
  • Famine mitigation
  • Assistance to the Maine-Soroa Hospital
  • Women's literacy training
  • Strengthening of indigenous non-governmental organizations
  • Development of rural radio networks
  • Governance training

           

(Updated, Dec. 18, 2007)