Niger

Niger is one of the poorest countries in the world. With an estimated population of more than 20 million, over ten million Nigerians have insufficient access to food with over half living on less than $1.90 (£1.40) a day. To help these communities remain food secure we’re offering crucial water and livelihood assistance.

For this landlocked country heavily dependent on agriculture, life is becoming increasingly difficult. With a short rainy season and the increasing effects of climate change resulting in higher temperatures and irregular rainfall, Niger faces an ever greater struggle to feed its growing number of people.

Islamic Relief in Niger

A country once rich in fertile grasslands that were a fixture on the trans-Saharan trading route, Niger was a meeting point for cultural influences. With its ancient history, the west African country is steeped in tradition but now faces massive and chronic challenges. 

One of the poorest countries on the planet, over 40 per cent of its population live in extreme poverty. According to the United Nations, nearly 3 million people, more than half of whom are children, need humanitarian assistance. A third of those in need have been uprooted from their homes. Conflict and insecurity are deepening people’s suffering, with women and children experiencing the worst of the violence. Many humanitarian organisations struggle to access affected areas, making it harder for families to get the help they so desperately need.

The climate emergency is also devastating this landlocked country, with its economy centred on subsistence farming and livestock. Increasingly frequent and intense drought and failed rains, periodically punctuated by flooding, leave the poorest struggling to earn a living and to feed their families.

Islamic Relief has been on the ground in Niger since 2005, helping vulnerable families, delivering life-saving humanitarian aid and supporting communities to increase resilience.

So far, we have helped over 2.97 million people in the country.

With a dedicated team of 40 staff working from our country office in the capital city, Niamey, and sub offices in Ouallam and Doutchi, we serve communities in the regions of Tillaberi and Dosso.

Our work focuses on food security and livelihoods; health and nutrition; and water, sanitation and hygiene. Education, child welfare and orphan support are also priorities for us, and empowering women is at the heart of most of our interventions.

Islamic Relief in action

The village of Koné Béri, in the Tillaberi region of Niger, faces multiple developmental challenges. With a population of 4,000, only 20% of adults have some primary education, and only 11% of children attend school. The closest school is 5.2km away and serves students from 10 villages. The school itself lacks even basic infrastructure, with classrooms made out of millet straw and no chairs for the children. Faced with this, local families generally did  not encourage their children to go to school, and an increasing number of students were dropping out.

In 2018, Islamic Relief Niger recognised the need to improve the school environment and give children a better standard of education. We not only trained teachers to enhance their quality of teaching, we also built 9 classrooms, provided appropriate equipment, furniture and sanitation facilities 

We installed an electricity supply, powered by solar energy, and water tanks. Lights and fans were added to each room, and a solar powered street lamp was provided to make the school safer at night.

As a result, the educational environment has significantly improved. The academic year of 2019-2020 saw record school attendance, and increased self-esteem and motivation for both students and teachers. A total of 339 students now study at the school, all of whom have reported better learning conditions, while a growing number of parents are eager to enrol their children in the school.

Find out more about our life-changing work in Niger here.