Plan Niger Progress Report 2009

A YEAR IN

NIGER SUMMARY REPORT

09

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GOOD REASONS why Plan works in Niger

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• 63% of Niger’s population live in absolute poverty EGYPT

Goats are an important livestock in Niger.

• Almost half of all people have no access to regular supplies of safe water • Around 173,000 children under five die in Niger every year – mainly from preventable diseases

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Our priorities in Niger

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• Improving standards of education, increasing families’ financial ability to keep their children in school and promoting children’s rights SUDAN

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• Assisting families after disasters like drought and helping them to reduce the impact of future emergencies

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• Protecting the health of children, their mothers and pregnant women

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Community garden’s help prevent child malnutrition.

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NIGER FACTS Capital: Niamey Population: 13.7 million Language: SFrench (official), indigenous languages including Djerma and Haus Climate: Niger’s subtropical climate is mainly very hot and dry, with much desert area. In the extreme south there is a tropical climate on the edges of the Niger River basin.

The terrain is predominantly desert plains and sand dunes,

with flat to rolling savanna in the south and hills in the north.

Economy: The economy of Niger centers on subsistence crops, livestock, and some of the world’s largest uranium deposits. Drought cycles, desertification, a 2.9% population growth rate, and the drop in world demand for uranium have undercut the economy.

“Plan is now widely recognised in Niger as one of the leading organisations in the struggle against child poverty and the promotion of children’s rights” – Famari Barro, Plan’s Country Director

A YEAR IN

NIGER SUMMARY REPORT

09

FOCUS ON: BETTER HEALTH FOR CHILDREN AND FAMILIES Health provision for families is often inadequate, particularly in poor, rural areas.

SoPlan is working with families to keep their children healthy and build better health services.

We support health services for pregnant women and training for traditional birth attendants. We help to construct health centres. We’re increasing families’ access to clean water and decent sanitation, teaching them about good hygiene practices.

We also run immunisation campaigns, nutrition initiatives and help mothers treat diarrhoea and prevent malaria.

A GROWING SUCCESS

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nyone who owns an allotment will know how fulfilling it is to grow your own vegetables.

Tomatoes, carrots and onions from your own plot always seem to taste better than those you can find elsewhere.

New textbooks mean subjects can be added at this school.

The Bigger Picture

Plan is working with children, families and whole communities to address the problems that Niger faces. This report can only tell a small part of that story. As a further insight, last year we also: • Built three primary school classrooms, four nurseries and eight playgrounds and provided supplies and books to 60 schools • Protected children from disease caused by poor sanitation by building or improving 323 toilets • Helped 86 communities to build or renovate cereal banks, holding nearly 500 tonnes of cereal for use during food shortages • Worked to keep children safe from harm by training 271 community members and volunteers on child protection.

Your support as a sponsor is crucial to achieving these positive results. So on behalf of the communities, partner organisations, and most of all the children we work with – thank you!

“For a long time we wanted to start gardening so that we could support our children, but we didn’t have the necessary resources to afford startup costs” To learn more about Plan’s work in Niger visit www.plan.org.au/ourwork/westafrica/niger

Produced for Niger by the Australian National Office.

the group how to use their produce to prepare nutritious and healthy meals for children.

Zouera, a mother from Darbani, western Niger knows the feeling well. But for her, and the other women in her village, growing vegetables on their allotment isn’t a lifestyle choice, it’s saving their children from malnutrition.

From September to January, the growing season, the group produces a variety of vegetables, including tomatoes, onions, carrots and potatoes.

Kadidia, Zouera’s neighbour, explains how the project works: “We decided to divide our group by different zones of the village. The women of each zone are responsible for a certain plot of the garden where we grow a different crop.”

Nearly a third of children in Niger are malnourished.

Lack of food or poor diet can have a devastating effect on their lives, leaving them weak, prone to illness and unable to concentrate at school.

She continues: “Each zone is represented by a member on the committee so that we can make collective decisions and we can then share all the produce between us.”

Darbani lies near the river Niger. Families here tend to grow rice, because it fetches a higher price on the market. It’s a risky strategy, though, because it leaves them without an alternative food supply or income should the crop fail. Nor does it provide their children with a varied and nutritious diet.

Joint solution Zouera and her friends have always known how to solve their problem. All they lacked were the funds and the technical skills to get started. Zouera explains: “For a long time we had wanted to start gardening so that we could support our children, but we didn’t have the necessary resources to be able to afford start-up costs.”

Plan began working with Zouera and other mothers to establish plots in the village where they could grow a range of vegetables. The village chief, hearing how the project would benefit his community, agreed to give the women a small plot of land.

Plan supported the project by supplying seeds and equipment, like spades and hoes. The women formed a committee to manage their garden and partners like the Niger government’s Agricultural Office gave them training in how to grow different vegetables. Local health volunteers are teaching

“Lack of food or poor diet can have a devastating effect on their lives, leaving them weak, prone to illness, unable to concentrate at school”

Healthy children Growing the vegetables is hard work, but the women’s enthusiasm and solidarity keeps the project going. Although Plan and our partners provide ongoing technical advice, the garden committee is encouraged to make its own decisions about how the plots are run.

Zouera and her friends are responsible for maintenance of the irrigation system they constructed to water their plots. They reinvest some of the income they make through selling their vegetables and re-use seeds for the next planting season.

So far, in the seven villages where Plan helped to set up gardens last year, around 350 women have learned how to plant and grow vegetables, giving nearly 2,500 children a better diet. Villagers point to the fall in the numbers of children attending feeding centres (from 700 new admissions a month to 350) as proof the project is working.

In Darbani, healthier, well-fed children are a welcome sign of the women’s success. “We produced so many vegetables this year, we couldn’t stop eating!” laughs Hadjo, a committee member.

“We had lots of nice things to give to our children.”

Some names have been changed for child protection and privacy purposes.

plan.org.au