Niger (generally pronounced “nee-JAIR”) is a land of great challenge. Land locked, and with less than 12% arable land, the country suffers from environmental degradation and periodic drought which lead to food shortages. The Sahara desert covers more than half of the northern part of the country. Most of the rest lies within the Sahel, where cultivation is only possible during the three to four months of rainy season. The population is diverse, however the infant and maternal mortality rate is high, while the literacy rate is low. The United Nations rates Niger at the bottom of its Human Development Index (2009). The country experienced a coup d’état in February 2010 and is currently in a period of transition.
CRC-Niger (the collaboration between CRWRC and CRWM in Niger), is also in a period of transition in its strategy. Previously CRC-Niger worked almost exclusively in partnership with two local organizations, but in recent years there have been an increasing number of organizations who have approached it asking for consulting time to help build their organizational capacity. Because of this CRC-Niger is now transitioning to work with one long term partner and to serve as consultants and facilitators for a network of local organizations.
CRC-Niger has also been involved in several websites, including a site about Civic Education (www.educationcommunautaire.org), and another site about HIV/AIDS in Niger (www.nigersida.org).
Fast Facts
Population:
15,306,252 (July 2009 est.)
Area Comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Literacy rate: 28.7%
Life expectancy: 52.6 years
Population below poverty line: 63%
Gross Domestic Product per capita: $700 (2008 est.)
Languages: French (official), Hausa, Djerma
(From the World Factbook. Click here for more information on Niger.)
Notes:
Other local languages include Tamashek (Tuareg), Fulfude, Gourmanche, and Kanuri
Partners
Partner A
Partner A is made up of believers from a minority ethnic group that has been largely ignored by the government, leading to a lack of public services such as schooling, health, agriculture extension work and roads. CRWRC has been in partnership with Partner A since 1994, and their work has expanded to over 35 communities, where they guide community groups in the process of coming together to envision their community in the future and then take action so that that can become a reality. These groups are involved in a variety of food security and income generating activities. Partner A’s board members have little formal education, so basic organizational functions have been a growth area for them, thus helping them to increase their organizational capacity is a priority for CRWRC’s consulting work with them.
Learning Circle
The Learning Circle is not an official partner of CRC-Niger, but is a network of local organizations that had come individually to CRC-Niger asking for organizational capacity building. CRC-Niger is now facilitating trainings for these organizations, so that they can learn together in participative ways about different aspects of holistic development. This group is in the beginning stages of forming, as it began meeting in December 2009.