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Niger

HI’s programme in Niger runs various projects for the inclusion of children and adults with disabilities and in support of vulnerable populations, such as people affected by climate-related disasters and communities living in the cross-border areas impacted by armed conflicts.

Our actions

Photo of a classroom in which a girl sitting at a table looks up and smiles.

Malika, ten years old, lives in Maradi, Niger. She has a visually disability: thanks to the support of HI, she is now in second grade. | © J. Labeur / HI

HI is currently supporting Niger's vulnerable populations and people with disabilities by helping other humanitarian actors in the country to adopt an inclusive response. Our programme is conducting studies on existing barriers, raising awareness among associations and communities and strengthening the inclusive dimension of their interventions. We are also providing support for inclusion at central level, in various clusters and in working groups.

HI is also implementing a project to strengthen the resilience and social cohesion of vulnerable populations in cross-border regions by supporting community-run projects. Our teams organise the distribution of kits and shelters to cover the basic needs of vulnerable populations and assist local actors in addressing mental health and psychosocial support needs. They also organise risk education sessions and training within the communities.

Given the risks of malnutrition caused by natural disasters or armed conflicts, HI’s programme is supporting the families of children suffering from acute malnutrition, organising discussion groups and providing physiotherapy sessions to stimulate young children. We are also setting up welcoming and adapted reception areas and training health workers in the signs of malnutrition.

HI is supporting very vulnerable households by distributing food aid and carrying out awareness-raising campaigns to promote safe nutritional practices in order to reduce health risks. Our programme is working with the health authorities to put in place an adapted health protocol at the national level that will ensure adequate care for malnourished children. Lastly, despite Niger being the country with the youngest population in the world, the school enrolment rate remains very low, especially among children with disabilities. Through our inclusive education project, HI helps children with disabilities to access and remain in primary education. This involves strengthening the capacities and improving the training of teachers, school counsellors and parent-teachers associations, identifying and following up on children with disabilities and raising community awareness of disability issues. In addition, our programme is making the buildings more accessible in order to guarantee the right to education for all children.

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Background

Map of HI's interventions in Niger

Niger is situated in the Sahel region. The country is experiencing rapid demographic growth, but a large part of its population lives in poverty. Education is an absolute priority, as half of the population is currently under the age of 15.

Niger, which has a surface area of 1,267,000 km2, has three climate zones: the north is dry and arid; the centre is a Sahelian zone with average rainfall; and the south has high rainfall. As a result, the country is prone to droughts and floods. Niger’s economy is largely based on agriculture and livestock and both of these activities are vulnerable to climate-related disasters. Despite some improvement over the last few decades, the social situation is still marked by extreme poverty. According to World Bank statistics, the level of extreme poverty in Niger was almost 41.8% in 2023, affecting more than 10 million people.

Education is a major challenge in Niger, which has one of the highest population growth rates in the world (3.7% per year according to data for 2022 published by the World Bank). With one in two citizens under the age of 15, the country also has one of the world’s lowest school enrolment rates, particularly for children with disabilities.

Niger has played a role in resolving a number of crises in the region and beyond, and for several years now has been experiencing successive and significant waves of population displacements and arrivals of refugees. However, as the country borders Mali, Chad and Nigeria, it suffers from the security tensions of its neighbours and the incursions of armed groups into its territory. The security situation has deteriorated sharply and continuously since 2019, with an intensification of attacks by armed groups, not only against the defence and security forces but also against civilians.People with disabilities face significant discrimination and socio-economic inequalities in Niger. Indeed, according to popular perceptions and representations, disability is generally assimilated to incapacity and deficiency. The negative perceptions and attitudes perpetuated by families and communities remain the biggest obstacle to the successful social inclusion of people with disabilities.

Number of HI staff: 103

Programme opened in: 2006

Where we work