Country profile

Niger      New Zealand Capital Niamey Wellington Population 14 million 4.1 million Official language/s French English and Maori Per capita income US$240 US$27,250 NZ$1=US$0.70 NZ$328 NZ$38,928 Life expectancy 45 years 80 years Under 5 mortality rate 256/1000 5/1000 Adult literacy 29% 99% (Source: UNICEF The State of the World's Children 2008)

People
Around half of Niger’s population is of the Hausa ethnic group. The Songhai-Djerma group accounts for just over a fifth of the population and the remainder are nomadic animal herders, predominantly Fulani and Tuareg groups. There is a huge disparity between men and women, in education, literacy and health. Nearly 90 per cent of the population is Muslim, with Christianity and traditional beliefs also followed.

History
Between the 10th and 19th centuries, various African empires and states claimed control over parts of Niger because of its location on the trans-Saharan trade route for gold, salt and slaves.

In 1922, Niger became a French colony and it gained independence in 1960. A series of coups and new constitutions followed. In 1999, President Mamadou Tandja was elected in the first free multi-party elections. Having brought some political stability to the country, he won a second term in the 2004 elections.

Geography
Niger is West Africa’s second largest country. It is a landlocked country and is over 650 kilometres from the sea.

As two-thirds of the land area is covered by the Sahara Desert, the majority of the population lives in the greener southwestern part, near the Niger River. Desertification caused by overgrazing and indiscriminate felling of trees for firewood is a major environmental problem.

The hottest months are March to June. Between December and February, the coolest period, temperatures may still reach up to 35°C. The rainy season comes to southern parts of the country from late May to September, even though rainfall is often unreliable.

Economy
As more than 90 per cent of the country’s labour force is engaged in subsistence agriculture or livestock rearing, Niger’s recurrent droughts severely affect the economy.

More than 60 per cent of people live on less than US$1 per day. Niger is heavily dependent on overseas aid and has received significant debt relief.

Uranium remains a key export despite a fall in demand and price since the 1980s. Exports of livestock to neighbouring countries are the second largest source of earnings.

Agriculture
There is very little land available for agriculture, with almost all of the country’s agricultural production confined to the southwest. Common crops are millet, sorghum, cassava, peanuts and rice, used for domestic consumption, and cowpeas cotton and onions for export.

The combined effects of the harsh climate, burgeoning population, regular droughts and locusts, has reduced soil fertility. Farmers’ inability to afford fertilisers and farming tools pressures them to increase the size of their plots just to maintain production levels. As a result, farming activities are moving progressively northwards, reducing the pastureland available for nomadic livestock herders, who face similar climatic constraints.

Education
In Niger, primary schooling is theoretically compulsory from age 7 to 13. However, in practice less than 30 per cent of children attend. Although parents may see some value in education, many cannot afford school fees and materials. In rural areas especially, children are often expected to stay at home to help with household or farm chores. As it is common for girls to be married at 12 or 13 years old, parents consider their education unnecessary.

Health
Niger has high infant, child and maternal mortality rates as there is limited access to sanitation facilities and clean water, and few pregnant women receive assistance from a trained midwife. The quality and coverage of government health facilities is limited. Malnutrition is common due to challenging agricultural conditions. Cholera, malaria, respiratory infections, meningococcal disease and guinea worm are prevalent and there is concern about the spread of HIV.

Niger COUNTRY UPDATE

PERCHED BESIDE THE DESERT

“While the farmer holds the title to the land, actually, it belongs to all the people because civilisation itself rests upon the soil.” Thomas Jefferson

The landscape of Niger, two-thirds Sahara desert, evokes many romantic images: sand dunes that seem to extend forever, camel trains, mythical cities and elephants, giraffes and antelopes in extensive grasslands.

In reality, there is little romance in the gruelling daily life faced by the people of Niger. Their country is made up of desert and semi-arid land, which receives little rainfall. Generations ago the grasslands were replaced with dusty fields of staple cereal crops. People walk long distances to obtain water and struggle to grow enough food in fields threatened by desertification.

In Niger, millet farming is only possible for one growing season a year, after which the fields are cleared, leaving top soil bare to be blown off by the prevailing winds. Trees, which would protect fields and return nutrients to the soil, are cleared as pests or for firewood, the main source of energy for the majority of the nation’s homes and businesses. Desertification in Niger is not caused by the desert expanding its boundaries, rather it happens one field at a time because of poor soil management.

This paints a bleak picture for the people of Niger, but help is at hand. More than 25,000 children in Niger are sponsored by World Vision supporters from all over the world. These children live in communities that benefit from World Vision’s assistance with long-term development activities. Together, World Vision and the communities are addressing environmental issues, so people can provide for their children and live rural lifestyles that are sustainable for future generations.

New Zealanders sponsor children from Goulbi N’Kaba, in Niger’s Maradi region. There, World Vision teaches farmers to use better soil-management practices and plant more productive and hardy varieties of cereal crops. Farmers learn to see trees as a benefit for their fields rather than a problem to be removed. Acacias and other trees adapted to the dry environment create wind breaks, return vital nutrients to the soil and provide a source of food and firewood. By planting their own trees, farmers take responsibility for protecting them and so use the fruit, seeds and wood in a sustainable way.

Water points are installed by World Vision to make it easier for families to obtain safe clean water. World Vision installs drums to collect spilled well water and feed it into drip irrigation systems for nearby vegetable gardens and tree nurseries, making efficient use of every last drop of water. Women’s groups and school students learn to plant, tend, store and use nutritious vegetables and educate their families and communities about nutrition.

By applying what they have learned through World Vision, communities in Niger are beginning to combat the environmental issues they face. World Vision’s assistance is setting them up for a lifestyle which, while not romantic, is at least sustainable.