Africa - Western
Niger ranks 186 out of 189 on the Human Development Index (HDI). CARE International has established a Village Savings and Loans Associations program in Niger, as well as responding to the Chad Basin crisis in the Diffa region.
CARE Niger was established in 1974 in response to famine. We have continued to focus on improving food security while also expanding into work related to health and nutrition, education, women’s empowerment, governance, disaster risk reduction, and emergency preparedness and response.
CARE International’s successful Village Savings and Loan Associations (VSLA) program, which economically empowers women and raises their social and political status, first began in Niger. In the decades since, VSLAs have become a major part of CARE International’s women’s economic empowerment work.
In recent years, violence in the Lake Chad Basin has led to mass displacement and an increase in humanitarian needs across northeastern Nigeria, Cameroon’s Far North region, western Chad, and southeastern Niger. In response to the crisis, CARE Niger is working in the Diffa region to distribute emergency cash, shelter, food security, and child protection, as well as access to clean water and sanitation.
Niger has also faced a series of cholera outbreaks, as heavy rains and flooding increase the risk of cholera spreading. We work to promote handwashing and distribute water purification kits, as well as broadcast messages on how to prevent cholera.
This year's rainy season has caused catastrophic flooding in Niger, displacing over 353,000 people and killing 217. With more rain expected, the situation poses severe risks to food security, livelihoods, and public health.
In Niger, a country already affected by multiple crises, NGOs are warning that further instability could strongly deteriorate the living conditions of the most vulnerable, including women and children, and hamper the humanitarian response.
In Niger, the heavy rains that have fallen in the country since June have left 64 dead and nearly 70,000 people affected and more than 5,000 homes destroyed.
Since 2018 CARE has been working with partners to address gaps which undermine women’s meaningful participation in decision-making in humanitarian contexts.
The COVID-19 pandemic in West Africa is currently exacerbating socio-economic issues, with women bearing the largest burden of caring for their families while also seeking to lead communities in prevention and adaptation.
This is the third consecutive year that CARE publishes its report “Suffering In Silence”. It serves as a call for the global community to speak up for people in crises who are otherwise forgotten and to help them overcome hardship.
The year 2017 was marked by scores of humanitarian crises: armed conflicts, devastating natural disasters, climate shocks, hunger, millions of people fleeing their homes.
In FY2024, CARE worked around the world, contributing to saving lives, fighting poverty, and increasing social justice.
