A teacher is standing by a blackboard in front of her class, where children are sitting at their desks.
Tillabery, Niger: Children attending catch-up classes. Photo: Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC

NRC in Niger

The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) set up operations in Niger in 2019 to serve those affected by the crisis sweeping through the country.

      

A total of

101,131

people in need received our assistance in 2023.

 

Humanitarian overview

In recent years, Niger has been under pressure from violence by non-state armed groups on three fronts: 1) in the north-west, in the regions of Tillaberi and Tahoua, along the border between Mali and Burkina Faso (Liptako-Gourma crisis); 2) in the east, in the Diffa region (Lake Chad crisis); and 3) in the south of the country in the Maradi region, on the border with Nigeria.

The country hosts more than 700,000 refugees and internally displaced people and is one of the poorest in the world, with 4.5 million people in need and 3.2 million people expected to be in food insecurity by the lean season. The situation has been further compounded by the July 2023 coup d’état by the military. The events of July 2023 have caused a severe deterioration of relations with the international community, resulting in the imposition of financial sanctions by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) (without humanitarian exemptions) and the European Union (EU) (with humanitarian exemptions), and in the suspension of development funding by most Western donors. The coup d'état and its aftermath have considerably affected Niger’s growth prospects.

  • 26,382
    people benefited from our education programme
  • 13,134
    people benefited from our food security programme
  • 16,896
    people benefited from our shelter programme
  • 12,297
    people benefited from our protection programme
  • 26,069
    people benefited from our ICLA programme
  • 20,730
    people benefited from our WASH programme
  • 1,946
    people benefited from other NRC activities

 

NRC's operation

Since 1 June 2023, NRC has a separate country office in Niger following the split of the Burkina-Niger office. In Niger, NRC provides an integrated response package in Tillaberi, Maradi and Tahoua regions, strengthening its rapid response capacity in education, shelter and multi-purpose cash. Advocacy on humanitarian access, funding and programmatic priorities are an important component of the humanitarian response. NRC is the co-lead of the housing, land and property (HLP) sub-cluster and the co-lead of the access working group.

 

NRC Livelihoods and food securityLivelihoods and food security


Our livelihoods team is:

  • improving access to food for the most vulnerable people using the standard food ration value per household, through distribution of cash
  • supporting people living in displacement with negotiating access to land
  • providing emergency livelihoods protection, in particular replenishment, management and distribution of agricultural inputs such as seeds, tools and small livestock accompanied by technical support
  • supporting targeted households with income-generating activities and reducing negative coping mechanisms

 

NRC Shelter and settlementsShelter and settlements


Our shelter teams are:

  • providing essential household items including kitchen sets, bedding, clothes and mosquito nets in kind or through cash and vouchers.
  • providing complete shelter solutions either through temporary or transitional models
  • conducting site-coordination activities, especially site planning, to enable the installation of shelters and minimum basic services, delivered by NRC or in coordination with other actors
  • advocating on issues related to the establishment of new sites
  • contributing positively to the shelter cluster on global and local issues

 

NRC Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)


Our WASH teams:

  • improve access to water for people affected by displacement through emergency temporary solutions such as water trucking, repair of existing wells and handpumps, and expansions of existing water systems
  • ensure minimum sanitation standards through the construction of appropriate and safe emergency or semi-durable latrines in displacement sites, schools and public places, and for semi-durable family shelters
  • enhance operations and maintenance for the durability of the water and sanitation infrastructure interventions as well as green solutions for WASH programming such as the installation of solar powered water systems
  • sensitise communities on hygiene practices and the prevention of communicable diseases with targeted messages for women, men, girls and boys
  • distribute hygiene kits including culturally appropriate items for menstrual hygiene, and Covid-19 items

 

NRC EducationEducation


Focusing on education in emergencies, we are:

  • providing emergency education responses through the Rapid Response Mechanism in coordination with other NRC core activities and other actors
  • supporting the formal system to increase capacity for internally displaced children
  • providing adapted learning conditions to ensure the retention of students in schools
  • conducting awareness-raising campaigns to promote inclusive education and enhance social cohesion and peaceful cohabitation between displaced and host community children
  • improving the learning conditions for students through the repair and/or construction of semi-permanent school blocks and the distribution of education kits
  • providing vocational training for marginalised youth while promoting apprenticeships, mentoring and career guidance
  • fully rolling out the Better Learning Programme for children who have experienced trauma
  • building the capacity of teachers and community members on the newly introduced Better Learning Programme

 

NRC Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)


We are assisting affected communities to:

  • access information on the legal and civil documentation processes
  • support people affected by displacement to obtain the civil and identity documentation necessary to access rights and services
  • support them to understand and protect their housing, land and property rights
  • organise capacity-building sessions for local authorities and civil documentation officials on issues pertaining to land and civil documentation
  • lead the housing, land and property rights working group to build capacity and advocate with authorities, humanitarian actors and other stakeholders
  • advocate and contribute to durable solutions for displaced households

 

Protection from violence


Our teams are:

  • managing formal displacement sites
  • working with communities to build their resilience and reinforce community-based protection solutions to the risks they face
  • working with other organisations on referrals to specialised protection services and with other NRC core activities for specific assistance
  • conducting protection analysis, assessments and monitoring on protection-related risks for people affected by displacement, informing protection response and advocacy

About NRC in Niger

Established
2019
International staff
8
Areas of operation
Niamey (country office), Maradi, Tillaberi and Tahoua
National staff
107

Contact NRC Niger

Country Director

Laura Esposito

Phone

+22782821171