Somalia: North-western Integrated Community Development Programme - Phase 1

BFFS components

BFFS funding cuts across all project components. Specific goals are to:

• Improve access to basic health services
• Construct and equip schools
• Improve household knowledge of health, hygiene and nutrition
• Provide access to safe drinking water and boreholes for market gardens
• Help set up cereal and food banks
• Set up and equip a local radio station broadcasting to farmers and rural households

Since 2010 Niger has faced various disasters, including floods and a subsequent food crisis. The following information is drawn from the Work and Budget Planning Report of December 2010 and a report written in March 2011.

The project was slow to begin implementation, but has since gained a satisfactory pace. There is considerable synergy between different project components. The new roads allow the areas with highest agricultural potential easy access to markets. The radio provides advice and information to local farmers. Better schooling, improved nutrition, access to health services and clean water, all contribute to better conditions for agricultural production. The food banks help maintain better food security year round and reduce the vulnerability of local populations. The boreholes for market gardens have intensified and diversified agricultural production.

Women have been particularly proactive in participating widely in project activities, not just those designated to their management, such as the food banks and raising small livestock.

Health and hygiene

Ten health clinics or ‘health huts’ are now functioning, and all have been fully equipped with pharmaceutical products.

Six centres de santé integrale have been set up. These in particular have allowed the local population access to health services. In the region of Aguié, access to health services has risen from about 2 per cent to 50 per cent. In the department of Aguié the number of assisted births has risen from 9 per cent in 2005, to 25 per cent in 2010, and prenatal consultations from 40 per cent to 85 per cent. In general more individuals are able to frequent the rural health clinics, and pregnant and nursing women and other members of the population have been able to improve their awareness of health and nutrition issues.

The project has funded the training of health workers. Training includes awareness-raising on issues such as nutrition and the prevention of malnutrition, HIV/AIDS and family planning. To disseminate this training, centres for the prevention and fight against malnutrition have been set up in various localities.

A total of 10,000 treated mosquito nets have been distributed. Nine family latrines of a target of 50 have been constructed.

The project has been able to work with strong, dynamic women’s organizations created and consolidated through management of the food banks, to develop other activities that focus on health, nutrition for children, HIV/AIDS and other pertinent issues.

Nutrition and food security

The project has funded the construction of 152 banques de soudure or food banks. These banks allow households to cover their food requirements for at least a month in the pre-harvest ‘hunger season’ while they are planting their crops. The bank lends food to farmers during this period that precedes the harvest, at a time when family cereal reserves are almost empty. Farmers then pay back the loan, not with money but with cereals, once their own crops are harvested, adding 25 per cent interest to replace the stock and cover the cost of storage and maintenance. The food banks have made an important contribution to food security across the target area. Rural households, especially children, are now less vulnerable to food insecurity and malnutrition. The food banks are managed exclusively by women. Social cohesion and solidarity has been reinforced by the regular meetings held by women as managers of the banks. In their new role as managers of important community infrastructure, women have been empowered to speak out and voice their opinions in public, even in the presence of traditional power holders such as the male village chiefs.

During the drought that began in 2008 and continued through 2010, cereal production in Niger dropped by nearly a third and close to 90 per cent of rural households were at risk. Despite the fact that many villages in the project area were severely affected by the drought and the subsequent inflation of cereal prices, a large number of households have been able to sustain themselves through this period thanks to the food banks.

Agricultural production

Diversification and intensification of agricultural production introduced by the project, has generated significant results in terms of the quantity of sorghum and millet produced.

Education

15 schools (of a target of 50) have been constructed in durable materials, each with a series of latrines adjacent. Many children now have access to better schooling conditions.

Water

A total of 17 village wells have been constructed, and 7 boreholes equipped with hand-held pumps. To begin with the target was for 50 village wells, but this was amended due to construction difficulties, and the fact that the boreholes drew a good quality of water. As a result 30 wells were transformed into boreholes. Thanks to these additional wells and boreholes 6,000 people now have access to better quality water and women and children make shorter trips to collect water.

The project also created 85 bore-holes for market-gardens, which have allowed greater diversification of agricultural production, and as a result have also helped improve nutrition and incomes. Some farmers have been able to produce enough to feed family and friends and sell surplus for income. The important thing too is that they allow farmers to cultivate even in the dry season.