Ouallam

The needs in Ouallam

Sponsor a child in Niger

Education
Children in Ouallam face many challenges that prevent them from receiving a quality education. There is a lack of educational infrastructure, such as schools and literacy centres. Of the children attending school, there is a high dropout rate, and adults also suffer from a high illiteracy rate. Families can't afford to pay for school supplies for their children, and teachers are often not well trained.

Health Care
Children in Ouallam suffer from malnutrition, and mothers are often not aware of the need for exclusive breastfeeding in children under six months old. There is also a lack of training in how to cook food that is high in nutrition to encourage a diverse diet. In addition, there is limited access to health facilities in the community, and due to high levels of migration, the risk of HIV and AIDS is much higher.

Food
There is an insufficient amount of gardens in the area for growing food during the dry season, due in large part to a lack of water irrigation. Farmers are lacking improved seeds and there are not enough grain banks to safely store harvested grain. People also do not have access to credit to engage in additional income-generating activities.

Water and Sanitation
In spite of the many efforts made by the government to ensure better living conditions, access to social services is limited in Ouallam. There is restricted access to drinking water to meet the needs of the population, which in turn has serious consequences to people's health. Drinking unsafe water leads to children contracting waterborne diseases, such as diarrhea.

Discover Another Country:

Find a community:

Ouallam's Community News

Thanks to the generous support of donors, we’re making great progress toward the well-being of children and their families. These are a few of the areas we focused on in the past year:

Located in northwest Niger, 100 km from the capital city of Niamey, the Ouallam community covers an area of just over 18,000 km2. 90% of the people are of Zarma ethnicity, with other ethnic groups such as Hausa, Touareg, Peul, and Arab comprising the remaining 10%.

Ouallam's climate is very dry, and temperatures can climb above 45℃ . Rainfall is scarce and irregular. The rainy season extends from June to September and the rest of the year is dry from October to May.

Niger experienced significant food crises in 2005, 2010, and 2012 due to insufficient rainfall. This has caused low food production and high food prices, resulting in families struggling to find disposable income to buy enough food to meet their daily needs.

15.0% of children were underweight according to their age, as a result of malnutrition in 2017 decreasing from 22.0% in 2014.
1,937 children received birth certificates, ensuring their access to basic rights and services like health and schooling
161 malnourished children were enrolled in nutritional programs and monitored to ensure they are growing healthy
295 health workers and volunteers were trained to provide quality health services, especially for women and children
193 people received vocational, business and finance training, improving their opportunities to earn a steady income
60 farmers learned techniques to improve crop and livestock production to better provide for their children and families
2,153 children and adults are members of savings groups, helping families meet their financial needs and access small loans
99 savings groups are helping children and adults save money and access loans to grow businesses or cover basic expenses
63 people were trained on practices to preserve and manage the environment and its resources
15,000 individuals including children have safe water for drinking and cooking thanks to new or repaired water sources
4 water sources are providing access to safe water and protecting children and families against waterborne diseases
1,144 children and adults learned about the importance of water safety, proper sanitation and hygiene to stay healthy

Education
To ensure children can access and benefit from quality education, World Vision will assist the community to:

Provide opportunities for training to improve the quality of instruction and teachers skills.
Improve the school environment through the construction and improvement of school buildings.
Support schools with learning materials, supplies, and manuals.
Support informal education for adults and older children who dropped out of school.

Health Care
With the partnership of Canadian sponsors and the community, World Vision will work to:

Improve access to primary health facilities in order to receive care.
Train mothers in techniques to alleviate malnutrition, as well as in appropriate cooking techniques to provide nutrient-dense meals.
Teach parents about the importance of immunization for their children.

Food
To ensure parents in Ouallam can provide for their families, World Vision will partner with the community to:

Improve local agricultural production by supporting farmers with seeds and farming materials. Introduce modern agricultural techniques.
Create and support community grain banks to safety store grain.
Provide households with livestock and access to animal health care.
Support women's groups with irrigated vegetable gardens to grow vegetables and fruit during the dry season.

Water and Sanitation
In partnership with families and sponsors, World Vision will work with the community to:

Ensure the availability and accessibility of potable water for households.
Teach mothers about how to prevent and treat waterborne diseases like diarrhea through improved hygiene and sanitation practices.