Adjekoria Area Program

Program Type

Community Development

Planned Life Cycle

2020 - 2032

Location

Niger

Areas of Focus

Child Protection and Participation | WASH 

Program Timeline

Status: Active

Progress

4,031people had access to handwashing facilities at home or school

Progress

3,550people had access to sanitation facilities like toilets at home or school

Progress

2,998children and adults were trained on child protection, including positive parenting, children's rights and early marriage

A white jeep driving through a muddy path, featuring a rainbow and trees in the background.

Program Details

Context

The rural community of Adjekoria is situated 125km north of the border with Nigeria. Home to 85,523 residents, the Hausa, Fulani and Tuareg are the main ethnic groups in the area. Residents live in mud and thatch homes and rely predominantly on farming for their income. Little rainfall and strong winds have had a harmful effect on residents' farmlands, as nutrients in the soil have blown away, and sand dunes have formed.

Growing sorghum and groundnuts, along with tending to cattle, goats, sheep and poultry are the main agricultural activities. Due to poor crop production, most families have low income and struggle to cover education, health care and food expenses. Women and girls are particularly vulnerable because of low social status in society. Despite these challenges, the people of Adjekoria are resilient and determined to see their community develop.

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Challenges
As a landlocked country, Niger has a particularly arid climate with long periods of drought accompanied by short, heavy rainfall. In this harsh climate, many challenges exist for children to access an education, stay healthy and feel protected.

Education
With only 21% of teachers across Niger equipped with the necessary qualifications, there are many challenges in delivering quality education to children in Adjekoria. Issues including insufficient supplies and textbooks, high student to teacher ratios and parents who generally have no formal education are all factors that can impact a child's ability to learn successfully. In Adjekoria, primary school enrollment is low for girls at 70%, compared to boys at 90% and there is, on average, just one teacher for every 56 students.

Health
In Adjekoria, young children consistently struggle to enjoy good health and proper nutrition. With an infant mortality rate of 166 deaths for every 1000 children born, and nearly 1 in 4 children, malnourished, children face daily struggles to survive.

Access to critical vaccinations and clean, safe drinking water also threaten children's health. These issues go hand-in-hand with the area's low number of health facilities, stocked with an insufficient supply of medicines. Even as adults, Nigerians suffer one of the lowest life expectancy rates in the world at just 56 years old.

Child Protection
In Adjekoria—like many parts of Niger—there remains a general lack of awareness when it comes to child rights. This lack of awareness combined with many parents' struggle to earn enough income to provide for their families, hinders child protection concerns from ever being addressed. In most cases, child protection services do not exist in rural Nigerien communities, which also contributes to a lack of support or action when issues are raised. As a result, children in Adjekoria can experience neglect, child labour and even—early marriage.
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Plans
Education
To ensure children can access and benefit from quality education, World Vision will assist the community to:
  • Establish and train school management committees and children's participation in school governments.
  • Equip teachers with the necessary materials to enhance the learning environment.
  • Build parents' awareness of the benefits of education and encourage their children—especially girls—to attend school.

Health Care
With the partnership of Canadian sponsors and residents of Adjekoria, World Vision will work to:
  • Prevent and manage malnutrition and protect children from malaria and pneumonia.
  • Strengthen the health system by developing community level health facilities.
  • Increase the percentage of children who have year-round access to safe drinking water by creating new water points and extending networks in schools and health centers.
  • Help community members adopt good hygiene and sanitation practices through sensitization and trainings.

Child Protection
To ensure children are protected, World Vision will partner with the community to:
  • Train community volunteers on how to identify children who are victims of abuse, and where to report concerns.
  • Train children's clubs on the negative effects of child marriage.
  • Work with community and religious leaders to voice their support in addressing neglect of children, child labour and early marriage.
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An image of children sitting on the ground in a classroom, writing in workbooks.

Results

Unless otherwise stated, data presented on this page reflects the most up-to-date results of World Vision Canada programs reported between October 2022 and September 2023, and any previous fiscal years available. Previously reported data may not match the current presentation as we continuously receive and refine data from our programs. If you have any questions, kindly reach out to us.