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Hamoud Area Program

Sponsor a child

Program Type

Community Development

Planned Life Cycle

2020 - 2032

Location

Mauritania

Areas of Focus

Health | Child Protection and Participation

Program Timeline

Status: Active

Progress

812people had access to safe drinking water

Progress

199people received personal protective equipment such as masks, gloves and eye protection to prevent illnesses like COVID-19

Progress

36sanitation facilities, including latrines and handwashing stations, were constructed or updated

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

Program Details

Context

Hamoud is a hilly, relatively dry community of 26,000 people in Mauritania's south. Agriculture and cattle-farming are the primary activities, with livestock being the main source of income. There are a few women's cooperatives operating small vegetable plots as well. Other commercial and craft-related work is minimal because of the region's small size and insufficient roads.

The population is mostly young, partly because of the frequency of early marriage, limited education and low levels of literacy among women. Society is also stratified by ethnicity, descent and caste with certain groups subject to domestic servitude. Several civic associations exist, including one with a focus on child protection, education and advocacy. Although lack of manpower, infrastructure and logistical capability are challenges, the community is eager to move forward.

...
Challenges
Hamoud's 8,090 children are affected by a range of unfavourable conditions. There is a lack of infrastructure, from healthcare centres to schools, roads and rural electrification. Access to safe drinking water is inadequate and income rates overall are very low, making it difficult for parents to provide for their children.

Child Protection
Community awareness of children's rights is low. Child marriage is also practised in the area and a number of children, especially girls, do not attend school. Instead, they work in the home or as help for their parents in small-scale commercial activities. Early marriage, female genital mutilation, child labour and a high drop-out rate among students are all reported issues.

Economic Development
Lack of road infrastructure is a primary barrier to economic development as it not only limits potential commercial trade, but also makes it more expensive. There is no electrification in Hamoud's rural areas, which further constrains development. Existing activity is limited to small-scale agriculture and livestock farming, but lack of technology, seed supplies and training in advanced farming techniques reduces output.

Education
Some of the key challenges facing children include a lack of infrastructure, qualified teachers and supplies. There is one secondary school but no high schools. The dropout rate among girls is 9.8% and among boys 4.6%. For those children who attend school, supervision and monitoring by school officials is lax and there is a range of organizational issues affecting the quality of education that does exist.

Health
There are only four health centres, which is insufficient relative to need. These centres also lack personnel, equipment and supplies. Partially as a result, acute malnutrition for children under age 5 is 6.2% above the critical threshold of 2%. Immunization coverage is low at just 80% and there is a high incidence of malaria in children under 5 and pregnant women. Post-natal consultation for women is rarely available....
Plans
Child Protection
To ensure children are protected, World Vision will partner with the community to:
  • Support an organization of volunteers to monitor children's rights and raise awareness of child protection.
  • Create youth clubs that will train members in first aid and disaster management.
  • Create children's clubs and forums that help them develop life skills, improve learning outcomes and more.
  • Raise awareness of harm caused by the practices of female genital mutilation and child marriage.

Economic Development
With the goal of building economic self-sustainability, World Vision will assist Hamoud by:
  • Training members of agricultural associations in the use of technology and agricultural techniques for market gardening.
  • Helping create savings and loan associations to make financing available to the most vulnerable families in the community.
  • Helping to organize reforestation campaigns to combat the effects of drought and strengthen sources of agricultural income.

Health
In partnership with the residents of Hamoud, World Vision will work to:
  • Facilitate access to drinking water.
  • Use nutrition centres to increase awareness of dietary needs in order to combat child malnutrition.
  • Strengthen the capacity of the local health committee, including monitoring the supply and use of drugs at health centres.

Education
To develop quality education for children, World Vision will partner with the community to:
  • Work with existing community leadership to improve education planning and strengthen the capacity of school administrations.
  • Implement educational projects such as Learning Roots to target an enrolment rate of 100%.
  • Raise awareness of the importance of birth certificates for children, which will enable and encourage school enrolment.
...
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 2023 and September 2024, 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.