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El Moustaghbel Area Program

Sponsor a child

Program Type

Community Development

Planned Life Cycle

2022 - 2034

Location

Mauritania

Areas of Focus

Child Protection and Participation

Program Timeline

Status: Active

Progress

41children and adults were trained on child protection, including positive parenting, children's rights and early marriage

Progress

31people are participating in activities that provide spiritual nurture and encouragement for children

Progress

29faith leaders and representatives of faith-based organizations were engaged in addressing the root causes of child vulnerability

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

Program Details

Context

El Moustaghbel is an arid, agricultural region that is home to about 14,500 people. The majority of the population practice Islam and are split between three ethnic groups.

The economy is dependent on agriculture and animal husbandry such as cattle and goats, with some small trade and handicraft making. The area is prone to flooding during rainy season and bush fires, although the latter has lately been under control. However, climate change has also begun to take a toll with drought now declared an environmental emergency.

El Moustaghbel's challenges include education, health and child protection. There are not enough health facilities for the population and those that exist are poorly equipped if they are equipped at all. Rates of stunting and underweight are relatively high. Issues with education involve students and teachers. Living conditions for teachers are difficult enough that absenteeism is a problem. Teachers also lack adequate training. Children are not as well protected as they should be. Early marriage and female genital mutilation are practiced, and children have no say in neither their own nor community affairs.

Nevertheless, El Moustaghbel has some developments working in its favour. These include the existence of various cooperatives in the areas of market gardening, health and commerce. Along with other organizations there exists a good foundation for future, sustainable development activity.

...
Challenges
The community of El Moustaghbel is chiefly concerned with issues involving health, education and child protection among others. Poor access to healthcare, lack of commitment and understanding of child protection issues, and underdeveloped education infrastructure together harms children and their families. For example, only 15 of 59 villages have any sort of school and a majority of child births go unregistered, making child protection very challenging.

Health
There are only six health centres and none have advanced medical equipment available. Just 20 per cent of residents are considered to have health coverage. Together, these two factors create a number of negative outcomes. For example, only half of all children are immunized and 25 per cent of children under 5 are underweight.

Education
Access to education is poor. Primary schools are present in just 25 per cent of area villages and secondary schools are completely absent. A handful of undertrained teachers staff these schools and only one is a woman. The lack of attention to education-related needs creates poor working conditions for teachers. This leads to high rates of teacher absenteeism which compounds the underlying problem. Among students, enrolment rates are below the national average and drop-out rates for girls are higher than among boys because of early marriage.

Child Protection
There is in general a lack of commitment to child rights and there are no systems in place at the community level for referring child protection issues to the authorities. The main obstacle for child protection is that a majority of births go unregistered. Children have no say in decision making and what participation they do have is symbolic. Unfortunately, girls are the most vulnerable and are marginalized in terms of their educational opportunities due to early marriage. They are also subject to the practice of female genital mutilation....
Plans
Health
To improve health outcomes, World Vision will:
  • Help equip health structures with medical equipment.
  • Set up nutrition rehabilitation centres and support national vaccination campaigns.
  • Help provide medical management of common childhood illnesses such as malaria and diarrhea.
  • Create programs to provide prenatal consultation and that help women give birth under medical supervision.
Education
To help children develop the skills for future economic self-empowerment, World Vision will:
  • Rehabilitate school infrastructure such as installing windows and doors, and providing benches and lunchrooms.
  • Train teaching staff on effective pedagogical models.
  • Lobby government to admit into school children who do not have civil status (e.g. birth registration).
  • Create reading camps at the community level.
Child Protection
To keep children safe and protected, World Vision will:
  • Support families to maintain their children's civil status documents such as for birth registration.
  • Strengthen community protection mechanisms by, for example, involving religious leaders in advocating for children's rights.
  • Raise awareness and sensitivity about the dangers of child marriage and the harmful effects of female genital mutilation (FGM).
  • Provide care and support for the victims of FGM.
...
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.