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Birnin Lallé Area Program

Sponsor a child

Program Type

Community Development

Planned Life Cycle

2022 - 2034

Location

Niger

Areas of Focus

Child Protection and Participation

Program Timeline

Status: Active

Progress

99people know key child protection risks and how to properly respond or find support

Progress

50children and adults were trained on child protection, including positive parenting, children's rights and early marriage

Progress

9people participated in activities aimed at supporting child protection and ending violence against children

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

Program Details

Context

Birnin Lallé is an agricultural region in south central Niger with a population of about 42,000. The climate is very dry and rainfall has become increasingly unpredictable. The majority of residents count themselves among the Hausa, Peulhs and Tuareg people, with Islam being the dominant religion.

Livelihood centres around agriculture, animal husbandry and trade. Farmers mainly grow millet, cowpeas, sorghum and groundnuts. However, agriculture is underdeveloped due to attacks by pests and a lack of seeds that are drought resistant. Animal husbandry includes goats, cattle, poultry and donkeys. Handicraft activities are diversified and include tannery, weaving and masonry.

Birnin Lallé faces several issues. These include: high infant mortality rates and child malnutrition rates; low access to clean drinking water; inadequate education infrastructure driving drop-out rates as high as 39 per cent; and lack of awareness among parents of child rights.

Despite these challenges Birnin Lallé is positioned to make progress in the future. There is equality between the ethnic groups and inter-religious committees promote dialogue between Muslims and Christians. Several civil society organizations exist that cover issues including agricultural production and women's associations. Despite some abuse, overall children report good relations with their families and peers. Finally, school teachers show a high level of qualification—ahead of the national average.

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Challenges
Birnin Lallé's residents struggle to access clean drinking water, the lack of which leads to poor health and intestinal diseases such as diarrhea. Overall, children report having good relations with their parents, but are nonetheless subject to mistreatment in various ways. This is especially the case among girls. Early marriage is practiced and parents are generally unaware of child protection issues and rights.

Health
Health infrastructure is inadequate with no doctor or midwife available in the community. There are nine health centres but no pharmacy. Supplies of clean water are insufficient and diets are unbalanced with low nutritional value. All of these factors combine to harm children and their families. Infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and diarrhea are common, and are made worse by inadequate hygiene practices and the absence of mosquito nets. The infant mortality rate is 140 per 1,000 inhabitants, compared to 80 per 1,000 nationally. Chronic malnutrition affects 59 per cent of children, compared to 45 per cent nationally.

Education
Although there are some bright spots, the education infrastructure is similarly underdeveloped as compared to health. About 50 per cent of classrooms are held in straw hut buildings which lack the sturdiness and protection of hard-walled structures. Students have few desks and almost no textbooks. Partially due to this, the enrolment rate is low at 63 per cent while, on the other end, the drop-out rate is high at 39 per cent. Girls are especially affected with just 23 per cent completing their primary education.

Child Protection
Some 82 per cent of children are classified as living in "extreme deprivation" and 19 per cent are victims of abusive relationships. This deprivation is tied to commonly cited issues including lack of food, financial means, illiteracy and sexual mistreatment of girls. Both child marriage and forced marriage are practiced. Birth registration, which is typically a pre-requisite for good child protection in terms of access to services, is not widely carried out. There is also a general lack of awareness among parents of child rights.

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Plans
Health
To improve health outcomes among children and families, World Vision will:
  • Partner with the community to establish a Community-Led Total Sanitation project to address hygiene issues.
  • Train and equip masons to build improved and sustainable latrines.
  • Build the capacity of school management committees to care for malnourished children.
  • Train more health workers and operate programs to educate parents about nutrition.
Education
To help children develop the skills for future economic self-empowerment, World Vision will:
  • Advocate, and operate a micro-project, for the construction of more classrooms (made of final materials rather than straw).
  • Advocate for the hiring of additional qualified teachers.
  • Run a technical program designed to boost child literacy.
  • Increase the amount of locally-appropriate reading materials available to girls and boys.
Child Protection
To promote child safety and gender equality, World Vision will:
  • Build the capacity of local child protection and advocacy groups to coordinate and support children protection efforts.
  • Establish youth clubs and groups.
  • Employ the Celebrating Families Curriculum program to train parents and children on child rights.
  • Work with religious and customary leaders to raise awareness of the dangers of child marriage in order to affect behaviour change.
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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 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.