The
vast landlocked West African country of Niger faces an increasing
demand upon its scarce water resources, the lack of which -
when added to poor sanitation and hygiene - results in high
levels of death and disease among its 13 million inhabitants.
Many of them subsist on less than a dollar a day following traditional
farming and livestock rearing in this harsh and uncompromising
climate.
Niger is one of the countries that form the Sahel Region which
has seen recurring drought, food insecurity, and increased desertification
over the last 30 years, a result - at least partly - of global
climate change and overuse of scant natural resources.
During the last two years, food insecurity and drought reached
abnormally high levels, prompting a response from the international
community and an intensive food security operation undertaken
by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent
Societies.
The International Federation provided food, livelihood inputs,
health and logistics support to the Niger Red Cross Society
to avert a greater disaster, reducing death and disease and
restoring dignity to the most affected communities.
As the situation stabilised, the medium to longer term needs
of those affected were considered and a very important water,
sanitation and hygiene promotion programme was established.
This was part of the International Federation’s ten-year
Global Water and Sanitation Initiative (GWSI), which aims to
contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development
Goals by scaling-up existing capacities.
More than 250,000 people in some of Niger’s poorest communities
will benefit from this project, supported by the Qatar Red Crescent
Society and implemented by the Niger Red Cross and an International
Federation technical support team based in Niger and Senegal.
The Niger project joins 15 other large-scale water, sanitation
and hygiene promotion projects being established by the Federation
Global Water and Sanitation Initiative in some of the poorest
countries in the Caribbean, Africa and Asia - with the objective
of improving the lives of more than five million people by 2015.
The particular challenge in Niger is to ensure that the project
will not increase desertification – but carefully use
existing resources wisely and to their best advantage –
while increasing sustainability at community level, with full
Government participation, and contributing at the same time
to further capacity building within the Niger Red Cross Society.
Existing water points should be rehabilitated, this to ensure
that already established water sources are used as much as possible
– preserving unused sources for the future. Only where
there are no other options should new water sources be developed.
Appropriate and simple technologies will be used, so that communities
can operate and maintain water supplies at village level, and
at low and affordable costs.
Community buy-in and participation will be maximised –
a ‘felt need’ among the population is a prerequisite
to intervention. A special focus on behavioural change and hygiene
promotion has as much importance as the engineering and construction
aspects.
Also, there is a need for school latrines to convince children
to change their hygiene habits, and to integrate parents and
pupils in the construction and maintenance of the latrines.
As the project develops and its benefits become apparent, the
ever-present threat of cholera, which is endemic in Niger –
and numbers of deaths and disease cases, especially among young
children – will also be reduced significantly.
The first results show that after sensitization within communities,
no cholera cases have been reported in the Maggia Valley, where
the disease usually occurs every year.
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The
vast landlocked West African country of Niger faces an
increasing demand upon its scarce water resources, the
lack of which - when added to poor sanitation and hygiene
- results in high levels of death and disease among its
13 million inhabitants. (p15507)
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As
the situation stabilised, the medium to longer term needs
of those affected were considered and a very important
water, sanitation and hygiene promotion programme was
established. (p15510)
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|
|
 |
|
|
Existing
water points should be rehabilitated, this to ensure that
already established water sources are used as much as
possible – preserving unused sources for the future.
(p15509)
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Appropriate
and simple technologies will be used, so that communities
can operate and maintain water supplies at village level,
and at low and affordable costs. (p15508)
|
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