Niger, on the edge of the Sahara desert, is one of the least developed nations in the world, ranked as the second lowest on the Human Development Index (UNDP, 2016).
In 51 villages of the municipalities of Soucoucoutane and Dogonkiria, in the southwest of Niger, more than 1.000 women took part in the activities organized to improve their living conditions through food security projects.
Small steps that bring great profit:Â learning construction methods that reduce heat loss when cooking means women and children can spend less hours looking for wood which they use for the preparation of meals; agricultural kits – small tools and vegetable seeds – ensures a handful of vegetables every day to use in preparing food.
But the project has not only provided these useful substrates. The beneficiaries have been supported in the cultivation of okra and moringa and in the processing of peanuts, thanks to the installation of four mills and a management fund of the micro business.
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The involvement of women is of great importance for achieving the project’s goals. Not only because women are mainly responsible for their family’s nutrition, but also because of their ability to disseminate messages and invovle the various communities.
