niger country plan
DESCRIPTION
Original work and design created by 10th grade DSA students as part of the 'Legacy of Imperialism' Project. www.digitalsafari.orgTRANSCRIPT
preventing a death and saving a life..
Niger,the6thpoorestcountryintheworldhasapopulationofapproximately15millionpeople.Morethanhalf
ofthetotalpopulationislivingunderadollaraday.Niamey,thecapitalofNigerlocatedneartheNigerRiverhasa
populationofabout774,915thousandpeople.TheNigerRiveristhemajorsourceofwaterforover3millionpeople
inNiger.
Nigerdoesnothaveaccesstomanycleanwatersourcesresultingincitizensconsumingpollutedwatercon-
tainingbacteriaanddiseases.Nigermostlyconsistsofwastelandduetoenvironmentalissuessuchasdeforestation,
desertification,soilerosion,andovergrazing.Manyoftheseproblemsareduetothelackofwaterforplantations.Ni-
gerlostoverhalfofitsforestduetotheongoingdroughts.AhugeamountofNiger’spopulationisseverelymalnour-
ished,statisticsshowatleast2.5millionpeoplelivinginNigerdon’thaveenoughtoeatand44%ofchildrenunder
fiveareseverelymalnourished.Thisissuehasincreasedpovertylevelsbecausewithoutcitizensbeinghealthy,there
islessproductivityinschoolandwork.Asof2007,45%ofNiger’scitizensareenrolledinschool,butonly40%are
abletocompleteit.Thepopulationofmenfinishingschoolismuchhigherthanthefemalecompletionratebecause
womenoftendon’thavetimeforschoolbecausetheyfetchwaterandcarefortheirchildren.Sincepovertyissucha
bigissueinNiger,childrenhavegonethroughchildprostitutionandlabor.Childrenarerapedandforcedtoworkin
ordertoreceivemoneyfortheirfamilies.AllofthesesevereissuesarecausedbytheextremepovertyinNiger.
InordertohelpNigerimproveandbecomeabetter,stablecommunity,ourorganizationhasimplementeda
plantohelpNigerrisefrompoverty.Inordertoaddressthisproblem,ourorganizationhastargetedonemaincause
ofpovertyinNiger,whichisitswatersources.Niger’suncleanandinaccessiblewaterhascausedmanypeoplein
Nigertobecomeunhealthy,whichultimatelyleadstounproductivityanddecreasedenrollmentinschool.Ourgoal
istocleanNiger’swaterandgivemorecitizensaccesstowatertoimprovetheirhealthandwellbeing.Wewillbe
handingoutlifestrawstopeopleinNiger,installingsolarpoweredwaterpumpsintovillagewells,andcreatingwater
purificationsystemsalongtheNigerRiver.LifeStrawsareportablewaterfiltersthatremoveimpurities,bacteria,and
chemicalsmakingdirtywatersafetodrinkwhichwillsupplyimmediaterelieftohelpNiger.Wewillalsobeinstalling
solarpoweredwaterpumpsintovillagewells.Nigerconsistsofmanywellsthroughoutvillagesbutmostwellsare
contaminatedwithdiseases.Byinstallingthesesolarpoweredpumpsthewaterwillbecleaneddailyusingenergy
fromthesunallowingsafeconsumptionforfamilieslivinginvillagesinNiamey.Lastly,wewillcreatewaterpurifica-
tionsystemsalongtheNigerRiver.Sinceabout3millionpeopleusetheNigerRiverastheirwatersource,wewill
placewaterpurificationsystemsalongtheNigerriverevery10milesaparttoallowamajorityofthepeopleaccess
tocleanwater.ThewaterpurificationsystemtakesinwaterfromtheNigerRiverandpurifiesitremovingallbacteria
andchemicaltastethroughafilterandultravioletlightdisinfectionprocess.Thenthewaterisstoredinatankwhere
citizenscanhaveaccesstoit.
ThiswillbenefitNigerbyimpactingtheenvironmentandprovidingcleanwaterforcrops,decreasingthe
amountofpeoplesufferingfromwaterbornediseases,allowingwomenandchildrenmoretimeinthedaywithout
havingtoworklonghourstogetwater,increasingenrollmentinschoolsandlessstarvation.Ourprojectwillimpact
Nigerforthebetterbypreventingadeath,andsavingalife.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Before ImperialismAbout600,000yearsago,humansbeganlivingontheSaharadesertinnorthernNiger.ThelargestgroupsinNigeraretheHausa.TheHausapeoplemakeupoverhalfofNiger’stotalpopulation.TheHausaarefarmerswholiveinthesouthernareasofthecountry.OthergroupswholivedinNigeraretheFulani,Tuareg,andtheDjerma-Songhai.IslamcultureiswidelyinfluencedandpracticedbytheHausa,Fulani,andTuareg.TheHausastatesweredominantinsouthernNigerfromtheearly10thcenturyuntiltheearly19thcenturywhenHausastateswereconqueredbyFulani.Betweenthe10thand18thcenturies,WestAfricanempires,suchastheKanem-Borno,MaliandSonghaï,flourishedhere,tradingsalt,goldandslaves.BeforethearrivalofFrenchinfluence,NigerwassaidtobeanimportanteconomiccrossroadandmanyempiressuchasGao,Mali,Songhai,Kanem,Bornu,andHausastateshadclaimedcontroloverpartsofthearea.
During ImperialismAroundthe19thcentury,EuropeanexplorerssuchastheBritishandGermansexploredthelandsearchingforthemouthoftheNigerRiver.ThefirstEuropeantoentertheareawasScottishexplorerMungoParkin1795to1805andGermanexplorersHeinrichBarthandEduardVogelin1850.TheFrenchtookpossessionofthisareaaround1890.Inthe1900s,theFrenchputeffortintoestablishingpeacewithNiger.In1922,NigerbecameaFrenchcolony.TheFrenchhadadministeredalimitedformofFrenchcitizenshipofterritoriesandthe1946Frenchconstitutionlimitedparticipationinpoliticsandprovidedthedistributionofpoweramongthepeople.TheFrenchhadremovedallvotinginequalitieswhichtookawaythepeople’srightstocreateselfgovernmentsinindividualterritoriessuchaseducationandhealth.Frenchpromotedthegrowthofachief’spowerandenforcedNigertoshiftfromfarmingtocashcrops.
OnOctober4th,1958thefifthFrenchrepublicallowedlimitedselfgovernment.OnDecember4th,electionswereheldtoseeifNigerwouldremainintheFrenchcommunity.Twopoliticalblockswereinvolvedintheelection,theNi-gerenprogressivepartyledbyHamaniDioriandtheotherblockledbyDjiboBakary.Onthe18th,NigerhaddeclareditselfarepublicwithinaFrenchcommunity.Dioriwasannouncedpresidentin1958.
THE HISTORY
After ImperialismIn1960,NigerbecameindependentfromFrance.For14years,Nigerwasrunbyelectedpresident,HamaniDiori.Dioriwassaidtohaveestablishedoneofthemoststablegov-ernmentsinAfricaduetohisfriendlyrelationshipwiththeFrench.Dioriwasabletostayinpowerthroughthe1960sandearly1970.HoweverturmoilhadstruckNigerasseveredroughtsoccurredfrom1968to1974whichresultedincivildisorderandfaminecondi-tions.Thatsameyear,DioriwasoverthrownbythearmyledbyleaderKountche.Inthelate1970’sNiger’seconomyhadgrownduetouraniumgrowthinmarkets.Afewyearsafterthiseconomicgrowth,Kountchedied,leavingSeybou,anarmychieftobepresi-dentofNiger.Aroundthe1980suraniumpriceshadcollapsedandadroughtin1983killedthousandsofpeopleinNiger.In1991,anationalconferencewasheldtoprepareanewconstitution.AnewconstitutionwasadoptedintoNigerinDecemberof1992.
In1993,NigerhelditsfirstmultipartyelectionwhereOusmaneMahamanewaselectedpresident.OusmaneMahamanehadonlybroughtcorruptiontoNigersoMahamane’sguardsassassinatedhimin1999.Inresult,TandjaMamadouwaselectedpresident.In2004,Nigerhadamajorlocustoutbreakanddroughtwhichleadtoaseverefamine.3.6millionCitizensweresufferingfrommalnutritionandpresidentTandjaclaimedthefaminetobepropagandamadeupbyopposingcountries.InthewaragainstIraqandtheU.S,NigerwassaidtobehelpingSaddamHusseinbygivinghimuraniumforhisnuclearweapons.Thisaccusationwasfalse.PresidentTandjasuspendedtheconstitu-tioninMayof2009andplannedforanewconstitution.VotersendorsedhisplanswhichgaveTandjathepowertoremaininofficefor3moreyears.
1991-Nationalconferencetoprepareconstitution
1992-NewconstitutionadoptedintoNiger
1993-Firstmulti-partyelection,OusmaneMahamaneelectedpresident
1996-Newconstitutiongivingincreasedpowers
1999-OusmaneMahamaneassassinated,MamadouTanjaelectedpresident
1999-Newconstitutionrestoringbalancebetweenexecutiveandlegislativebranch.
2001-Nigerbanshuntingtosavewildlifepopulation
2003-U.SpresidentGeorgeW.BushclaimsIraqacquireduraniumfromNiger
2004-Majorlocustoutbreakanddroughtledtoseverefamine
2005-Widespreadprotestovertaxincreaseofupto20percentforbasicgoods
2006-Unionscallnationalstriketoprotestagainsthighcostliving
2006-Aidagencieswarnofdwindlingsuppliesoffood
2009-PresidentMamdouTanjasuspendsconstitution
2009-NewconstitutionstatespresidentTanjarulesforthreemoreyears
2010-PresidentTanjaoustedinacoup,seniorarmypromisestoreturnNigertoademocracy
1804-MungoPark(Scottish)seeksourceofNigerRiver
1850-GermanexplorersseeksourceofNigerRiver
1890-FrenchoccupyNiger
1898-FrenchsignsNigerconvention
1922-NigerbecomesaFrenchColony
1946-Frenchconstitutionlimitsparticipationinpolitics
1950-Nigerisallowedinternalselfagreement
1959-Uraniumdepositsdiscovered
1960-NigerbecomesfullyindependentwithHamaniDioriasfirstpresident
1968-1973-SeveredroughtdevastatesNiger’slivestockandcropproduction
1930-Niger’seconomygrowsduetouraniumgrowthinmarkets
1974-HamaniDiorioverthrowninmilitarycoup,Kountchetakesover
1980-Uraniumpricescollapse
1983-Droughtkilledthousandsofpeople
1987-Kountchedies,Seybouassumespresidency
TIMELINE
Niger,oneofthepoorestcountriesintheworldhasbeenstrugglingeconomicallyandenvironmentally.WiththehelpoftheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals,theNigeriangovernmenthasadoptedprogramsandprojectstoim-provethecountry.Nigerhasmadethemostprogressinreducingchildmortality.NigerhasadoptedtheInstitutionalStrengtheningandHealthSectorSupportProjectwhichhasstrengthenedpublichealthprogramsandreducedchildmortality.Nigerhasmadetheleastprogressineradicatingextremepovertyandhunger.Nigerstrugglesasoneofthepoorestcountriesintheworld,buttheyhaveadoptedthepovertyreductionstrategytoimproveconditionsofthepeopleandhelpthisgoalbeachieved.Thisstrategyfocusesonthedevelopmentofruralareasandimprovingaccessforthepoortosocialservicessuchasschools,hospitals,offices,andmore.AlthoughNigerhasstruggledtoimprovethroughouttheyears,NigercontinuestoimplementprojectsandplanstobenefitthecountryandachievetheMillenniumDevelopmentGoals.
Millenium Development Goals Data Impact1. Eradicating Extreme Poverty and Hunger
A. Population below $1.25 a day (1995) 78% (2007) 66%
Positive
B. Employment to Population Ratio Ages 15-24 (2007) 51% Neutral
C. Prevalence of Malnutrition, Children under 5 years old (2000) 43.6%(2007) 39.9%
Positive
Progess being made: Nigeran Goverment has adopted the poverty reduction strategy to improve conditions of the people.
2. Achieving Universal Primary Education
A. Literacy rate of females ages 15-24 (2007) 23% Negative
B. Literacy rate of males ages 15-24 (2007) 52% Negative
C. Primary Completion rate (1990) 16%(2000) 18%(2007) 40%
Positive
Progess being made: Nigeran Goverment has adopted Basic Education Project to increase enrollment and completion in basic education programs.
3. Promoting Gender Equalitity
A. Ratio of females to males in primary and secondary education
(2007) 71% Positive
B. Ratio of females to males primary enrollment (1990) 61%(2000) 69%(2007) 75%
Positive
C. Ratio of females to males secondary enrollment (2007) 61% Neutral
No current progress is being made to reach the goal of gender equality.
Millenium Development Goals Data Impact4. Reducing Child Mortality
A. Immunization against measles Children 12-23 months (1990) 25%(1995) 40%(2007) 83%
Positive
B. Mortality rate of children under the age of 5 (per 1,000) (1990) 304(2000) 230(2007) 176
Positive
Progess being made: Nigeran Goverment has adopted Institutional Strengthening and Health Sector Support Project to strengthen major public health programs (Reproductive health, Malaria, nutrition, etc.)
5. Improving Maternal Health
A. Morality rate per 100,000 livebirths (2007) 1,800 Negative
B. Adolescent birth rate per 1,000 women ages 15-19 (2000) 218(2007) 157
Positive
C. Births attended by skilled health staff (2000) 16%(2007) 33%
Positive
Progess being made: Nigeran Goverment has adopted Institutional Strengthening and Health Sector Support Project to improve essential drugs and medical supplies.
6. Combating Disease
A. Prevalance of HIV both male and female (1990) 0.1%(2007) 0.8%
Negative
B. Incidence of tubercalosis (per 100,00 people) (1990) 125(2007) 174
Negative
Progess being made: Nigeran Goverment has adopted Multi-Sector STI/HIV/AIDS Support Project to slow the spread, expand support, and care for infected.
7. Ensuring Environmental Sustainability
A. Access to an improved water source (2006) 42% Negative
B. Improved sanitation facilities (1990) 3%(1995) 5%(2007) 7%
Negative
C. CO2 emissions( metric tons) (2005) 0.1 Positive
Progess being made: Nigeran Goverment has adopted The Community Action Program Project for the mul-tiple global environmental benefits such as reduction of vulnerability to climate change and conservation of biodiversity and agro-biodiversity.
Millenium Development Goals
Sincegainingindependencein1960,citizensofNigerhavehadfewpoliticalrights.InNiger,therearemanypredicamentswithhumanrightssuchaswomen’sissues,civilliberties,andchildren’sissues.AmajorproblemforwomeninNigeristhegrowingpopulationofwomanhavingtoundergotheprocedureofFGM,whichisremovingpartsofthefemalegenitaliaandsewingitclosed.Domesticviolenceandsocialdis-criminationagainstwomencontinuetobeaseriousproblem.AnotherissueinNigerischildlaborandprostitution.ChildprostitutionoccursofteninNigerduetopovertyandthedesireformoneyorgoods.CivillibertiesandrightsputcitizensofNigerundergovernmentalcontrolandhastakenawaysomeoftheirnaturalrights.
Children’s IssuesAserioushumanrightsissueinNigerischildprostitution.Themainreasonforthisissueispovertyandthedesireformoneyorgoods.Accordingtostatistics,approxi-mately60%ofthepopulationinNigerlivesoffadollarorlessaday.Thechildrenundergoingprostitutionareinbetweentheagessevenandfourteenandaremostlyfrompoorfamilies.InNiger,65%ofchildren,agesfivetofourteenareinvolvedinchildlabor.Childrenareforcedtoworkindifferentfieldsoflaborsuchasdomesticservices,prostitutionandcommerciallabor.Thechildrenshineshoes,workasmerchants,guardcars,andworkasstreetbeggars.Nigerhasalsobeensaidtobeamainsourceoftraf-fickingwherechildrenaresoldtoothercountriesforslavery,sexualabuse,andforcedlabor.Childrenareoftenforcedtoworkratherthanattendschoolespeciallyduringplantingseasons.Statisticsshowonly34%ofchildrenareenrolledinprimaryschooland71%ofthechildrenwereonlyabletoreachgrade5.Childrenwhohavesufferedchildlaborhavelivedwithseverepoverty,discrimination,thelackofprotection,socialexclusion,andeducationalopportunities.
Woman’s IssuesAmajorhumanrightsissueforwomenisviolence.Violenceagainstwomeniscom-monespeciallywithincouples.70%ofwomeninNigersufferfromdailybeatingsandrapefromtheirhusbands,fathers,orbrothers.Womendohavetherighttoreportphysicalabuseandviolencetoofficialcourtsbutverylittledobecausetheirfearofbeingadisgracetosociety.AnotherissueforwomenisFGM,whichstandsforFemaleGenitalMutilation.FemaleGenitalMutilationistheprocessofremovingallorpartoftheclitoris.Thisprocedurewaskepthiddenuntil1987.Thisprocedurekeptfemalesfromhavingsexualintercourseandcausedwomentostayavirginuntilmarriage.Af-tertheprocedurewasdone,thevaginaonlyconsistedoftwosmallopeningsforurineandthemenstrualcycle.Reportsshowthatonlyabout2.2%offemalesbetweentheagesoffifteenandfortyninehavehadthisproceduredonesince2006comparedto5.8%in1998.MostwomeninNigerdonotworkalthoughtheyhavetherighttowork;onlyfewerthan7%ofwomendo.Mostwomendonotworkbecauseoftheirhealthandtheneedtocarefortheirchildren.Womenwhoworkedwouldhelpinfarming,childcareandwatergathering.
Civil LibertiesLastly,anotherhumanrightsissueiscivilliberties.Althoughcitizenshavesomerightstheyarestillundergovernmentalcontrol.Thegovernmentallowswomentherighttobuyandsellland,butmostwomendon’thaveaccesstoanyland.MostofthelandinNigerisdryanddesert,sothegoodfertilelandthat’sleftisusuallyownedbythemen.Nigerallowsfreedomofreligion.ThemostdominantreligioninNigerisIslam.Nigercitizenshavefreedomofassemblyaccordingtotheirconstitutionof1999,butthegovernmentplacesrestrictionsongatheringsinvolvingpolitics.Nigeropposesfree-domofpressandthegovernmenthastriedtoconstrainit,butthroughouttheyearsnewspapersandtheradiohaveprospered.Radiohasbecomeanimportantpubliccommunication.
HUMAN RIGHTS
ManycountriesinAfricadealwithenvironmentalissues,butonecountryinparticularissufferingfromseveredamagetoitsenvironment.InthecountryofNiger,therearemanyenvironmentalissuesoccurring.MostoftheseissuesareduetoNigerbeingdependentonfarmingasthebackboneoftheireconomy.AsNiger’spopulationincreases,forestlandshavebeendecreasing.Statisticsindicatebetweentheyearsof1990and2005,Nigerhaslostalmosthalfofitsforest.Nigeriscurrentlysufferingfromovergrazing,soilerosion,deforestation,desertification,andthreatstoitswildlifepopulations.Overgrazingiswhereplantsarefeduponbyanimalsforalongperiodoftimewithoutatimeofpausetore-grow,mainlycausedbytoomanyanimalsinasmallarea.Soilerosionisthewashingawayorremovalofsoilbytheflowofwaterorstrongwinds.Deforestationistheprocessofclearingorremovingforestlandsforfarmingpurposesanddesertificationisthechangefromhabitablelandtodrydesertlandscausedbysevereclimatechange.
Causes of Environmental IssuesInNiger,forestedlandsaresufferingfromdesertificationandsoilerosion.Desertificationis40-60%causedbyhumanactivitiessuchasabusetolandbycultivationorurbanization,severedroughtsorrainfall,andovergrazing.SoilerosionismainlycausedbystrongwindsduringdrywinterseasonsinNiger.Thesestrongwinds,calledHarmattanalsocon-tributetothecauseofdesertificationandovergrazedland.OneofNiger’sbiggestenvironmentalissuesisDeforesta-tion.Theaverageannualdeforestationrateis3.17%.Betweentheyearsof1990and2005,Nigerhaslost34.9%ofitsforestlandsduetodeforestation.DeforestationisbecomingahugeproblemforNigerbecauseitiscausedbyhumanactivitiessuchastheneedforlandtofarm,andasthepopulationgrowthinNigerincreases,thedeforestationalsoincreasesanddestroystheforestsandtrees.Asthepopulationgrowthcontinuestoincrease,thedemandsforforestgoodsandfoodalsoincreasescausingfarmerstoremovemoreforestland.DeforestationisalsoahugecauseofdesertificationbecauseclearingNiger’sforestlandsleavesmoredrydesertedlands.
Species of Animals and PlantsNigerhasapopulationof684speciesofanimals,approximately40ofthembeingendangered.Thereare131mam-mals,493birds,and58reptiles.Therearealso1,460differenttypesofplants.InNigertherearemanyendangeredspeciessuchastheaddax,damagazelle,slenderhornedgazelle,andwilddogsbutthemostendangeredspeciesaretheNigergiraffes.Duetoseveredroughts,habitatloss,farmlandconversions,foodscarcity,andhunting,giraffepopu-lationsinNigerhavedramaticallydeclined.Tenyearsago,giraffeshadapopulationof140,000butithasdramaticallydecreasedto100,000duetopoachinganddesertification.Accordingtostatisticstoday,itissaidthatgiraffesaremak-ingacomebackandpopulationshavebeenexpanding12%eachyear.
Water Quality in NigerDeathratesareincreasinginNigerduetopoorhygieneandsanitation.InNiger,havingaccesstosafedrinkingwaterisnearlyimpossible.Lessthan45%ofNiger’spopulationhasaccesstoacleanwatersource.Everyday,womenandchildrenstruggletofindcleanwaterfortheirfamiliestodrink.Whenwomenorchildrendohaveaccesstoawa-tersourcesuchaspondsorlakes,thewaterisoftencontaminatedandcontainwaterbornediseases.Waterbornediseaseshavekilledover20%ofchildrenbelowtheageoffive.Since1970,Nigerhasexperiencedseveredroughtsthathaveaffectedwaterresources.TheNigerRiver,whichisthemainwatersourceforthepeoplehasbeengreatlyaffectedbytheseveredroughtscausingtheannualinflowtodecreaseby30%since1970.
ENVIRONMENTAL STATUS
RESOURCE MAP
ThecountryofNigerisknownasoneofthepoorestcountriesintheworldwithmorethanhalfofitspopulationlivingunderadollaraday.Nigersuffersfromissuesregardingtheenvironment,women’srights,children’srights,education,anddiseases.AlloftheseissuesarecausedandperpetuatedbytheextremelyhighpovertyoccurringinNiger.PovertyhasseverelydestroyedNiger’senvironment.Nigersuffersfromdeforestationduetofarmersneedinglandtoharvestfoodwhichhasleftoverhalfofthecountryaswasteland.DuetotheenvironmentalissuesNigerexperiences,acleanwatersourceisverydifficulttofind.ThewaterinNigerisusuallycontaminatedandhascauseddiseaseswhichledtomanydeathsofchildren.Povertyhashighlyaffectedbothwomenandchildren.Womenareun-abletogotoschoolduetotheneedtocarefortheirchildrenandsocialdiscrimination.Aseriousissueduetopovertyandthedesireformoneyorgoodsischildprostitutionandchildlabor.Thesetwoissueshavealsolimitedchildren’sopportunitiesineducation.PeopleofNigerhavelittleaccesstoschoolsandashortageofteachers.Allofthesesevereissuesarecausedbypovertyandcontinuetoincreasebecauseofthecycleofpeoplebeingmalnourished,makingpeoplelessproductiveandtheeconomycontinuingtodecrease.InordertohelpNigerbecomeabettercommunity,Nigerneedstoincreasefinanciallytocreateastableenvironmentforallcitizens.Ifpovertylevelsdecrease,alloftheseissuesbecomelesssevereandhelpthecommunityasawholetoliveinabetter,morestableenvironment.
Poverty effects on Women63%ofNiger’spopulationlivesbelowthepovertylevel,withwomenbeingtwo-thirdsofthispopulation.DuetotheseverepovertyinNiger,womenareunabletogotoschoolbecauseofthesocialdiscriminationoccurring.Accordingtostatistics,menaremorelikelytocompletetheireducationthanwomenbecausewomengetmarriedattheearlyageof15andneedtocarefortheirchildren.Only15%ofwomenareabletoreadandwritecomparedto43%ofmen.PovertyhascausedwomentocontractdiseasessuchasHIVandAIDSduetounsanitizedtoolsusedintheprocedureoffemalegenitalmutilation.Mostwomenaremalnourishedandhavesufferedfromwa-terbornediseases.IfNiger’seconomygrew,womencouldfinallyattendschoolsandhaveaneducationandthepopulationofwomenbattlingdiseasescoulddecreaserapidlyleadingtolessdeaths.
Poverty effects on the EnvironmentNiger’senvironmentsuffersfrommanysevereproblemssuchasovergrazing,soilerosion,deforestation,anddesertification.Mostoftheseproblemsarecausedbyhumanactivitiessuchasfarmingandabusestolandbycultivationandurbanization.Betweentheyearsof1990and2005,Nigerhaslost34.9%ofitsforestcover.Duetopoverty,farmershavebeenclearingforestlandinordertoharvestgoodstosell.MorethanhalfofNigeriswastelandbecauseofthedrydesertedareathathadbeenclearedaway.Droughtsandsevereclimatechangehavealsocausedtheselandstodryup.MostofNiger’spopulationlivesinSouthernNigerbecauseithasfewtrees,amarketplace,andariver.ThispopulationgrowthinthecapitalofNiameyhascausedmoredeforestationtooccurslowlyturningtheeconomyworsethanithadbeen.Iftheeconomygrew,Niger’senvironmentcouldmakeadrasticrecovery.Forestcoverandplanta-tionscouldslowlyriseagainandfoodproductioncouldincreaseleavingfewercitizensstarvingandmalnourished.Statisticsshowatleast2.5millionpeopledon’thaveenoughtoeatand80,000childrenareatriskofbecomingseverelymalnourishedinNiger.
Poverty effects on ChildrenDuetopoverty,childrenhavesufferedinordertogetmoney.ChildtraffickingandprostitutioniscommoninNiger.Childrenhavealsoundergoneothertypesofchildlaborsuchasshiningshoes,guardingcars,andworkingasstreetbeggars.Childrenarealsoforcedtoworkincommerciallabor,prostitution,anddomesticservices.Povertyhasdrivenchildrentobephysicallyandemotionallybeaten.Childrenareoftenforcedtoworkratherthanattendschool,somostchildrenarenoteducated.IfNiger’seconomygrew,childrencouldleavethislifestyleandgobacktoschooltoeducatethemselves.Thiscouldincreasetheenrollmentinschoolsandcompletionrates.
Poverty effects on education EducationinNigerisverypoor.Nigerissaidtohaveoneofthelowestliteracyratesintheworld.Mostwomenandchildrenarenotbeingeducatedduetotheeffectsofpoverty.Mostcitizenswhocompleteschoolaremen.Nigercitizenshavepooraccesstoschoolsandashortageofteachersduetolackofmoney.Statisticsshowsonly29%ofprimaryschool-agechildrenobtainaneducation.Manychildrenandwomendonotattendschoolbecausetheyaresufferingfromdiseasestheirbodycan’tfightoffwhichmakesthemveryweak.IfNiger’seconomygrewtherecouldpossiblybebettersupplies,abetterschoolenvironment,andmoreteachersteaching.Morecitizenswouldbeeducatedabouttheirrightsandpossiblyhelpthecountrybyusingtheirknowledge.
Poverty effects on diseasesInNiger,therearemanydiseasesthatarekillingpeopleeveryday.In2006,thereweresaidtobe614casesofmeningococcaldiseaseand44deaths.InNiger,meningococcalwascausedbydustyweatherconditions,closecontactwithpeople,andthelackofsanitation.AlmostaquarterofNigercitizenssufferfromthedisease,bilharzias.Bilharziasarecausedbybathinginwatercontaminatedwithurine.13.4millionpeopleinNigersufferfromschistosomiasis,aparasiticskininfection.Thisdiseasewascausedbypoorsanitation,housing,andwatersupply.TheriskofbeinginfectedbyadiseaseinNigerisveryhighsincemostdiseasesarespreadablethroughcontact.ThereisahighpopulationofmalnourishmentinNiger.Whenthebodyismalnourished,itcan’tfightdiseases,whichmakethebodysickerandlessproductive.Thisisthemainreasonchildrenorwomendon’tgotoschoolorwork,becausetheirbodyistooexhaustedandweakfromdiseases.HospitalsinNigerarenotveryeffectiveattreatingallthediseases.Therefore,iftheeconomygrows,Nigercouldbuildahospitalwithprofessionaldoctorsabletohelppeoplediagnosedwithdiseases.ThiscouldhelppreventdiseasesfromspreadinganddecreasethedeathrateinNiger.
DESCRIPTION OF NEED
Where to beginThecapitalofNigerisNiamey,locatedsouthneartheNigerRiver.MostofNiger’spopulationlivesinNiameyorsurroundingvillagesbecausetheNigerRiveristheonlywatersourcetheyhaveaccessto.Ourprojectbeginshere,wherewewillgiveoutlifestrawsandinstallthesolarpoweredwaterpumpsinthewellsofthevillages.Fellowciti-zenslivinginNiameywillbeabletoaccesscleanwaterwithouthavingtowalkfarandspending3hoursworkingtogetthewater.
The Life StrawThelifestrawisaportablewaterpurificationtoolthatcleanssurfacewatersoitissafeforpeopletodrink.Thelifestrawisaplasticpipefilterthatremovesimpurities,chemicals,andbacteriathatcouldcausewaterbornediseases.InthecountryofNiger,manypeopleneedtotravelfardistancestofindacleanwatersource.ByprovidingeachcitizenwithaLifestraw,peoplecouldeasilyaccesscleanwaterwherevertheygo.Nigerhasmanywellsfilledwithdirtycontaminatedwater;byusingthelifestrawcitizenscouldeasilydrinkfromwellsclosetothevillageordrinkfromthebiggestwatersource,theNigerriver.Thelifestrawisasimpledevicethatanyonecoulduse,everyday.Itislowcostandresearchshowsitcleans99.999%ofwaterbornebacteriaand98%ofwaterborneviruses.Providingcitizenswithalifestrawwillsupplyimmediatereliefandaccesstocleandrinkingwater.ThelifestrawwillsupportNigercitizensforaboutayearwhiletheconstructionofsolarpoweredwaterpumpsarebeingmade,givingthemmoreaccesstowater.
Solar powered water pumpsSolarpoweredwaterpumpsareusedforpumpingwaterfordrinkingwater,livestock,cropirrigationandwatersup-ply.ThegoalofthisprojectistoensurethatNigerfamiliesareabletoaccesscleanwaterwithouthavingtowalklongdistancesorworking3hoursinordertogetwaterfromthewellmanually.Byinstallingsolarpoweredwaterpumps,Nigerwellswillautomaticallypumpcleanwaterfromthebottomofthewellsuptothetopinorderforwomenandchildrentoeasilyscoopouttheamountofwatertheyneed.Thiswaterpumpissolarpowered,itworksusingenergyfromthesun.Nigerweatherconsistsofsunandcloudsdailywhichwillallowthesewaterpumpstowork.TherearenotmanywellsinthevillagesofNigerwewillbuildmoreinsurroundingvillagestoensurethatthewholecommuni-tywillbebenefitted.Bydiggingboreholeswewillbeabletocreatemorewells.InstallingthesesolarpoweredwaterpumpsintovillagewellswillsupplyimmediaterelieftoNigerciviliansbyprovidingcleanwaterineveryvillagepos-sibleandtoeveryfamilypossible.ThisprojectwillbeputintoactionbyprovidingNigerwiththesolarwaterpumps,whichareeasytoinstallanduse.Wewillinstallsolarpoweredwaterpumpsintovillagestosupportanestimatedpopulationof774thousandcitizenslivinginNiamey.
Water Purification MachineThesolarpoweredwaterpumpswillgivevillagersaccesstocleanwater,butpeoplelivingalongtheNigerriverwon’tbenefitasmuch.ByinstallingwaterpurificationmachinessuchastheVillager,neartheNigerRiver,morepeoplecanhaveaccesstocleanwater.Thewaterpurificationmachineisputnearawatersource,whereitthensucksupthewaterandrunsitthroughafilterandultravioletlightdisinfectionprocess.Thecarbonblockfiltrationremovesdirtytastesandodors,sothewatercouldbecleanandsafetodrink.Thenthewateristransportedbackintoatankthatpeoplecangetwaterfrom.Thewaterpurificationmachineisasimplefiltrationmachinepoweredbyasolarpanel.Itisabletopumpwater12gallonsaminutewhichcanprovideforfamiliesandfarming.SeveralwillbesetupalongtheNigerRivertosupportthepopulationofapproximatelythreemillionpeoplewhousetheNigerRiverastheirwatersource.
DuetotheseverepovertycrisisoccurringinNiger,im-mediatereliefisneeded.OnemainissuethatcontributestothisconflictisthelackofcleanwaterinNiger.WehaveproposedaplanthatwillprovideimmediatereliefandlongtermpositiveeffectstohelpNigerrecoverfromthesevereeffectspovertyhascaused.Inordertohelppoverty,wehavecreatedaplanthatwillimprovetheamountofcleanwatersourcesandavailabilityinNiger.Tosupplyimmediaterelief,wewillgotoeveryvillageandgiveasmanycitizensalifestraw,whichwillallowthemtohaveaccesstocleanwaterwhereverawatersourceisfound.Thelifestrawisaportablewaterfilterthatwilllastapproximatelyayear.Duringthatyearwewillalsobeinstallingsolarpoweredwaterpumpsinlocalwellstoalloweveryvillageaccesstosafedrinkingwaterformanyyears.Althoughvillageswillhaveaccesstocleanwater,citizenslivingalongtheNigerriverwon’t.WewilltheninstallawaterpurificationmachinealongtheNigerRiverthattakesinwaterandpurifiesitwithoutusingelectricity,whichwillhelppeoplelivingalongtheriverwhodon’thaveaccesstovillagewells.ThecreationoftheseprojectswillbenefitallofNiger’scitizensbypro-vidingcleanerwatertosavetime,labor,health,andtheenvironment.ManyvillagesinNigerdonothaveaccesstoacleanwatersourcewhichhascausedmanywater-bornediseasesanddeathsatayoungage.Children,whofetchwaterfortheirfamiliesmusttravelfartolocalwells,andthishascausedchildrentoworkmorethantheygotoschool.Manychildrenarenotabletogotoschoolbecausetheyareeithertoosickfromthecontaminatedwaterortoobusyspendinghoursfetchingwaterfortheirfamilies.Duetothelackofwaterforfarming,Niger’senvironmenthasbeenfromsufferingdeforesta-tion,overgrazing,desertification,andsoilerosion.
PROJECT PROPOSAL
Byprovidingeverycitizenwithalifestraw,installingsolarpoweredwaterpumpsintovillagewellsandplacingwaterpurificationmachinesneartheNigerRiver,ourgroupwillimpactthedailylivesofNigercitizensbyprovidingNigerwithcleanaccessiblewater.Thiswillbenefittheenvironmentbyincreasingcropplantationsandfarmingbyprovid-ingcleanwaterforgoodfertilelandandplantstogrow.Duringrainyseasons,plantationinNigerincreases,butNigerissufferingseveredroughtswhichhaveeffectedplantgrowth.Theconditionsofthelandisverydry,butprovidingcleanwaterwillresultinmoremoistureinthelandforplantationstogrow,increasingforestcoverinNiger.Womenandchildrenwillnolongerhavetotravelfartogatherwaterfortheirfamilies.Thiswillsavetimeandworkfortheciti-zensofNigerandgivethemmoretimeforeducationandjobs,increasingannualincomeandenrollmentinschools.Havingcleanerwaterwilldecreasethepopulationofcitizenssufferingwaterbornediseasesultimatelyleadingtoadecreaseinthedeathrate.Ourprojectswillhelppurifythewatersotherewillbelesspeoplesufferingfromdiseasesandlesspeopledyingbecauseofthem.
AlthoughtherearemanypositiveimpactsourprojectshaveonthecountryofNiger,therearenegativeonesaswell.Someofthenegativeimpactsourprojectscanresultinaredirtbuildup.Ifourpumps,pipesorfiltersarenotcleanedonaregularbasis,dirtwillbuildupinthemandpossiblycontaminatethewatermakingitnotuseable.Also,ifbymistake,thefilters,pipesorpumpsarenotputtogethercorrectly,theycouldfaillateronandstopcleaningthewaterwhichcouldleadtomorewaterbornediseases.Peoplecouldthinkthewateriscleananddrinkmoreoften,givingthemahigherriskofdisease.Wewillmakesuretousethebest,mostdurablepipes,pumpsandfilterssothisdoesn’thappen,andwewillmakesurewemaintaineverythingcleansonothinggoeswrong.
Positives Negatives
•Villagerscanaccesscleanwatereasily.
•Impactsenvironmentbyprovidingcleanwaterforcrops
•Lesswaterbornediseases
•Womenandchildrenspendlesstimegatheringwaterfortheirfamiliesandwillhavemoreproduc-tivetimeforschool
•Thefiltercouldfailaddingtothediseasesinsteadofreduc-ingthem
•Thefilterswillhavesomesortofbuildupanditcouldpileupwithoutpropercleaningonaregularbasis.
•Lifestrawscanincreaseconsumptionofcontaminatedwateriffiltersarenotstrongenoughtoremovebacteriaanddiseases.
IMPACT ANALYSIS
Short Term: The Life Straw
August2010:-Presentourplanwithorganizationmembersanddiscussitsbenefits.-MeetingwithorganizationmemberstodiscusstheamountofLifeStrawsweneedandpurchasethem.
September2010:-BeginvisitingvillagesandeducatingpeopleonthepurposeoftheLifeStrawandhowtouseitproperly.-DistributeLifeStrawstoeverycitizenofNiger
Long Term: Solar Power Water Pumps
September2010:-Meetingwithorganizationmemberstodiscussthelocationsofvillagesinneedofwellsandplacementofwaterpumps.-Purchasealltheneededmaterials;solarpumps,solarpanels,pipingandwatertanks.
October2010:-Installsolarpanelsandattachthemtopumpsthroughpipingunderground.
January2011:-Installfiltrationsystemsintowatertankslocatedundergroundinpipes.
March2011:-Testwatersupplyandpurificationresults.-Oncetestedclean,allowcitizensaccesstowells.-Collectdataoneffectivenessofhavingsolarpoweredwaterpumps
June2011:-Buildmorewellsinvillagesinneed.
Long Term: The Water Purification Machine
June2011-Meetingwithorganizationmemberstodiscusstheplacementofthemachineandpurchase.
July2011-PlacewaterpurificationmachinesnearNigerRiver,oneevery10miles.-TestoutforeffectiveresultsofpurificationoftheNigerRiver.
PROJECT IMPLEMENTATION