How Community Cohesion Initiatives in Conflict-Hit Parts of Niger are Strengthening Ties and Shaping Dreams

In Mainé-Soroa, the arrival of internally displaced persons fleeing attacks perpetrated by non-state armed groups has affected the education sector. The primary school's reception capacity was limited, and the facility was obsolete, offering an environment to children from local communities that was not conducive to learning. In 2022, the NCCI programme renovated and equipped the primary school to improve conditions for learning and reduce the dropout rate.

Ramatou, the principal of a primary school in Mainé-Soroa, a commune from the Diffa region at the heart of the Lake Chad Basin region and at the border with Nigeria, travelled 1,200 kilometers to share her story during the forum. She recalls what it was like before when classes were held under tents which amplified the high-temperature conditions without water and protective fencing a year before, a contrast to what it is today. Now the school boasts of six classrooms built with permanent materials, a shop, a kitchen, a borehole, four streetlights, an electricity meter, and four fire extinguishers.

The school can now decently host 913 students, 475 of which are girls, many of them displaced and the refugee communities. The impact of the rehabilitation of school premises is evident on students' grades and performance, and girls' retention rate with the number of dropouts decreased.

In Tillia, a commune in the Tahoua region bordering Mali, a 607-metre-deep borehole built by the programme and covering a three-kilometer-long water network solves the population's water problems and prevents conflicts around water points, especially between herders and local communities.

Infrastructures such as access to water can improve communities' living conditions and foster peaceful coexistence and social cohesion. Prior to the rehabilitation of the water supply system, conflicts often arose at water points. A limited supply of water would see the host community sometimes deny access to the nomadic communities.

In the past, the Tillia community had to queue early in the morning to fetch the precious commodity that would be depleted later in the course of the day. Children and young girls often took on this task while their fathers looked after the livestock and their mothers looked after the house.