Tag Archives: Caritas Niger

Caritas Niger: « Nous, enfants réfugiés avons aussi le droit à l’école. »

Par Souleymane Galadima, Caritas Niger

Abdoullatif Ahmed a 17 ans, il fait partie des  cinq mille réfugiés maliens accueillis sur le site de « Tabareybarey » un camp situé à dans la région de Tillabéry au Niger.

« Je me suis enfui de mon village Tamakkaza à Gao en mai 2012 avec mes parents, pour échapper aux attaques des rebelles au Mali. Je devrais finir la classe de quatrième en temps normal, mais avec les déplacements et cette guerre, j’ai passé  une année blanche. Comme tous mes camarades de fortune, nous  passions nos journées à errer dans le camp sans rien faire d’utile ».

Le jeune Abdoulatif, très soucieux de son avenir, est  aujourd’hui  heureux de pouvoir accéder au collège de la commune, et ainsi de poursuivre  ses études. Une approche coordonnée avec plusieurs  organisations humanitaires,  permet aux enfants des refugiés de poursuivre leur scolarité au niveau primaire et au secondaire.

« Nous avions des ballons et autres jouets pour nous divertir un peu. Mais maintenant nous monter sous l’encadrement des partenaires des pièces de théâtre pendant les soirées ; cela égayerai certainement ce vaste site » ajouta t-il avec un grand sourire.

Le Niger compte actuellement  plus de cinquante mille refugiés malien. L’Effort de l’Eglise Catholique au Niger en faveur des réfugiés maliens se matérialise a travers le réseau Caritas Internationalis qui finance des activités pour assurer la prise en charge alimentaire et sanitaire des déplace ainsi que la fourniture d’article non vivres

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Filed under Emergencies, Français, West Africa Sahel

Helping Niger prepare for food crisis

A woman waters plants in a CRS dry season market garden in Jougola, Dogondoutchi district, in the Dosso region of Niger. Photo by Tahirou Gouro/CRS

By Helen Blakesley

“It takes a trained eye to see when someone is poorer than poor in Niger. People are living in a harsh environment, it’s a semi-desert, many households can seem badly off at the best of times. But this year, I noticed a change,” said Jean-Marie Adrian, Catholic Relief Services regional director for West Africa (CRS is a Caritas member working in Niger with partners such as Caritas Niger/CADEV).

“A very simple thing struck me. Usually, during the dry season, people weave straw together to make new granaries or they repair the holes in their old ones. But as I drove past villages this time, I saw very few of these new circular constructions. Many had collapsed, with no effort to repair them … because there had been no harvest that needed storing”. Continue reading

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Filed under Emergencies, West Africa Sahel

Mali refugees in Niger need clean water

Malian women who have come to Niger as refugees, attend a meeting in Tiguizefane, Abala district, Niger. Photo by Jean-Philippe Debus /CRS

By Helen Blakesley and Caritas Internationalis staff

American Caritas member Catholic Relief Services, Caritas Niger (SECADEV) and its partners are mobilising emergency water, hygiene and sanitation facilities to meet the urgent needs of thousands of Malian refugees in neighbouring Niger.

Fighting in northern Mali between the army and a rebel group has forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes. Nearly half have stayed in Mali, and the others have crossed borders seeking refuge in neighbouring countries.

According to the United Nations, around 25,000 people have crossed into Niger since the end of January—two-thirds of them Malian refugees and a third, Nigeriens. An estimated 500 people are arriving every day.

Most of the refugees are living in open-air shelters made of blankets stretched over sticks. They face extreme temperatures—the heat of the day and then cold at night—in the Sahelien desert zone.

Many came on foot, leaving behind most of their belongings. Some refugees say that they lost contact with their older children as they fled. They don’t know where they are and have no way of contacting them. Continue reading

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Filed under Emergencies, West Africa Sahel