by Christine Eusebio

What comes to mind when we think of being poor?

Is it not having enough money? Not having the most expensive car? Or even not having the right name brand clothes? In West Africa, the definition is very simple.

The ten poorest countries in the world lie within this region of one of the largest continents on Earth. Seven nations in this area are currently troubled with political and social issues, and have been devastated by harsh climate changes. Niger is one of the most severely affected of those countries.

According to Oxford University’s poverty index, 92 percent of Niger’s population is trapped in what is called “multi-dimensional” poverty, the highest level in 109 countries studied. Niger was also ranked dead last on the UN’s 2015 Human Development Index.

To make matters worse, thanks to global warming, drought has created yet another crisis. Devastated crops have left little to eat for the 6 million people already suffering from food scarcity.

 

In Niger, many villagers cut back on meals during the “lean season”, which is a time when food stocks run low before harvest season, and the drought has extended this period. As a result, families go to bed hungry and malnourishment is rampant.

Many Nigerien mothers suffer unimaginable losses, watching as their young children starve to death. According to Save the Children, Niger has consistently been at or near the bottom of its rankings of the worst places in the world to be a mother. Many of these women wake up each day unable to feed their children.

 

By 2040, 55 million people will live in Niger, considering the difficulties feeding the present population, the situation is likely to get worse.

It doesn’t have to be this way. When a well is drilled, the people in the village have access to a safe water source, but the benefits go far beyond this. Villagers are taught drip farming techniques, and the grey water is used to water vegetable gardens that supplement nutrition in times of famine. The food that these gardens provide is just one more life-saving benefit of a safe water well.

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