On the front page of Saturday’s Los Angeles Times was this: “Former students in Nigeria hunt down teachers.” Just across the border from Niger, West Africa, where Wells Bring Hope drills wells is northern Nigeria. It is the place where Boko Haram has been waging a vicious campaign against innocent people, focused on eliminating secular education, especially for girls.
The Repercussions of Violence Against Women
The implications of the violence wrought by extremist group Boko Haram to the nations surrounding Nigeria, including Chad and Niger, reach far beyond civilian casualties and displacement. It is no secret that rape is an unfortunately common weapon of war, and Niger is no exception. Sexual violence against women is part of Boko Haram’s plundering strategy, and it can provoke psychological and social trauma; women that have been raped are frequently ostracized by their families and neighbors despite it having been against their will.
Marching Towards Progress
Thousands of Niger’s people recently banded together to unite under one common cause-the protest against Boko Haram. The Islamic extremist group, ranked as the world’s deadliest terror group by the Global Terrorism Index in 2015, has continued to launch deadly raids into the country from Nigeria. People from various parts of the country gathered in the capital to support the nation’s army which is combatting the explosive issue. Those marching were not only voicing support, however; they were also voicing a plea. The nation wishes to urge other countries to step in and join the battle, one of security and displacement.
The Demand for Clean Water
West Africa has no doubt has faced some hardships obtaining water to keep their children alive as well as their families. But other parts of the continent is also facing a water crisis: South Africa.
The Lake Chad Basin
The Lake Chad Basin Commission was established in the 1960’s by four member states—Chad, Niger, Nigeria, and Cameroon–for the purpose of maintaining the ecosystem and managing the resources of the area, specifically the precious resource of water. The land in the vicinity of the lake was green and fertile, and for years, fishermen made a living off of the diverse catch they could reliably obtain from the depths.
The Niger Delta Avengers
A sizeable portion of the Nigerian population works within or near the lucrative oil drilling business that operates along the Niger Delta. Enormous, transnational corporations such as Exxon Mobil and Shell have faced widespread opposition from various players internationally given their reprehensible reputation for polluting the waters of the expansive river, which is a drinking and bathing source for many impoverished families. Some of the results of this contamination have been a concerning rise in birth defects within areas in the river’s vicinity, as well as the inability to farm and fish near the water. Moreover, the community around the delta reaps none of the profits that hugely profitable corporations such as Exxon Mobil makes; electricity, for example, is still essentially non-existent despite the fact that Exxon Mobil was the second most profitable corporation of 2014.
Malnutrition: The Latest Crisis in Niger
The United Nations has sounded an alarm over the situation and says that malnutrition among children in the country has reached the emergency threshold: 15% suffering from acute malnutrition.
The UN agency revealed that between January and April, there were more than 176,000 children suffering from severe malnutrition but only 65,000 had been treated in nutritional health facilities. The agency estimates that there are about 1.1 million children suffering from malnutrition who can be treated in the nutritional health facilities.
My Water Ritual
Every morning, I wake up and pour myself a glass of water. It’s what makes me feel refreshed before I start my day.
One morning, I pushed the button on my water cooler to fill my cup, and nothing came out. I was so used to having my morning cup of water that I almost panicked – I suddenly got a sense of urgency and needed my roommate to lift up the five-gallon barrel of water to replace the empty one that sits atop my water cooler. This event made me think about the big water issues around the world today.
The Middle Man
This month, Niger’s Foreign Minister made a rather large request of the European Union-one billion euros. This chunk of change would aid the fight to end illegal migration. As a major transit country for those fleeing tumultuous homelands, Niger inhabits an abundance of runaways. The IOM estimates up to 150,000 migrants will cross through Niger this year alone, seeking the Mediterranean Coast. Whether it’s driven by war, terrorist groups such as Boko Haram, or simply the horrendous conditions of some African nations, the EU has been presented with an explosive migration crisis.
Empowering Women to Reduce Population Growth
Total fertility rate is a measure used by demographers that quantifies the average number of children that women in a specified population tend to have. Like many African countries, Niger’s fertility rate is rather high—it is so high in fact, as to be in the top ten fastest growing countries with regards to population in the world. The total fertility rate of the nation is 7.57, meaning that Niger’s women tend to have an average of 7-8 kids each during their lifetimes.
