Water Access Can Reduce Violence

By Will Beeker Access to clean drinking water in Niger provides numerous benefits, one of which is a reduction in violence in its many forms. Studies have shown a connection between water scarcity and violence in the Sahel region of Africa, but also anywhere there is limited access to clean water. Even small variability in… Read more »

Artificial Rain Could Create a Silver Lining

By Will Beeker Source: Wells Bring Hope Despite heavy rains and flooding this fall, ongoing drought continues to pose a problem for Niger, especially late in its dry season. Niger often deals with periods of drought, but the country’s southeast is currently experiencing its lowest rainfall in 30 years, exacerbating food shortages. In August 2022,… Read more »

Finding Hope for Wildlife Conservation in Niger

By Kayla Ruff While Niger provides habitat for some of Africa’s most notable wildlife species, such as the hippopotamus and Nile crocodile, the country is also home to many lesser-known yet critically endangered species. It’s clear Niger’s rare desert species are in dire straits: Only about 100 addax desert antelope are left in the wild,… Read more »

4 Easy Ways to Help Niger

By Vasti Carrion Source: Max R – ooyooy 1. Read One way to help Niger, the world’s least developed country, is to read news about the current affairs of the country. In Niger, “more than 10 million people (41.8% of the population) were living in extreme poverty in 2021” according to worldbank.org. Our awareness of… Read more »

Local Nigeriens Collaborate with Refugees in Ouallam

By Amber Persson When the sun breaks, the people of Ouallam, a refugee camp in Southwestern Niger, are already up and beginning their long days of working in a brickyard, garden, or another trade. They are 6,000 of the nearly 270,000 refugees from Nigeria, Mali, and Burkina Faso that have flooded into Niger to escape… Read more »

Green Hydrogen : New Frontier, Old Questions

By Will Beeker Source: DLR In July, German energy investment firm Emerging Energy Corp (EEC) announced it is seeking a partner to help determine the feasibility of commercially developing “green hydrogen” in Niger. Because of its extreme flammability, hydrogen can be a challenging fuel source, but its value is predicted to rise in coming years… Read more »

Curious How “Niger” Got Its Name?

By Vasti Carrion Place names serve obvious practical purposes – they literally put us on the map, telling others who and where we are. Names also help form our identities, hold our histories, and often communicate something about how and why we got here. This is particularly true for countries like Niger, which have been… Read more »

Tuareg Guitar Sensation Mdou Moctar Partners with Wells Bring Hope

By Ankita Taneja The most innovative artist in contemporary Saharan music, Mdou Moctar, is a Nigerien musician with an international reputation. He has gained immense popularity and love for his modern adaptations of Tuareg guitar music and his songs of revolution. We are excited to announce a new partnership with Mdou Moctar and his band!… Read more »

Niger Eradicates River Blindness

By Adhithi Sreenivasan Niger has recently made great strides in the realm of public health by becoming the first African nation to eliminate river blindness. River blindness is a disease that has plagued West African nations and other regions throughout the continent. Known formally as Onchocerciasis, the ailment is the result of a parasitic worm,… Read more »

How Niger’s Agricultural Industry Is Fighting Back Against Climate Change

By Amber Nicolai Source: Stephan Gladieu / World Bank Over 80% of Nigeriens depend on agriculture for their livelihood—a livelihood that is being severely threatened by climate change. An arid country to begin with, Niger is far from ideal for raising crops or livestock. And now it’s facing the additional challenges that climate change brings… Read more »