Niger

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment Program III (GEWEP) Midterm Study GLOBAL SYNTHESIS REPORT

Across six countries, this study examines the effect of a men’s and boys’ engagement intervention—aiming to change men’s and boys’ attitudes and behaviors around gender equality, women’s empowerment, and positive masculinities; including participants’ own masculine identity—and the state of civil society’s rights and protections, tracing improvement and erosion since 2020. Importantly, this is not an evaluation, rather this is a midterm study that comes alongside the Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment Program III (GEWEP) implemented by CARE International. Instead of evaluating this program, this study focuses narrowly on the attitudinal and behavioral impact of this model intervention for engaging men and boys. GEWEP also sought to contribute to the civil society space, and thus we conclude this study with a discussion of the unique experiences of women’s rights and women-led organizations that did and did not partner with GEWEP teams.
To generate this global report, the Research Team both drew on the six country reports which accompany this study and engaged in entirely new analyses. Analysis for this global report pooled data from all six countries, while using analytical techniques to identify where any one country unduly influenced findings at the global level. To strike this balance between common tendencies across countries, and differences between countries, this study takes care to identify and report country-specific results alongside global findings. This is especially true where we identified countries as unique outliers.
For the section on men’s engagement, the Research Team leveraged an experimental design, advanced statistical methods, and multiple sources and types of data, including a multi-country survey with 3,226 respondents, to investigate the relationship between men’s engagement, including their level of engagement (“treatment saturation”), in program activities and associated changes in their attitudes and behaviors towards women and girls, gender equality, violence against women and girls, and masculinity. Across six countries—Afghanistan, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Mali, Niger, and Rwanda—the Research Team explores common factors that influence treatment effect, positively and negatively. Read More...

Call to Action Field Implementation (CAFI) II

CAFI seeks to catalyze the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies (CTA) on the ground. The project works with women-led organizations (WLOs) to drive change and foster Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention, risk mitigation, and response in humanitarian emergencies.

In 2013, governments, donors, and humanitarian organizations launched the CTA, to fundamentally transform how GBV prevention, risk mitigation, and response are addressed. The CTA aims to strengthen accountability in policies, systems, and mechanisms.
The partnership has grown to more than 100 members, but consolidating CTA implementation in the field is a key gap that needs to be addressed. As a result, CAFI was launched to advance the Call to Action 2021- 2025 Road Map on the ground.
What are the main objectives of CAFI?
● Catalyze increased representation and leadership of women and girls, specifically WLOs, in decision making structures and humanitarian assistance
● Amplify GBV expertise: scaling existing capacity of WLOs
● Address GBV root causes and coordinate effective response and risk mitigation
How does CAFI work?
CAFI aims at contributing to WLO strengthening through capacity-sharing approaches between partners. WLOs are engaged from the beginning, allowing them to co-create and adapt the project according to their needs and contexts and ensuring
accountability and women’s voice and leadership throughout the whole project cycle.

CAFI works through a consortium of 10 WLOs across Latin America and the Caribbean, West and Central Africa, the Middle East/North Africa, and Europe, who coordinate national networks of WLOs: Arab Women Organization (AWO) of Jordan, Baghdad Women Association (BWA) in Iraq, Center Women’s Perspectives (CWP) in Ukraine, Comité des Jeunes Filles Leaders (COJEFIL) in Niger, Dynamique des Femmes Juristes (DFJ) in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Fundación
para el Desarrollo en Género y Familia (GENFAMI) in Colombia, Global Media Campaign (GMC) in Mali, Himaya Daeem Aataa (HDA) in Lebanon, and Tinta Violeta in Venezuela. In Iraq, Lebanon, and Venezuela, project activities are co-led by WEO, Sama for Development, and Uniandes, respectively. Read More...

Systems-Level Change in Niger: Women and Girls Are Better Off Today Than in 1991

Few development programs have a decades-long lifespan and impact. CARE’s Mata Masu Dubara model (MMD) has been rolled out since 1991, championing women's leadership and economic empowerment in Niger. Originally conceived as savings and credit groups, the model has evolved over the years to address women’s groups demands to have better access to public health services, improve nutrition, receive technical training and participate in civic and electoral processes, among others.

In 2023, CARE initiated a ground-breaking systems evaluation of MMD groups in Niger to explore the actual influence the groups have on women’s and girl’s voice, leadership, economic autonomy and climate justice, published in a May 2023 report. A complementary mixed-methods evaluation conducted from July to December 2023 explores the influence of MMD on women and girls’ maternal health, early and forced marriage, education and nutrition, in partnership with the Government of Niger.

Using CARE’s pathways of systems-level change, combined with qualitative and quantitative data, the study explored four dimensions of change for each one of the topics mentioned above: 1. Advocacy to influence policies and programs; 2. Changes in social norms; 3. Supporting social movements; 4. Strengthening systems and social responsibility. Today, CARE Niger serves 33,795 groups with 865,000 women and girl members. In Maradi, Zinder, Dosso and Tahoua 1,378 women and men answered a survey; 314 women and men participated in focus group discussions and individual interviews.

Are women and girls of Niger better off in 2023 than they were in 1991? Yes. While the review noted progress made towards more gender equity for girls’ education, access and use of sexual and reproductive health services and more attention paid to the welfare of pregnant and breastfeeding women, early and forced marriage still persists. Leveraging the power of MMD groups and other trusted community leaders (teachers, principals, MMD female leaders, religious leaders) to design interventions to curb early marriage would yield tremendous benefits. Indeed, early marriage robs girls of 9% of their future income.

Through MMD, women of Niger have found their voice, been elected to parliament in record numbers (over 30% in 2021), and participate in local decision making processes as town councilors and local representatives. Acting both at the program, local level and the national, influencing one, CARE, its partners and networks of MMD groups will continue to create a better, safer, more prosperous environment for Nigerien girls. (86 pages) Read More...

Endline Report: Maman Lumière III Project Project / Etude Endline: Projet Maman Lumière III

In response to the major findings and to help achieve the objectives of the State's Economic and Social Development Plan (PDES°), CARE in Niger has negotiated the third phase of the "Projet Maman Lumière III" project, whose interventions aim to break the cycle of malnutrition, particularly in contexts of recurring crises. Financed in January 2020 by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Luxembourg for a period of 48 months, the objective assigned to this project is to contribute to a substantial and sustainable reduction in malnutrition among children under 2 and women aged 15-49 in poor households in the Zinder region by December 2023. At the end of four years of project implementation, and in accordance with contractual requirements with the donor, a final evaluation is carried out to assess the performance, quality of activities carried out, results and sustainability of the project.

The methodology used for this study is based on a sample survey with two (2) sampling levels. It targets children under 5 and their mothers. In addition to quantitative data, focus groups were held to gather qualitative data from communities and groups. In all, 412 households were surveyed in 21 villages by 3 teams.
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Pour faire face à des constats majeurs et contribuer ainsi à l’atteinte des objectifs du Plan de Développement Economique et Social de l’Etat(PDES°), CARE au Niger a négocié la troisième phase du projet « Projet Maman Lumière III » dont les interventions visent à briser le cycle de la malnutrition, en particulier dans des contextes de crises récurrentes. Financé en janvier 2020 par le Ministère des Affaires Etrangères du Royaume de Luxembourg pour une durée de 48 mois, l’objectif assigné à ce projet est de contribuer à une réduction substantielle et durable de la malnutrition des enfants de moins de 2 ans et des femmes 15-49 ans des ménages pauvres de la région de Zinder d’ici décembre 2023. En effet à l’issue de quatre ans de mise en œuvre du projet et conforment aux exigences contractuelles avec le bailleur une évaluation finale est conduite pour apprécier la performance, la qualité des activités réalisées, les résultats et la durabilité du projet.

Ainsi la méthodologie utilisée pour cette étude est basée sur une enquête par sondage à deux (2) degrés d’échantillonnage. Elle cible les enfants de moins de 5 ans et leurs mères. Au-delà des données quantitatives, des focus groupes ont été animés pour recueillir de données qualitatives auprès des communautés et groupements. Au total, 412 ménages ont été enquêtés dans 21 villages par 3 équipes.
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Evaluation du Projet: Appui à l’Adaptation au changement Climatique et à Sécurité Alimentaire (PAACCSA/YANAYI)

Le Projet « Appui à l’Adaptation au changement Climatique et Sécurité Alimentaire (PAACCSA/YANAYI) » est une intervention de l’ONG CARE dans la région de Zinder sur une durée de 60 mois. Il a concerné 21 villages des communes de Gafati (Département de Mirriah), Albarkaram (Département de Damagaram Takaya) et Dakoussa (Département de Takeita) en raison de 7 villages par commune.
Le coût total du Projet est de 450 000 EURO, soit 295 180 650 FCFA.
Le Projet a trois (03) composantes à savoir : Appui à l’amélioration des stratégies, pratiques et techniques agro-sylvo-pastorales pour une adaptation réussie, Appui à l’amélioration de la planification et à l’adaptation à base communautaire (ABC) et Renforcement des capacités locales en matière de Gestion des Ressources Naturelles (GRN).
Pour évaluer le Projet, la méthodologie est le tirage aléatoire sur les producteurs, les membres des groupements et les services déconcentrés.
Après avoir obtenu la taille de l’échantillon des producteurs, elle a été repartie par localité et par sexe. Quant aux nombres des personnes à enquêter pour la collecte des données qualitatives, le nombre a été décidé lors de la réunion préparatoire mais le tirage des enquêtés était aléatoire.
S’agissant des données qualitatives, la taille de l’échantillon a été déterminée au cours de la réunion préparatoire avec l’équipe de CARE en charge de l’évaluation du Projet. Read More...

Evaluation finale du projet: Résilience et Cohésion Sociale des communautés transfrontalières du Liptako – Gourma (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger)

Le projet « Résilience et Cohésion Sociale des communautés transfrontalières du Liptako-Gourma (RECOLG) au Burkina Faso, Mali et Niger », a pour objectif global « Améliorer les conditions de vie, la résilience à l’insécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle et face aux conflits et la cohésion sociale des populations vulnérables dans 13 communes de Liptako-Gourma dont 5 au Burkina Faso, 3 au Mali et 5 au Niger. Sa mise en œuvre est assurée par un consortium composé de huit organisations nationales et internationales dont Save the Children (lead), CARE, DRC, CRUS, AREN, RBM, Tassaght et Karkara, pour une durée de 48 mois et couvre la période décembre 2019 à décembre 2023.

En fin de mise en œuvre, le dispositif de suivi-évaluation-apprentissage du projet a prévu une évaluation finale (endline), axée sur le suivi des indicateurs basée sur le cadre de mesure de performance du projet sur les quatre années d’intervention du projet afin de générer des évidences permettant de comprendre dans quelle mesure les stratégies, approches et actions mises en œuvre ont contribué ou pas à l’obtention des effets attendus et inattendus à la lumière des éléments de contexte de la zone d’intervention des trois pays.

Pour mener à bien cette évaluation finale (endline), le cabinet Ingénierie Internationale en Décentralisation et Développement local (2ID) a adopté une démarche méthodologique participative en quatre phases : (i) la phase préparatoire qui a consisté d’abord à l’élaboration du rapport de démarrage (échantillonnage, outils de collecte de données et chronogramme), ensuite à la prise en compte des feedbacks et la validation du rapport de démarrage à travers des échanges par mail. En fin une réunion de cadrage de la mission s’est tenue le 25 octobre 2023 en présentiel dans les locaux de 2ID pour repréciser les attentes du commanditaire et prendre en compte les besoins du cabinet notamment la documentation et l’établissement d’une lettre d’accréditation pour l’équipe de collecte de données sur le terrain ; (ii) la phase de collecte de données sur le terrain, faite de quatre (4) principales étapes : la mobilisation des ressources humaines, la formation des enquêteurs, la collecte des données et la supervision de la collecte des données ; (iii) la phase de traitement et analyse des données collectées et (iv) la phase de rapportage et restitution.
Read More...

Meta-Evaluation report on Social norms, performance and prediction of MMD/VSLA achievements in Niger

Niger has developed a legal and institutional framework to fight against discrimination based on gender, age, ethnic group and other factors by 2027. This strategy was developed in a context where all gender indicators are well below the sub-regional average. This strategy is complemented by the efforts of development partners, including CARE International in Niger. In its vision 2030, CARE International places gender equality at the center of its organizing principle. Promoting gender equality and social justice are political goals, which require speaking the truth to public and private actors and standing in solidarity with those who seek to challenge the status quo and the unjust distribution of rights, power and resources. Thus, since 1991, CARE has initiated in a co-learning approach through the MMD (Mata Masu Dubara) model for women empowerment and poverty reduction. Due to its widespread success, the approach became a gateway for most of CARE's and other development partners' activities and has expanded to other sectors of socio-economic development, politics and women's empowerment in Niger. Many studies and evaluations of the approach have been conducted and the results generated are diverse and rich in lessons learned. This report aims to document the rigorous effects/impacts of the MMD approach on the resilience of individuals, groups and institutions at all scales, while also identifying relevant areas where further field-level research is needed. The methodological approach is based first on a meta-evaluation of relevant documents and a complementary data collection using the outcome harvesting approach. Four major current themes were addressed. They are: women's voice and leadership, men's commitment to reducing gender inequality, climate justice, social and economic justice for women. Read More...

IMPACT OF SANCTIONS ON FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS IN NIGER Rapid Analysis Results in Tillabéry

The humanitarian situation in Niger was already urgent prior to the July 2023 political crisis and the imposition of sanctions by the international community. 4.3 million people, approximately 17% of Niger’s population, are in need of humanitarian assistance and 3.3 million people are projected to be experiencing crisis or worse levels of acute food insecurity. CARE recently conducted focus group discussions (FGD) in Tillabéry to determine how the crisis has affected food prices, livelihoods, and coping strategies for communities. Eight sex-disaggregated FGDs with 64 participants were completed at the end of August 2023 to analyze crisis impacts, especially for the most vulnerable, and to inform age, gender and disability-responsive humanitarian response in Niger.
ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT OF SANCTIONS ON FOOD SECURITY AND LIVELIHOODS:
Women and men reported facing challenges in sustaining their eating habits in the months and weeks to come, with women and girls reporting more difficulty maintaining current consumption patterns. 75% of the women’s FGDs reported that they would not be able to sustain current eating habits at all and only one all-women’s group estimated their normal food consumption to continue for only 2 weeks. All 4 men’s groups reported that they would all be able to maintain current eating habits, but only for approximately 30-90 days beyond survey time.
RISING FOOD PRICES: ⅔ of participants attributed the rise in food prices to the political crisis and subsequently imposed sanctions. Maize and rice, staple items in most household diets, are reported to have increased by 75% and 28% respectively one month after the crisis. Read More...

Inspiring Married Adolescent Girls to Imagine New Empowered Futures (IMAGINE)

Each year around the world, almost 13 million girls under the age of 20 give birth, nearly 1 million of whom are younger than 15 (1). Child marriage is a strong indicator of early birth; 90% of adolescent pregnancies in the developing world are to girls who are already married; and married adolescents are more likely to experience frequent and early pregnancies than their unmarried peers (2, 3). Adolescent girls who undergo early marriage (often defined as prior to age 18) and subsequent rapid birth are more likely to experience a host of negative physical, mental and economic outcomes, including complications during pregnancy and delivery, higher rates of maternal mortality, and poor educational and economic outcomes for both themselves and their children (2-5). Read More...

COVID-19 & Women: Saving for Resilience

The COVID-19 pandemic has not had an equal impact on women and men. Through our data we are seeing a significant increase for women in caregiving duties, household chores and gender-based violence, as well as a devastating and worsening impact on livelihood for everyone. Despite this, small glimmers of hope are where women from VSLAs are increasingly taking on leadership roles within their communities and men are beginning to engage more in household chores.

The Women (in VSLAs) Respond data includes the voices of 4,185 Village Savings & Loan Association (VSLA) members (3,266 women and girls) in Burundi, Ethiopia, Mali, Nigeria, Niger, and Uganda. This initiative sought to assess how VSLA members, both as individuals and groups, are affected by the pandemic
and how they responded and adapted to cope with the crisis. The data specifically looks at the impact on individuals and their needs, as well as how groups
have been affected, and how they have adapted. Read More...

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