Pictures are for an article/press release by the press team (Cornelia Derichsweiler):
The subject of the article is the work of the health worker, Aida SOUMANA HAMANI (black head scarf and beige vest) with children and adolescents with and without disabilities in the project (funded by CBM) of mother-child health in Niger, Niamey (and Tillabéri). Aida accompanies patients from village to the hospital, and undergo treatment. Health centers in the project intervention area regularly participate in the referral and referral system for cases of fistulas, genital prolapse and impairments and physical handicaps of children and women.
The Tillabéri region is considered a region of conflict and dangerous. What does it mean to work in such difficult conditions and to improve the people's lives? A region where the birth rate is very high, but where access to health services is extremely difficult. Many women put their children in the world without medical support, without midwives. The results for health are often serious (fistula, handicaps such as clubfoot in children). In addition, many health centers in the Tillabéri region are closing due to the dangerous security situation.
Project title: .Bafouney: Renforcement de la situation sanitaire et socio-économique des femmes et.filles handicapées et non handicapées dans la région de Tillabéri, Niger.,.dans la région de Tillabéri, (Niamey) Niger
Project Partner:.SongES Niger: Lead organization and main partner organization. SongES Niger is the interface between CBM and the other project participants.

Niger

Niger is one of the Phase 4 project countries in West Africa, coordinated by CBM in partnership with the Nigerien Federation of Persons with Disabilities (FNPH).

Key Facts

Niger, a landlocked Sahelian country, has a population of 25.4 million in 2023, with over 80% living in rural areas. The humanitarian context is marked by food insecurity, floods, inflation, and forced displacement, especially in the regions of Diffa, Tillabéri, and Tahoua. In 2025, more than 2.2 million people are expected to face food insecurity.

CBM has been active in Niger since 1976, working to promote inclusive humanitarian action by addressing the needs of persons with disabilities in areas such as food security, health, protection, and WASH, notably through its partnership with the FNPH.

Despite some progress, disability inclusion in humanitarian response remains insufficient, mainly due to a lack of reliable and disaggregated data. Persons with disabilities are for instance estimated at only 4.2% in humanitarian planning—well below the global average, highlighting the need to strengthen both disability inclusion and data collection efforts.

Activities

In Niger, Phase 4-LNOB project focuses on strengthening the capacity of humanitarian actors to identify and support groups of persons with disabilities in humanitarian settings.

The project prioritizes empowering organizations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to fully engage in the humanitarian system while promoting inclusive coordination mechanisms. To achieve this, the project carries out sectoral trainings with existing learning modules and guidance tools in key areas such as WASH (iWASH), Protection, and Flood Response, with particular attention to regions facing high humanitarian needs, including Tillabéri, Tahoua, Dosso, Diffa, Maradi, and Agadez.

It also aims to improve the engagement and accountability of targeted clusters—WASH, Protection, and the sub-cluster Flood Response—ensuring that no one is left behind by addressing gaps identified in their sectoral tools.

Furthermore, the capacities of OPDs are reinforced through the establishment of FNPH focal points to facilitate meaningful representation in humanitarian coordination at all levels, from national to communal. OPDs are supported in collecting disaggregated data on persons with disabilities and identifying their specific humanitarian needs. Additionally, the network of OPDs is expanded by setting up decentralized sections in departments and communes that currently lack representation. These combined efforts are designed to promote the full inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities in humanitarian responses throughout Niger.

Partners

La Fédération Nigérienne des Personnes Handicapées (The Nigerien Federation of Persons with Disabilities, FNPH)

The Nigerien Federation of Persons with Disabilities, established in 1998 and officially recognized by the Nigerien government, brings together various organizations of persons with disabilities from the country. Its mission is to promote and defend the rights of persons with disabilities through capacity building for its members, advocacy for inclusive policies, public awareness, research, and the establishment of partnerships.

FNPH works in various fields such as education, health, employment, and social inclusion, covering all 8 regions of Niger. It serves as the main interlocutor with public authorities and is a member of national and international networks, striving for the full participation of persons with disabilities in the country’s development by 2030.

Updates from Project Country

Training Workshop to Enhance Protection Cluster Tools and Strategies in Niger

By Heidi Villikka|10. December 2024

Building on the success of promoting inclusive WASH Cluster in Niger, a workshop for the Protection Cluster was held from November 19 to 21, 2024, in Niamey. The training aimed to strengthen the knowledge and skills of humanitarian actors in the Protection Cluster, enabling them to incorporate disability-inclusive approaches into their activities. The workshop was […]

Disability Inclusion Tool Development Training held to WASH Cluster in Niger

By Heidi Villikka|18. October 2024

A Tool development training was held in Niamey, Niger, from August 20 to 22, 2024, to help humanitarian workers in the WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) Cluster better understand how to include people with disabilities in their programmatic work. The event was organized by CBM and the WASH Cluster Coordination team. The training had 24 […]

High-level Training on Including People with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action held in Niger

By Heidi Villikka|5. April 2024

A training session took place in Niamey, Niger, from March 12th to 14th, focusing on including people with disabilities in humanitarian action, in line with the Inter-Agency Standing Committees (IASC) guidelines on inclusion of persons with disabilities in Humanitarian Action. Previously, similar training sessions were held in Cameroon in May and in October 2023 with […]

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