Niger
In Niger—a landlocked country in West Africa ranking at the very bottom of the United Nations Development Program’s 2013 Human Development Index—only 12 percent of women use a modern method of contraception (NDHS 2012).
Its total fertility rate of 7.6 births, reaching 8.1 in rural areas—the highest reported in the world—is compounded by a large proportion of births that are narrowly spaced, as well as high rates of early marriage and childbearing.
In February 2011, Niger joined seven other Francophone West African countries at the Ouagadougou Conference on Population, Development, and Family Planning, affirming its commitment to addressing people’s very low access to critical services for healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy.
Today, through its National Family Planning Strategic Plan 2012-2020, the government of Niger has proven its commitment to increasing access to services for healthy timing and spacing of pregnancy to improve the health of mothers and babies.
Pathfinder’s IMPACT project will help achieve the plan’s ultimate goal—to raise Niger’s contraceptive prevalence rate to 25 percent by 2015 and 50 percent by 2020—by implementing activities in the districts of Dosso and Zinder regions. And a project in Guinea, Burkina Faso, and Niger addresses the great need for contraception and sexual and reproductive health services among young married women.
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Our Projects
Reaching First-Time Parents with Sexual and Reproductive Health Information in Niger
Pathfinder International is launching a new reproductive health program that will focus on intensive outreach to first-time parents, building their knowledge and capacity to manage their own fertility and family health.
IMPACT: Promoting Access to Contraception for All in Niger
Initiative de Mobilisation pour L’accès à la Contraception pour Tous (IMPACT) is a four-year project funded by the Gates Foundation that will strengthen service delivery to support healthy timing and spacing of pregnancies in Niger.
West Africa Adolescent and Youth Sexual and Reproductive Health Program
Pathfinder is laying the groundwork to address the great need for contraception and sexual and reproductive health services in West Africa, a region with some of the lowest contraceptive prevalence rates and highest maternal mortality in Africa.
Evidence to Action for Strengthened Family Planning and Reproductive Health Services for Women and Girls (E2A)
The Evidence to Action Project (E2A) is USAID’s global flagship for strengthening family planning and reproductive health service delivery.
Related Publications
Young Mothers Take Control of Their Future
Today, half the world’s population is under 25. This issue of Pathways explores how young mothers like Dorothy are exercising their sexual and reproductive rights—and taking control of their future.
Providing Reproductive Health Services to Young Married Women and First-time Parents in West Africa: A Supplemental Training Module for Facility-based Health Care Providers
Young married women and first-time parents (FTPs) face a unique set of challenges to living healthy sexual and reproductive lives. This training aims to give health care providers the knowledge and skills they need to meet the needs of these groups. This training is designed for use in francophone West Africa, where a significant proportion of adolescent girls aged 15–19 and young women aged 20–24 are married or living in union, but it can easily be adapted for other settings.
Small Group Facilitation for Young Married Women and First-time Parents in West Africa: A Supplemental Training Module for Facilitators
This training aims to impart the skills needed for peers to facilitate small groups of young married women and first-time parents (FTPs), which can reduce these young women’s social isolation and increase knowledge of sexual and reproductive health. This training is designed for use in francophone West Africa, where a significant proportion of adolescent girls aged 15–19 and young women aged 20–24 are married or living in union, but it can easily be adapted for other settings.
Meeting the Needs of Young Married Women and First-time Parents
Young married women and first-time parents (FTPs) face a unique set of challenges to living healthy sexual and reproductive lives. This series of trainings aim to give health care providers, community workers, and small group facilitators the knowledge and skills they need to meet the needs of these groups.
Related News
Fin à Cotonou des travaux de la 4ème réunion annuelle du Partenariat de Ouagadougou
Dr Sani Aliou de Pathfinder Afrique de l'ouest: «Je suis confiant que même si le Niger n'atteint pas les 25%, il va se rapprocher certainement.»