02-02-2023 | di COOPI

Niger. USAID representatives visit Niamey and Gotheye

On the occasion of the 3rd High-Level Conference on the Lake Chad Region, held in Niger on 23 and 24 January, USAID/BHA (United States Agency for International Development/Office of Humanitarian Assistance) representatives from Washington and Niamey met with our COOPI workers in Niger about the two projects they are currently funding: "Integrated Response to Protection and Nutrition of Conflict-Affected Populations in the Diffa, Tahoua, Tillaberi Regions" and "Responding to the Primary and Mental Health Care Needs of Crisis-Affected Populations in the Tillabery and Tahoua (on the border with Mali and Burkina Faso) Regions of Niger through a Rapid Response Mechanism and Support to Existing Services".

The first meeting with the two project teams took place on 23 January with USAID/BHA's Protection Officer Ashley Augsburger from Washington and Niamey-based Senior Humanitarian Advisor Jessica Frye, in the presence also of the two local partners, Alima/Befen and PUI, of the consortium intervention, of which COOPI is the leader. It was an opportunity to reiterate the centrality of protection in all humanitarian interventions promoted by USAID/BHA.
The next meeting was held on 24 January, again with USAID/BHA's Protection Officer Ashley Augsburger from Washington, DC, and Niamey-based Senior Humanitarian Advisor Jessica Frye, and was attended by members of the Mental Health and Psychosocial Support sub-cluster, created by COOPI three years ago and still led by COOPI, including the United Nations High Commission (UNHRC), Danish Red Cross, Humanité & Inclusion, Action pour le bien-être (APBE), Action against Hunger (ACF), International Organisation for Migration (IOM), United Nations Office for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Save the Children and Médicins sans frontières. USAID/BHA congratulated the working group on its achievements to date and reiterated its interest in supporting the mental health and psychosocial support aspect of humanitarian aid.  

A visit to Gothey, a commune located 80 km from Niamey, near the border with Burkina Faso, took place on 25 January. Participating for USAID/Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance were: (from Washington, DC) Doug Stropes, Division Chef; Ashley Aigsburger, Protection Advisor; Julian Wyss, Markets Advisor; and (from Niamey) Jessica Frye and Mariama Diallo. 

The visit started with a meeting with the Prefect of Gotheye Province, Mahamadou Issoufou, who thanked for the presence of USAID/BHA and for the health interventions carried out by COOPI; he then reiterated the need to continue the support, given the increase of displaced people due to the armed conflict. 

Then the visit continued to the Integrated Health Centre (IHC) which receives support from the USAID/BHA funded project in terms of staff and medicines. Dr. Hadjara showed the Centre and made several requests such as the physical improvement of the infrastructure and an increased supply of medicines. Dr. Doula Zakoye, Chief Medical Officer of the Gotheye Health District, made a request to extend the intervention also to the Dargol Municipality, where currently no actor in the mental health and psycho-social support sector is present while the displaced population is constantly increasing.

Eventually, they reached the site of the displaced people where some 6,000 people are located and where they were shown the ongoing activities, such as general medicine, obstetrics, nutrition and mental health consultations.  The teams of the two ongoing USAID/BHA-funded projects were congratulated for their commitment and dedication to this intervention in a very complex and risky situation.

As USAID Senior Humanitarian Advisor Jessica Frye pointed out:

"It has humbled us to see the results of your team's hard work, but also to further understand the challenges and extensive needs that remain for many."

 "The BHA team was very impressed with how well the activities were organised in such a complex environment."