COOPI - Cooperazione Internazionale (Niger)

Since 2012, COOPI has been working in Niger to deal with several emergencies in the country: the Lake Chad crisis in Diffa region, caused by Boko Haram, the crisis in the northern border area with Burkina Faso and Mali (Liptako Gourma) and, since 2018, the new crisis in the Maradi area caused by extreme violence.
Currently, there are an estimated 549,000 displaced persons in Niger, including 264,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), 250,000 refugees mainly from Nigeria and Mali, in addition to 35,445 Nigeris returning to Niger due to prevailing insecurity (source HRP, OCHA 2021). The regions hosting the largest number of displaced people are Tillabéri (38%), Diffa (26%), Tahoua (15%), Niamey (15%) and Maradi (6%).

Niger has weak protection structures and inefficient basic services for its population, the majority of which is located in rural areas, and consequently lacks the capacity and means to respond to these crises. Faced with these major emergencies, COOPI is intervening in the Diffa region with protection, emergency education, psychosocial support and mental health actions together with institutional partners such as the Regional Protection, Education and Health Directorates. Applying the same procedures, COOPI also carries out activities in the northern part of the country, Tillabéri and Tahoua, with interventions in the sectores of nutrition and health, through the Rapid Response Mechanism (RRM). In the Maradi area, it works in the sectors of mental health and psychosocial support, as well as in those of primary health and nutrition.

COOPI's work in Niger is in continuous development and aims to support the most vulnerable members of the beneficiary populations, such as women, children and people with disabilities.