The Challenge of Demonstrating Vulnerability

This week, as enumerators were going through 26 different villages to conduct the needs assessment survey, we convened some focus groups, met with various government officials, consulted other NGOs, and pursued available information that will help identify the seriousness of the food shortage for families in this area.

We were able to access reports from the Department of Agriculture that identify, by village, the extent to which last season’s harvest fell short of meeting the local populations’ food needs, lists gathered by our partner last fall that identify those farmers who allowed their animals to graze on their crop fields because there was no crop there to harvest and reports that capture rainfall data.

During one of our village visits, because of our curiosity to examine a granary up close, we had an impromptu chat with a local farmer who showed us his granaries. We climbed up and looked in the first one. It was completely empty as were his other five granaries.  He indicated that these granaries had been empty for several months already – normally there should be sufficient harvest in these granaries to provide for the family until the next harvest, starting in September.  In order to feed his family, he had taken a job making fences for people who want to do gardening.  Last year he had twelve sheep but now has only four left. He fears he will have to sell the last ones soon to buy the food needed to sustain his family.

Another indicator of the extent of the hunger in this area is in the story of the Baobab trees. The baobab tree is known as the tree of life, and with good reason. It can provide shelter, clothing, food, and water for the animal and human inhabitants of the regions where it grows.  The baobab tree has adapted to the savannah region of Africa by only producing leaves during the wet season. When leaves do grow, they are in tiny finger-like clusters.

Especially when crop yields are low, families collect baobab leaves and allow them to dry. These leaves can be used in a similar way to spinach, or as the base for a sauce that accompanies millet or rice. To gather these leaves to eat, sell, or trade for other food, women and children climb the trees to pick them. While driving one day, our local manager told us that the locals are climbing dangerously high in these trees to reach the untouched sprigs, leaving the trees almost bare until new growth comes in.

A very interesting way to gather information is to have focus group discussions in the villages.  We did three this week in different areas to get a fair representation. To include diversity, each of the groups had two to three different ethnic groups represented. Through interpreters, we learned a lot about the different roles each gender plays in the agricultural and household duties. We learned that women need permission to leave their concession (family compound) or village, and that the men do most of the market purchases. We also learned that decisions about how money is to be spent are made together, and that the field work, in preparation for and during the rainy season, is done as a team by both men, women, and children.

One of the challenges in conducting a needs assessment is to gather helpful information without raising expectations that a project is guaranteed.  With this caution, we asked the focus groups for input about which foods they preferred and which seeds would be the most valued. The groups had lively discussions around the criteria that would identify the most vulnerable community members that should receive humanitarian assistance. It was amazing to hear them say with assurance that a community committee would be able to fairly identify the most vulnerable without bias. Since the villages are so small, there is a natural accountability in these types of decisions since everyone would know who was selected as a beneficiary.

After our meeting, a meal, prepared by some villagers, arrived and according to their custom, the men (and us as visitors) ate first and then food was served to the women and children.  The food was shared on large plastic trays (looked like the lids from large plastic garbage pails). Observing the women eating their meal, we noted that they dipped into the noodles, taking small handfuls at a time, sharing the food with each other and their many children. It appeared that everyone received a fair portion. Water was shared by taking sips from what looked like a communal plastic teapot and from small plastic water-filled bags.

As we write this, the completed surveys are arriving from the villages. The data is now being entered by five university students here in the capital. Many people in Niger are not familiar with tablets or smartphones, so it has been a challenge finding people to input the data. For upcoming surveys we are hoping they will be able to teach the local people to use the tablets so that the surveys can be entered directly onto the tablet.  Next week we hope to be able to analyze the results of all of the information gathered.  Stay tuned!