Integrating refugee self-reliance with environmental protection in Niger

This Lives in Dignity Grant Facility-funded integrated environmental restoration and refugee self-reliance project (January 2022 - December 2023) in Niger's Tahoua region, implemented by ADKOUL and Arbeiter-Samariter-Bund (ASB), addressed the complex challenges faced by 20,631 Malian refugees and nearly 35,000 internally displaced persons co-existing with host communities experiencing severe environmental degradation and resource scarcity. The initiative pioneered an innovative multi-sectoral approach that simultaneously tackled immediate humanitarian needs, long-term development goals, and environmental sustainability through a comprehensive strategy combining land restoration, livelihood support, and social cohesion building. Key achievements included restoring 1,392 hectares of degraded land through community-based cash-for-work programs that created over 5,600 temporary jobs, distributing 6,000 energy-efficient stoves that reduced firewood usage by 50%, improving water access for over 16,000 residents, and supporting education for 1,414 students with new infrastructure and solar lamps. The project's strength lay in its consultative process involving local authorities, traditional leaders, and communities, ensuring strong local ownership while demonstrating the effectiveness of applying a humanitarian-development-peace nexus approach that strengthened social cohesion by improving access to shared resources like pastureland, water points, and educational facilities that served both displaced populations and host communities.