--- title: "NRC in Niger" description: "The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) set up operations in Niger in 2019 to serve those affected by the crisis sweeping through the country." url: "https://www.nrc.no/countries/africa/niger" language: "en" published: "2016-12-15T13:15:00Z" modified: "2026-10-01T07:51:29Z" --- ![A teacher is standing by a blackboard in front of her class, where children are sitting at their desks.](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/images/countries/niger/2023/niger-2023.jpg) # NRC in Niger Tillabery, Niger: Children attending catch-up classes. Photo: Tom Peyre-Costa/NRC The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) set up operations in Niger in 2019 to serve those affected by the crisis sweeping through the country. Updated 01. Oct 2026 [Niger](https://www.nrc.no/themes?categoryId=89) ## Humanitarian overview In recent years, Niger has been under pressure from violence by non-state armed groups on three fronts: 1) in the north-west, in the regions of Tillaberi and Tahoua, along the border between Mali and Burkina Faso (Liptako-Gourma crisis); 2) in the east, in the Diffa region (Lake Chad crisis); and 3) in the south of the country in the Maradi region, on the border with Nigeria. The country hosts more than 700,000 refugees and internally displaced people and is one of the poorest in the world, with 4.5 million people in need and 3.2 million people expected to be in food insecurity by the lean season. The situation has been further compounded by the July 2023 coup d’état by the military. The events of July 2023 have caused a severe deterioration of relations with the international community, resulting in the imposition of financial sanctions by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) (without humanitarian exemptions) and the European Union (EU) (with humanitarian exemptions), and in the suspension of development funding by most Western donors. The coup d'état and its aftermath have considerably affected Niger’s growth prospects. ## Our impact In 2025, we assisted 124,757 people through our programmes in Niger: - 52,138 Education - 9,619 Livelihoods and food security - 38,789 Shelter and settlements - 10,349 Protection from violence - 33,519 Information, counselling and legal assistance - 11,539 Water, sanitation and hygiene ***Note:** some people received more than one type of assistance.* ## NRC's operation Since 1 June 2023, NRC has a separate country office in Niger following the split of the Burkina-Niger office. In Niger, NRC provides an integrated response package in Tillaberi, Maradi and Tahoua regions, strengthening its rapid response capacity in education, shelter and multi-purpose cash. Advocacy on humanitarian access, funding and programmatic priorities are an important component of the humanitarian response. NRC is the co-lead of the housing, land and property (HLP) sub-cluster and the co-lead of the access working group. ![PDF icon](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/graphics/icons/file-extentions/adobe_pdf_icon.svg) [Download the factsheet for NRC in Niger](https://www.nrc.no/resources/fact-sheets/nrc-burkina-faso-and-niger--fact-sheet) ## ![NRC Livelihoods and food security](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/graphics/icons/_new-nrc-icons-2017/circle-rgb/75px_symbol-food-security-rgb-circle-orange.jpg)Livelihoods and food security Our livelihoods team is: - improving access to food for the most vulnerable people using the standard food ration value per household, through distribution of cash - supporting people living in displacement with negotiating access to land - providing emergency livelihoods protection, in particular replenishment, management and distribution of agricultural inputs such as seeds, tools and small livestock accompanied by technical support - supporting targeted households with income-generating activities and reducing negative coping mechanisms ## ![NRC Shelter and settlements](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/graphics/icons/_new-nrc-icons-2017/circle-rgb/75px_symbol-shelter-rgb-circle-orange.jpg)Shelter and settlements Our shelter teams are: - providing essential household items including kitchen sets, bedding, clothes and mosquito nets in kind or through cash and vouchers. - providing complete shelter solutions either through temporary or transitional models - conducting site-coordination activities, especially site planning, to enable the installation of shelters and minimum basic services, delivered by NRC or in coordination with other actors - advocating on issues related to the establishment of new sites - contributing positively to the shelter cluster on global and local issues ## ![NRC Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH)](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/graphics/icons/_new-nrc-icons-2017/circle-rgb/75px_symbol-wash-rgb-circle-simple-orange.jpg)Water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) Our WASH teams: - improve access to water for people affected by displacement through emergency temporary solutions such as water trucking, repair of existing wells and handpumps, and expansions of existing water systems - ensure minimum sanitation standards through the construction of appropriate and safe emergency or semi-durable latrines in displacement sites, schools and public places, and for semi-durable family shelters - enhance operations and maintenance for the durability of the water and sanitation infrastructure interventions as well as green solutions for WASH programming such as the installation of solar powered water systems - sensitise communities on hygiene practices and the prevention of communicable diseases with targeted messages for women, men, girls and boys - distribute hygiene kits including culturally appropriate items for menstrual hygiene, and Covid-19 items ## ![NRC Education](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/graphics/icons/_new-nrc-icons-2017/circle-rgb/75px_symbol-education-rgb-circle-orange.jpg)Education Focusing on education in emergencies, we are: - providing emergency education responses through the Rapid Response Mechanism in coordination with other NRC core activities and other actors - supporting the formal system to increase capacity for internally displaced children - providing adapted learning conditions to ensure the retention of students in schools - conducting awareness-raising campaigns to promote inclusive education and enhance social cohesion and peaceful cohabitation between displaced and host community children - improving the learning conditions for students through the repair and/or construction of semi-permanent school blocks and the distribution of education kits - providing vocational training for marginalised youth while promoting apprenticeships, mentoring and career guidance - fully rolling out the Better Learning Programme for children who have experienced trauma - building the capacity of teachers and community members on the newly introduced Better Learning Programme ## ![NRC Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA)](https://www.nrc.no/globalassets/graphics/icons/_new-nrc-icons-2017/circle-rgb/75px_symbol-icla-rgb-circle-orange.jpg)Information, counselling and legal assistance (ICLA) We are assisting affected communities to: - access information on the legal and civil documentation processes - support people affected by displacement to obtain the civil and identity documentation necessary to access rights and services - support them to understand and protect their housing, land and property rights - organise capacity-building sessions for local authorities and civil documentation officials on issues pertaining to land and civil documentation - lead the housing, land and property rights working group to build capacity and advocate with authorities, humanitarian actors and other stakeholders - advocate and contribute to durable solutions for displaced households ## Protection from violence Our teams are: - managing formal displacement sites - working with communities to build their resilience and reinforce community-based protection solutions to the risks they face - working with other organisations on referrals to specialised protection services and with other NRC core activities for specific assistance - conducting protection analysis, assessments and monitoring on protection-related risks for people affected by displacement, informing protection response and advocacy **NRC in Niger is grateful for the generous support from our donors:** - Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs NMFA (HUM) - Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) - United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) - United States Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) - Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM) - United Nations Development Programme Pooled Fund - German Federal Foreign Office (FFO, GMFA) - SDC Swiss Development Cooperation - Directorate-General for European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (DG ECHO) - UNICEF - Fonds humanitaire régional pour l’Afrique de l’Ouest et centrale (FHRAOC) - Education Cannot Wait ### News and stories ## [Building social cohesion, one community at a time](https://www.nrc.no/feature/2026/building-social-cohesion-one-community-at-a-time) 29. Jul 2026 | Feature Press release ## [Alarming lack of funding for lifesaving aid in 2026](https://www.nrc.no/news/2026/alarming-lack-of-funding-for-lifesaving-aid-in-2026) 01. Jul 2026 | Global|Afghanistan|Burkina Faso|Mali|Niger ## [A birth certificate means a life for Amadou](https://www.nrc.no/perspectives/2026/a-birth-certificate-means-a-life-for-amadou) 25. Mar 2026 | Niger [More news](https://www.nrc.no/search?searchCategories=123,125,129,172,335,357,89&searchMethod=1) ### Publications ## [Supporting Locally-Led Responses in the Lake Chad Region](https://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/supporting-locally-led-responses-in-the-lake-chad-region) 09. Apr 2025 | Chad|Niger|Nigeria|Cameroon ## [The world's most neglected displacement crises in 2023](https://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/the-worlds-most-neglected-displacement-crises-in-2023) 03. Jun 2024 | Burkina Faso|Central African Republic|Chad|DR Congo|Honduras|Mali|Niger|South Sudan|Sudan|Cameroon ## [Weathering the Storm - Why and how development financing actors should stay engaged during political crises](https://www.nrc.no/resources/reports/weathering-the-storm) 10. May 2024 | Afghanistan|Burkina Faso|Mali|Niger [More publications](https://www.nrc.no/search?searchCategories=124,131,132,175,315,333,351,89&searchMethod=1)