Operation New Life

Niger is considered the world's least developed nation, ranked the lowest country in the United Nation's Development Fund Index of human development. It has the highest population growth rate and birth rate in the world today.

• 2/3 of the 16 million inhabitants live below the poverty line living on less than $1 per day.
• 50% are under 15 years of age and the average life expectancy is just 44 years.
• There is a 1 in 7 chance of a woman dying whilst giving birth. This is a staggering figure compared to that of high income countries where there is a 1 in 2,800 chance.

Niger became a French colony in 1922 and after the establishment of the 'Fifth French Republic', in 1958, gained full independence in 1960. French remains the official language of the country.

Niger is a member of the United Nations and the African Union and maintains a strong relationship with France and its West African neighbours. Niger is landlocked and bordered by 7 countries. The westernmost borders are joined with Mali, Burkina Faso and Benin. To the north is Algeria and Libya. To the east is Chad and to the south is Nigeria.

Its vast arid landscape, of 489,000 square miles, is 4 times the size of the UK & Ireland combined. Contrary to its size, the largely agrarian and subsistence-based economy is frequently disrupted by extended droughts common to the Sahel region of Africa. Its terrain is predominantly desert plains, sand dunes and flat rolling plains to the south, with hills in the north, making sustainable agriculture difficult, at the best of times.

Overview

_{(Source - The CIA World Factbook)}