Niger - Vocational Training and Microfinance

The second set of girls to enroll in the classes
Niger, 2009

HISG is supporting sewing and knitting classes in Niamey, Niger's capital city. This project is helping women learn valuable trade skills in a country with limited educational and economic opportunity.


In the first session, seventeen women enrolled in the classes. The class was originally set up for 10 women, but because of the enormous need and the pleas for help from the community, an extra seven students were accepted. The students come from desperate situations but are very grateful and committed to the training. Some of them walk nearly two and a half miles (4 km) each morning to attend the classes. Both the instructors and the women in the program are very encouraged to see the potential for this project in their community. A second session has begun, and the classes are once again full of students who are eager to learn.


One of the other appealing aspects of these sewing classes is how it offers the instructors an opportunity to use their skills as well as earn some extra money. One of the instructors in the course is confined to a wheelchair, but is very dedicated to her students and is a gifted teacher. She has expressed her gratitude for her teaching position and to the administration for giving her the opportunity in spite of her disability.


One of the touching stories from this project is a young girl with a learning disability. Typically, she would be an outcast and resort to begging on the streets. But since she is in the sewing classes, she is making progress and earning respect from the teachers, the other students, and her family. And when she completes the training, she will have a way to earn a living on her own. You can partner with HISG to make a difference in the lives of men and women who have no place else to turn. Please contact us to learn more.


This project has been tagged as a Holistic Integrated Sustainable Transformation project. Of the 12 HIST Primary Service Categories, activities took place in these areas.
Holistic Integrated Sustainable Transformation
1. Agriculture and Animal Husbandry

2. Arts, Entertainment and Sports

3. Economic Development

4. Information, Communications, Technology

5. Education
6. Family Development, Support

7. Government

8. Security, Justice, and the Rule of Law

9. Health, Hygiene

10. Medical
11. Infrastructure

12. Non-Profit Organizations
Want to learn more about the models developed by HISG for sustainable development and disaster response? Click here HIST Model or here IDR Model.


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