Renae Chrystal is the communications intern in Niger. One of the most critical challenges that Nigeriens face is growing food in a country that has no rain for nine months out of the year. The soil is almost completely unusable for farming, which means that farmers must work harder for much less food. Because of…
Crisis & Disaster Response
Bringing Relief to Churches Destroyed in Niger
Although the last census reported that about 98 percent of the 17 million people living in Niger are Muslim, the country has previously been known for peaceful relations among its religious communities. However, in recent months, radical Islamist groups have emerged and begun targeting the Christian minority. The most notable extremist group to target Nigerien…
Discipleship, Education & Training
A Thirst for the Gospel in Niger
Desiree Carlson is a Samaritan’s Purse intern serving in Niger. Dusty paths created only by animals and foot traffic weave through sand and scattered brush throughout rural Niger. These “roads” are all that connect our evangelists with the numerous villages they visit each week. After traveling some of these rough wilderness routes I understood a…
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Living Water for Niger’s Unreached People
During Niger’s dry season, Aminatou Ibran would wake early each morning to join the other village women on a nearly nine-mile trek to gather water for drinking, cooking, and watering livestock. At least that’s the way it was for many years. Recently though life has begun to change for Aminatou, 35, and the other desert-dwelling…
Animals, Agriculture & Livelihoods
Cultivating Knowledge and Determination in Niger
Renae Chrystal is the communications intern in Niger. In the village of Boubounga, Niger, a group of women welcome us to sit with them away from the hot, afternoon sun. They pull up two chairs for us while they sit on a long wooden rail, their clothes bright against the green of the millet field…
Animals, Agriculture & Livelihoods
New Agricultural Techniques Yield Bountiful Harvests in Niger
Renae Chrystal is the communications intern in Niger. Farmers in Niger have difficulties growing enough crops to feed their families. Rain only falls for a few months of the year, leaving the soil dry and almost incapable of producing a harvest. However, the farmers are learning new ways to develop their fields. I met with…
Discipleship, Education & Training
A Family in Niger is Changed by the Gospel
Saley Inoussa is the Samaritan’s Purse health and nutrition coordinator in Niger. Moumouni had a major infection in his leg and also suffered from insomnia because he constantly heard inaudible voices. His mother, Maimouna, sought help from health centers in Niger, Muslim healers, and witch doctors, but nothing worked. Maimouna spent all her money trying…
Discipleship, Education & Training
The Gospel Bears Fruit in Niger’s Rural Communities
Living in the vast desert of rural Niger, Ibrahim Sani had heard very little of Jesus Christ apart from some disparaging remarks made by local Muslim leaders. He’d been told Christians had horns, that they were demons. Those are the kinds of things Ibrahim believed—that is, until Abdou Issa and his wife Ouma came to…
Discipleship, Education & Training
Evangelists Bring Love and Learning to Niger
Renae Chrystal is the communications intern in Niger. Nigerien evangelist couple Abdou and Ouma Issa demonstrate their love to people in the villages where they live and work. Originally from Maradi region, they received a call on their lives to evangelize when they became Christians. They worked with Samaritan’s Purse Niger and then became evangelists…
Water, Sanitation & Hygiene
Faith and Water Run Deep in Rural Niger
Galba is a small, dusty village located in south-central Niger. The people who live there face many problems that are common in Niger—poverty, lack of jobs, famine, and poor health. But, until recently, perhaps the biggest problem that Galba faced was poor access to clean water. The only well in the village was dirty and…
