Who are us?

To develop the decentralized co-operation

Association Solidarité France-Niger has the role to provide for the stripped populations of Niger.

After having initially considered the forwarding of farm equipment and school collected as a preliminary, association decided in 2000 for reasons economic to reorientate its activity towards the decentralized co-operation.

In other words, the posted objective is today that to develop operations of twinning between common Frenchwomen and localities natives of Niger. The vocation of association consists in targeting zones in evil of development, to carry a reflexion with the populations autochtones on the village capacities, to finally establish files of presentation of these projects which will be given to local councillors.

To be partner of the local communities

Beyond this detection of the needs, of their definition and search for partner, association gives itself the possibility of constituting a permanent actor of a tripartite desired relation: thus, the quantified expertise of projects, the financial intermediation and the follow-up of the relation constitute its sphere of activity.

If the decentralized co-operation constitutes from now on the spearhead of the activity, association does not bar from any intervention in favour of Niger by another skew.

To engage a step on the long term

Currently entering a small score of operation of twinning, Niger compared shows a significant delay to other countries of Africa like Mali, Burkina-Faso or Senegal. These contracts of co-operation having made the proof, for those which had been conceived in this direction, of their real contribution to the development of the localities concerned, their implementation must carefully be undertaken.

The implementation of such projects constitutes a long and tiresome step, as well by the various formalities administrative as it is advisable to fill than by the duration necessary to the reflexion, which must be serene to consider the spirit even desired relation.

Thus, it is necessary to count several months between the comparison of two localities dedicated to twinning and the development of the cooperation agreement. This period is punctuated various stages :

• Making of contact between the 2 communities (mails...)

• Deliberations of the town council and the local council for an agreement

• Common establishment of a convention of co-operation, left declaration of intent indicating the great fields of exchanges considered

• Deposit of the charter and the deliberation in prefecture for a tender with the control of legality

It will be advisable to insist on the importance of the preparatory phase to the drafting of convention, in order to have a clear vision of the projects and not to create false hopes.

Principles of the decentralized co-operation

The spirit of the decentralized co-operation must follow a certain number of principles:

• Inscription of the relation in the duration

• Objective of contribution to the local development

• Concrete and considered projects

Ultimate goals having to direct towards :

• The autonomous development and improvement of the living conditions of the villagers

• The participation of the local populations in the projects

The role of Solidarité France-Niger in the relation of co-operation oscillates between two possibilities going of the only comparison of the communities after definition of the projects, until the active intermediation including/understanding, in particular the search for estimate, the purchase of the materials financed starting from Niamey and their routing in the villages