MICA, Micro Credit in Africa, is Expanding Lives partner in Niger.  MICA currently works with several hundred school girls all over Niger.  MICA works with Expanding Lives to identify participants in Niger who are the first in their families to attend secondary school; they prepare participants for their stay in the US.  In addition, MICA collaborates with Expanding Lives to develop culturally appropriate curriculum and, after the conference, they continue to guide and support participants and advise Expanding Lives. To find out more about MICA, check out their website.   
http://www.microcreditinafrica.org/

 

 

For transparent information about Expanding Lives, go to guidestar.org, registration is free and provides information about
thousands of not for profits.
http://www2.guidestar.org/organizations/26-1336895/expanding-lives.aspx

 

 

UNICEF maintains human development statistics on 195 countries and territories.  Statistics can be a tool in understanding the environment in which our participants live and in appreciating the importance of our work.  They also help in determining programming needs. For information about the big picture in Niger, especially as it pertains to girls’ education, use the link below.  
http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/niger.html

 

 

The following PBS video highlights one of the problems with the lack of options for girls without an education–early marriage.  To watch the PBS video from the program NOW, click here.
http://www.pbs.org/now/shows/341/index.html

 

To learn more about factors influencing girls’ education in Niger, read the following research article.

http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICDocs/data/ericdocs2sql/content_storage_01/0000019b/80/16/91/d2.pdf