Walking the Talk: NGOs Search for Their Common Ground in the Sahel

Youth representatives from the Sahel Region of Africa meet with PDEV II staff in Moussoro, Chad to discuss the needs of their communities

Last week we were fortunate enough to have our colleague Sophien Ben-Achour, Program Coordinator with SFCG, drop in and tell us about the work he is doing in the Sahel Region of Africa. The term Sahel (Arabic for “coast”) refers to the transition from the coastal regions and grasslands of West Africa to the Sahara desert in the North.

Sophien Ben-Achour explains a bit about the Sahel Region to his colleagues at SFCG

SFCG, working in conjunction with a consortium of NGOs, primarily International Relief & Development (IRD), Equal Access, and the Salam Institute for Peace and Justice, is laying the groundwork for “PDEV II,” (Peace Through Development II). This project focuses on three countries in particular: Niger, Chad, and Burkina Faso.  The project is designed to reduce the risk of instability and increase resiliency to violent extremism in the Sahel region of Africa.. Sophien explained that, according to USAID, these three countries have a strategic importance in countering terrorism in the region. In order to counter the influence of extremist groups over youth in the region, the project will encourage youth-led empowerment, job creation, and income-generating activities.

Sophien and Mike Jobbins, SFCG Africa Regional Manager, explained that the Sahel is an area where different drivers of conflict interact to increase the chances of instability. Niger alone provides a complex picture: with the highest birthrate in the world, a food shortage, increases in violence from the Boko Haram, Tuareg rebellions, as well as spillover from Libya, novel approaches to developing stability are essential. Mike pointed out that issues like the scarcity of resources are unlikely to be solved any time soon. Therefore, it is important to find ways to build “community resiliency” in the face of what he described as “persistent vulnerability.”

Civil society representatives meet with PDEV II staff during an exploratory mission in Agadez, Niger

Four key objectives have been outlined for this project:

1.) Empower the region’s youth

2.) Increase the strength of moderate voices

3.) Increase the capacity of civil society

4.) Strengthen local government

To get a better sense of the communities specific needs and gain a familiarity with the project’s target zones, Sophien and other PDEV II staff organized discussions with local stakeholders in Chad including the Bahr el Ghazal provincial Governor and a regional association of youth groups. In one such discussion, local youths expressed their frustration over the lack of opportunity to express themselves and to find jobs. Sophien found this encouraging because the focus of PDEV II is not to distribute jobs but to empower local youths to drive change and “develop positive opportunities for themselves.”

In an environment where youths do not have the opportunity to address key issues that affect their lives, extremist groups can often try to fill the vacuum left challenges in governance and lack of opportunity.  Among the goals of this project is to develop a legitimate forum for marginalized voices as well as strengthening the skills and opportunities for youth as “social communicators”. This can help increase the government’s responsiveness to grievances while also enabling communities to solve conflicts before they become violent.

Sophien illustrated some of the trickier logistical elements that go into building a regional network to strengthen local partnerships. When heading out on exploratory trips to different parts of the region, driving could be touch and go. The jeep ride from N’Djamena to Moussoro from would start off simply enough; however, the last leg of the trip wound through stretches of road-less desert. Stopping to dig the jeep out of the sand was not uncommon.

A map of Sophien's roundabout journey from Niamey, Niger to N'Djamena, Chad

Traveling by plane didn’t make things much easier. Flying from Niamey, Niger to N’Djamena, Chad, which a direct flight could manage in about two hours, took a whole day because it had to be broken into five flights, crisscrossing the Sahel, due to a lack of flight options in the region.

Sophien and Alexis, former SFCG intern in Côte d'Ivoire, now PDEV II Youth Coordinator in Chad

Sophien soon learned though, that despite the topography, strong relationships would help navigate unfamiliar terrain. The long drives between provinces gave him an opportunity to get to know other PDEV II staff, his driver (who is originally from the region) as well as Alexis, who is the Youth Coordinator for PDEV II in Chad and, it turns out, was a former SFCG intern in Côte d’Ivoire! Listening to the radio one day, Alexis pointed out that one of the songs they were listening to was one of his own. Sophien at first thought he was joking but it turned out that Alexis, who is from Chad, was quite well known by the local media! When Sophien was planning ways to introduce the project to the appropriate local representatives, Alexis offered to help because he had worked on a film with the Minister of Youth!

Negotiating relationships between partner NGOs and agencies proved just as important. Sophien felt that one of the biggest challenges to date was figuring out how everyone contributed to the projects goals while maximizing skill sets and resources.  To this end, meetings allowed all of the different organizations to learn about their objectives and build relationships. The SFCG team put our principles into practice and worked to find their common ground with local and international partners. Linking our goals to those of others at work in the region helped foster an environment where everyone is willing to contribute to everyone else’s success. Sophien told me “I think solid honest relationships…are the foundation of positive interaction.” Coming together as a team “creates a synergy that’s very important to do good work.”