Dorcas Gazelle
This slender, sand-colored antelope can go for days without drinking water, getting most of its moisture from the desert plants it nibbles across Niger's Sahel.
Flag of Niger
Field Report
Niger is a large, landlocked country in the heart of West Africa, tucked between the Sahara Desert to the north and the Niger River to the south. Most of the land is hot, dry, and sandy, but millions of people — farmers, herders, merchants, and children just like you — call it home. Niger is one of the least-reached places on earth, meaning most of its people have never had a real chance to hear about Jesus.
From the Field Notebook
Dorcas Gazelle
This slender, sand-colored antelope can go for days without drinking water, getting most of its moisture from the desert plants it nibbles across Niger's Sahel.
Nile Monitor
One of Africa's largest lizards, the Nile monitor can grow longer than a grown man is tall and hunts fish, frogs, and eggs along Niger's riverbanks.
Saharan Cheetah
Far rarer and paler than its savanna cousins, this ghost-like cat roams the remote Air Mountains of Niger and is almost never seen by human eyes.
Dambou
This steamed millet dish, often topped with a peanut or leaf sauce, is the everyday staple that families across Niger gather around at mealtimes.
Tchoukou
A dry, crumbly white cheese made from goat or cow milk by Tuareg and Fulani herders, it has a sharp, salty bite and travels well across the desert.
Fura da Nono
Spiced millet balls are mashed into cold fermented milk to make this tangy, filling drink-and-food that Hausa people often enjoy in the heat of the afternoon.
Niger is the largest country in West Africa — bigger than the entire state of Texas and California combined — yet most of it is covered by the Sahara Desert.
The city of Agadez was once one of the busiest crossroads of the ancient Saharan trade routes, where gold, salt, and enslaved people passed through centuries before European explorers arrived.
Niger has one of the highest birth rates in the entire world, meaning families are very large and more than half the country's population is under 15 years old.
The Air and Ténéré Natural Reserves in Niger contain rock carvings thousands of years old that show elephants, giraffes, and crocodiles — animals that once lived there when the Sahara was green.
Niger holds some of the world's largest uranium deposits — a mineral used to produce nuclear energy — and is one of the top five uranium-producing nations on earth, yet most people in the country have no electricity in their homes.
Daily Life
61
Years life expectancy
36%
Can read and write
65%
Kids go to school
Missions Field Report
Niger is home to 36 distinct people groups — 30 of them haven’t yet heard about Jesus.
Nearly all Niger's people follow Islam (95.5%). Evangelical Christians make up about 1.0% of the population.
What People Believe
Unreached People Groups
These are communities of people who haven’t had the chance to hear about Jesus yet. They need missionaries — and they need kids like you to pray for them.
Hausa
14,684,000 people
Zarma
5,066,000 people
Tuareg, Tamajaq
1,240,000 people
Hausa, Maouri
1,006,000 people
Fulani, Central-Eastern
834,000 people
Prayer Journal
Tick each one as you pray. God hears every word.