A path to success for young people in Niger.
Dispositif d’Initiatives pour les Métiers de l’Artisanat is a community-led organization that uses the rich cultural heritage of Niger to train people in the skills they need to get paying work. We train young people to become artisans, support practicing craftspeople, and work to preserve the cultural heritage of Niger.
Free instruction
About 45% on Nigeriens live on less than $1.90 per day. Eighty percent of our program participants are young women, some with children and families to support. We provide instructors, equipment and supplies free of charge. As needed, we provide additional assistance such as transportation and meals.
All educational backgrounds accepted
Almost half of young people in Niger never attend primary school. Those with high school diplomas often cannot find work. We welcome everyone in our programs from those who have never attended school to high school graduates. Training is done in Hausa and Zarma, the two most common local languages in Niger.
Up to three years of training
Our staff are either master craftspeople or experienced in providing services to artisans. They know the level of skill necessary to be able to earn a living. Our instructors give students the kind of in-depth training that makes our graduates in demand by employers and customers.
Our Work Changes Lives
The first group of tailoring and leather working students graduated in July 2021. We located 33 of the 36 graduates in February 2022. They all had paying jobs.
In October 2021, 60 new tailoring and leather working students started training. By the spring of 2023, 30 leather working students (27 young women, 3 young men) were working weekends at two ateliers that make and export leather goods to France, even though the students had one more year of training to complete.
