Credit and savings groups, like the one seen here, help women in Niger earn an income to support their families (© 2005 CARE)
In a culture where male and female villagers socialize separately, where men are allowed up to four wives, and where women often have no voice at all, Amarou's proposal to Aicha at age 16 was reminiscent of a fairy tale.
The ending, however, was not as romantic.
With few work opportunities and food shortages almost every year in Niger, young couples such as Aicha and Amarou often seek work in the bustling city of Abidjan in neighboring Cote d'Ivoire. Four years ago, Amarou fell gravely ill while working there.
They returned to Niger with their 3-year-old daughter. After the family spent all of their meager resources on travel and two weeks' treatment at the Tahoua hospital, Amarou's situation was declared hopeless.
Two weeks later, he died in their home village of Gidan-Illo.
No diagnosis was made, but as any villager of the region will tell you, "there is only one reason why a man becomes seriously ill or dies abroad" — through contracting AIDS.
In their district of Bouza, more than 80 percent of households participate in annual migratory work in Cote d'Ivoire. The impact of HIV/AIDS is so devastating that the district is known as "the Valley of the Widows."
"I did not inherit my husband's field. I did not inherit anything," said Aicha.
As is the case for most Nigerien widows, Aicha received no inheritance and was obligated to return with her daughter to her mother's house in Gidan-Illo and try to find a new husband — not an easy task for a woman deemed "touched by AIDS".
"I am able to survive because I work in the field that was my husband's — the field now owned by my brother-in-law," Aicha says. "I work in the millet fields with my mother so we will have food to eat. We earn approximately 2.5 kilos of millet a day — the absolute minimum we need to survive. Sometimes, we earn as much as 7 kilos of millet, but this is rare. When it happens, we sell the rest for 1,375 CFA (approximately US$2.61), and I buy necessities — and sometimes treats, like beignets, for my daughter.
Aicha's two brothers, who work in Côte d'Ivoire, also send money when they can. "They send approximately US$38 every two months, says Aicha. "But this year, they have sent less."
Today, Aicha is a member of her village's Mata Masu Dubara (MMD) group, a network of women's credit and savings groups first organized by CARE 15 years ago. The MMD group provides small loans and health education to women and children affected by AIDS. The project also educates villagers about HIV/AIDS, showing films that explain how HIV is transmitted and how it can be prevented.
"The MMD savings group has greatly affected my life," says Aicha. "It has supported me both morally and financially."
The women of Gidan-Illo's MMD group elected Aicha to be treasurer of their bank. In this role, she maintains the books and solicits weekly earnings from each member. For this work, Aicha earns about 40 cents each week. She has used this money to start her own small business selling tourteaux — small cakes made of nuts, oil and wild plants. They are traditionally produced as cattle feed, but Nigeriens eat them whole and use them in recipes during times of food shortage.
Aicha has been a widow for four years now. "Four years is too long. People must be scared to marry her," says a woman from a neighboring village. "Not necessarily," says CARE field agent Hadiza. "Look at her. She is still sad for her husband. She is not ready."
Thanks to CARE's HIV/AIDS education, men are now willing to consider widows for remarriage. Proposals are offered upon completion of HIV testing.
With the support of CARE's MMD group, Aicha can earn a better living for herself and her daughter. And through better education, the community is offering widows like Aicha more acceptance and a chance for a new start.
