This is Oussam, the second child to be sponsored by Meriden Animal Health.  Oussam is a 5 year old boy from Niger.  His father is a farmer and his mother is a housewife.  He has one older sister and he has just started school.

Oussam lives in the south of Niger, in the Dosso area.  The population of Dosso is estimated at 53,000 inhabitants, mostly children.  Most people are farmers who raise cattle and in some cases run small businesses.  Farming is practiced from June to September and crops grown include millet, sorghim and corn.

Some children attend school from October to June.  Many families do not value school and sometimes there are not enough classrooms and materials.  Many children who complete primary education have a hard time continuing to secondary school as they are so far away, unless you have a relative to stay with.

There is no electricity and drinking water and due to the food crisis, food is sometimes scarce.

Plan UK has been working in the area since 1999 and has provided a starting point for the people to make their way out of poverty.  It takes a certain amount of self-reliance and hard work to make ends meet.  The soil in Dosso is not too good for an area that's economy relies on agriculture.  Malnutrition among the youngest is not uncommon.  Lack of sufficent financial resources makes good healthcare out of reach for most people.  Access to potable water is still a problem for some communities.  In the face of these difficulties, attending school may not be a priority for many.  Since working with Plan things have started to change.  Communities now provide volunteership when needed during infrastructure construction.  Once a project is completed by Plan, the community is in charge of ensuring it's sustainability.  The revenues provided by the sales of water are used to cover the infrastructure's maintenance and repair fees.  Children are also involved in community life.  Through school governments for example, Plan UK helps to promote education by helping children own and manage businesses.  Plan UK also volunteers in health related projects to encourage the community to adopt a preventative attitude so people can avoid paying for expensive medicines.  Through this approach, the community has a sense of ownership in their future development.