Niger

After gaining independence from France in 1960, Niger experienced more than thirty years of military rule. Multiparty elections were finally held in 1993, but a series of coups disrupted the democratic government until 1999. Niger is one of the world's poorest countries and ranks nearly last on the United Nations Development Fund index of human development. Government services are minimal, and extended droughts challenge the subsistence agrarian economy and cause widespread food insecurity. School-age children account for over 40 percent of the population, and Counterpart works to increase enrollment rates and improve primary schools, while also building communities' capacity to avert food shortages and create economic growth.

Map and country information, The World Factbook 2009. Washington, DC: Central Intelligence Agency, 2009.