“A few years ago, in the space of just 25 days, I lost two children; it’s something that I will never forget. My son was just three months old when his mother became pregnant again and could no longer breastfeed him. My son then fell ill, and my wife gave birth to the second child, a baby girl. She had a big belly, and so did my wife,” said Adamou, a religious leader In Niger’s Dosso region.
During these difficult times, Adamou looked after his son, who was already very weak, while his wife looked after the newborn. At that time, in their village of Bossia, there was no health center; the nearest was dozens of kilometers away. The boy eventually died, and 25 days later, his little sister followed. Due to the very close pregnancies, none of the children benefited from good breastfeeding and nutrition. Plus, when they fell ill, there was no health center nearby to provide emergency medical care. But Adamou was not out of the woods yet, as his wife’s health deteriorated further, and he had to take her to a health center in another village.
“I spent 26 days at the health center before my wife recovered,” said Adamou.
The series of tragedies that Adamou and his family endured are not uncommon in rural areas of Niger that are largely cut off from essential health care. Adamou’s wife did not receive antenatal care from a health provider who would have monitored her pregnancy. She did not have access to family planning services that would have allowed her to space her pregnancies, protecting her own health and her newborn.
Religious leaders instill change
But things are changing in Bossia as a new initiative mobilizes religious leaders like Adamou to garner support for bringing health care to women and children in the village.
The J-Matassa project aims to reduce maternal mortality, early marriage, and unwanted pregnancies through the engagement of local communities and their leaders and close partnership with the government. At the same time, the project offers young people opportunities to pursue their studies and develop their careers, improving their financial independence.
The project is supported by the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented in partnership with MSI Reproductive Choices Niger and the Association of Young Girls for Reproductive Health. The project works in 11 rural districts of Dosso and Tillabéri regions, where extreme poverty, maternal deaths, and security challenges are pervasive. J-Matassa is part of Pathfinder’s efforts in Niger over the past decade to support the Ministry of Health in improving the health of mothers and children through increased access to quality reproductive health care and family planning services among women, girls, and adolescents.
As part of the J-Matassa project, Adamou is one of the religious leaders in Bossia who has received training on gender equality and sexual and reproductive health and rights. The training, combined with his personal experience, form powerful messages he carries to his community.
“With what I had experienced with my two children and my wife, I decided to get involved so that never again would a child or a mother lose their life due to a lack of information and services for family planning,” said Adamou.
Improving the lives of women and children in Bossia and beyond
In addition to the awareness-raising he does in Bossia village, Adamou travels long distances, 15 to 25 kilometers, often on foot, to other villages to share his wisdom. During the sessions, Adamou shares his story and uses his position as a religious leader to get the message across. He often preaches after prayers, as this is a time when people are most receptive. When he speaks, people listen.
Adamou has already reached 15 villages, where women now attend regular attend antenatal care appointments and have access to family planning and reproductive health services. Now, Bossia has a health center built by the Ministry of Health that provides access to health care for 26 surrounding villages. As a result, fewer children are dying due to closely spaced pregnancies. From 2003 to 2024, the percentage of newborns dying dropped from 20% to 15%.
But there is still a lot of work to be done in increasing access to critical services.
Adamou is not alone in his advocacy; he has the support and participation of his entire family. His wives go door to door, and two of them have become matrons, assisting women in labor. With his advanced age, he couldn’t cover the entire population on his own, so he trained other people to continue raising awareness.
“If I die now, I’ll go in peace, with the satisfaction of having brought about a change in my community by contributing to the reduction of maternal and infant mortality through family planning awareness campaigns,” said Adamou. “I know that with J-Matassa we’re going to work harder to reduce the deaths of our children and our wives… We want more resources for the health center, equipment, and a vehicle to transport our patients who can’t be cared for here. Our wish today is to save our women and children; we are well aware of the importance of prenatal consultations and family planning.”
