While the kinds of stresses and shocks that typically affect the Sahel region cannot be prevented, USAID’s Resilience in the Sahel Enhanced (RISE) program was designed to help communities in Burkina Faso and Niger more effectively withstand and recover from them. Gender inequality can undermine efforts to enhance resilience capacity. A report by one of USAID’s RISE partners goes went so far as to state “it is impossible to build resilience in households and communities without also addressing systemic gender inequality.” In this study we explored both gender inequality in Hausa communities in southern Niger and the meaning of women’s empowerment in this context.
