Nigeria
Students listen during a CRS-sponsored lecture about HIV and lifestyle choices. Photo by Lane Hartill/CRS
Despite vast mineral wealth, Nigeria remains one of the least developed countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Oil is Nigeria's blessing and curse-bringing tremendous wealth to a few but little benefit to the average Nigerian. Good governance remains a challenge given past military rule, high oil revenues and a huge, ethnically diverse population of more than 140 million.The health situation is dire, with high maternal/child mortality, endemic malaria and the second largest population of HIV positive people in the world. The overwhelmed health system is among the worst in the world, resulting in a decrease in average life expectancy over the past 15 years.
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Stats
| Population: | 149,229,090 (July 2009 est.) |
| Size: | 356,700 sq mi; about the size of California, Nevada, and Arizona |
| People Served: | 65,232 (2011 est.) |
History
Catholic Relief Services began working in Nigeria in the late 1960s, organizing the delivery of relief supplies to Nigerians in need during the Biafra War. CRS suspended programming in 1970, but following Nigeria's return to democracy, CRS opened an office in the capital, Abuja, in July 2000. Partnering with the Catholic Church and other community-based organizations, CRS works to meet the needs of Nigerians affected by the widespread communal violence stemming from ethnic, political, commercial and religious conflicts. In recent years, CRS has extended programming beyond emergency response to include peacebuilding, governance, and HIV and AIDS projects.
Partners
The Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria (CSN) is the national administrative headquarters of the Nigerian Catholic Bishops' Conference. CSN advocates and coordinates activities by using the extensive network of 51 dioceses in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to provide health, justice, peace and development services. Catholic Relief Services collaborates with CSN in carrying out programs, providing technical support and guidance in the Church's response to HIV and AIDS, and addressing issues of governance, peace, justice and disaster responses across Nigeria. CSN is an important partner in the community-based care and support of HIV-positive Nigerians. CRS also supports CSN's Extractives Think Tank In addition to CSN, CRS works through 24 Catholic hospitals (and 10 others) to provide comprehensive HIV and AIDS care via the AIDSRelief program.
