Hello
from
I’m Natalie Naeser. I work for GIZ in Niger, where I manage the Sahel Resilience Strengthening project. Together with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), we’re engaged in a cross-border effort to raise the crisis resilience of communities in particularly fragile contexts – be it in response to climate change or social tensions, or to promote societal cohesion.
I made a conscious choice to work in fragile contexts because I’ve always been interested in difficult situations. It was immediately after completing my degree in International Humanitarian Action that I took on my first assignment in a crisis area – after the devastating earthquake in Haiti. That’s when I realised that this work is meaningful and important. I’ve been here in Niger since 2021, first as an advisor, now as a project manager. I really appreciate the close collaboration with UNICEF and WFP because it gives me a broader perspective. We learn from one another in the different countries, comparing and adapting approaches. In a context like the Sahel, that’s incredibly valuable.
We also work closely with farming communities and promote climate-adapted agriculture. We’re improving people’s access to water and income, and we focus very specifically on building up local capacities. Support for women is particularly important to me. That’s why I make a deliberate effort to recruit women as advisors on site. They’re important role models for the girls in the villages. I’m convinced that development needs feminist perspectives. It’s not enough just to ‘think about’ women – we have to dismantle structural barriers if we want to make genuine participation possible.
My family lives in Berlin because, at the moment, the security situation in Niger is not stable enough to live here with children. We spent four years together in Africa, two years in Rwanda followed by two in Niger, until the German Federal Foreign Office reassessed the security situation in July 2023. Since then, for safety reasons, children have officially no longer been allowed to stay here. The two years in Niamey were a wonderful and intensive time for us as a family. Based on my own experience, I’d definitely recommend giving it a go and discovering your enthusiasm for ‘difficult’ locations, even if you have children. In Niger in particular, we found a great international community and we made lots of memories that we’re glad we didn’t miss out on.
Today, I spend seven months in Niamey and five based in Germany. This works very well. My husband manages the family routine, and I can rely on a dedicated team in Niger. I always keep in close contact with my children through video calls. That means I can do things like help my daughter with her homework and study with her for her French tests.
Best regards,
Natalie Naeser
June 2025