The Idea of the YMCA in Niger was started by a group of Volunteers in Niamey, under Lay Leadership of Yazi Adamou (founder) on February 28th, 2004.
YMCA Niger is present in 5 of the 8 regions of the larger Niger (Dosso, Maradi, Niamey, Thaoua and Zinder).
The YMCA’s formation was motivated by the founder’s connection with the International Sports Coalition, whose aim was to use sports as a means to spread the Gospel of Christ.
For the Sports Chapter to receive funding from the International Sports coalition based in the USA, it was agreed that an association would be formed. This led to the formation of the Christian Sports Network in Niger. The Network overtime separated from the YMCA due to its strict focus on sports and evangelism, while the YMCA was embracing inclusivity in a broader scope of service delivery.
This split led to the birth of the Niger YMCA, which was authorized to practice in Niger as a Development Association in September of 2004.
The newly founded YMCA continued its operations at the founder’s house in Niamey for a while before renting office space from member’s contributions.