A derelict mud-brick mosque was preserved and renovated as a community library, and a new mosque was built to form this religious, cultural, and educational centre. The rural village in western Niger has a young population with low literacy rates and high economic vulnerability. The new library contains book stacks and reading rooms, a computer lab, study spaces, and classrooms for literacy and accounting; the centre also serves four local women’s associations who make frequent use of the centre’s workshops. The new mosque accommodates 1,000 worshippers and was built from compressed-earth bricks. The site is landscaped with gardens, an amphitheatre, and a playground for children.

Source: Aga Khan Trust for Culture