Everyone loves good news. Especially in Africa!
My primary project has been funded! As most of you know, I have been working non-stop to find funding to repair a broken foot pump in my village. The project began the second I moved into my village in March 2009 and my new villagers said, “We have no water! We can’t do anything until we fix our pump!”
The village does in fact have water but it is difficult to get and dirty once you get it. We share the 50-meter-deep open well with nomadic herders who use our drinking, cooking, and bathing water for their cattle and goats. Everyone in the village but me must settle for unfiltered water that causes a plethora of gastro-intestinal and parasitic illnesses.
This well, in addition to being a health hazard, is a pain to use for the women. They are the ones responsible for pulling water from sunrise to sunset. Their hands are hard, bumpy and calloused from pulling hundreds of these waterlogged buckets every day. Thousands a month. Millions a year. The pump, when working, is operated by foot. The strength of the leg muscles ensures that retrieving water from the pump is a much easier task than pulling water with the arm and back muscles. I can’t wait to see the hands of these hard-working women become soft and beautiful again for the first time since childhood.
Without a functioning pump, the daughters from age 8-15 are often the ones in charge of pulling the water and carrying it home. When speaking to the village women about girls’ education, many are reluctant to let their school-age daughters go to school. Since March 2009, I have been explaining the value of education, especially for females, to every mother and father that will listen to me. The goal has been to gain support in bringing a primary school teacher to the village. The mothers all agree that with a pump, the domestic work load would significantly decrease and their daughters could go to school with full support of the entire family. The fathers have already compiled a list of 60 girls and 40 boys that they want to go to school.
I am also excited for the pump because it will lead to a cold season vegetable garden starting next November. The isolation of the village makes it hard to buy vegetables. The lack of water makes it impossible to grow vegetables. Currently the only source of vitamins in the village is bush weeds that are collected and dried in the rainy season. As an agriculture volunteer, I have been impatiently waiting for my project grant so that I can finally begin some gardening work in Niger.
I will post more updates once the repairs are actually made. Today, I’m headed back to the bush. I have already told the villagers the good news via cell phone. Now it is time to tell them in person. This will probably call for a fete, complete with roasted sheep!
Check in from time to time as I live out my Peace Corps life in Niger. Also, please see the bottom of the page for a general description of my blog.
My current address in Niger
Emily Haghighi, PCV
Corps de la Paix
B. P. 88
My cell phone number! (reception isn't good in my village so we'd need to schedule a phone date):
011+227+97150655
Blog Archive
About Me
Niger FAQs
Where is Niger?
Niger is located just below the Sahara Desert in a landlocked region of Western Africa. It is southeast of Algeria and due north of Nigeria. See the map.
What is the population?
14.2 million people (according to the 2007 UN census)
What is the official language?
French. Hausa, and Zarma
What are the major religions?
About 90% of the population practices Islam. Other beliefs include Christianity and Animism.
What is the geography, climate, and terrain like?
Niger is almost twice the size of Texas. The northern half extends into the Sahara. The Sahel is a strip of semi-arid land south of the Sahara that goes through the middle of Niger (east to west). This area is used largely for farming and animal husbandry. The Niger River runs through the southern extreme of Niger, which is a tropical region. Niamey, the capital of Niger, is located along the Niger River.
Niger borders Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, and Libya.
The Saharan region of Niger is almost all unsettled land, while the Sahel region supports a large proportion of the population. In general the Nigerien dry season is from October to June with the hottest temperatures lasting from March to May (reaching 44 degrees Celsius/110 degrees Fahrenheit). The rainy season lasts from June to October and the coolest months are November through February (averaging 10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit).
Is the government stable?
Niger is a republic. It gained its independence from France on August 3, 1960. Until 1991, the country was held under single-party military rule when public pressure forced the government to hold multi-party elections. By 1993, the transition to a democratic government was complete. Although political unrest in the 1990s resulted in coups and disruption in the federal government, Mamadou Tandja (of the National Movement for Society and Development) became president in 1999 and again in 2004. He has been praised for maintaining stability in Nigerien society and politics. However, Niger is still considered one of the least-developed nations in the world, according the the UN.
There has been concern for unrest building from the Tuareg rebel group, the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ). The Tuaregs are a nomadic group of the Sahara in Niger and Mali. The MNJ and other Tuaregs have grievances against the national government for its lack of Tuareg representation and a general marginalization of the nomadic peoples. In February 2007, the MNJ was formed due to continued frustrations by Tuaregs in Niger. There have been a series of attacks on government facilities in northern Niger. However, the BBC explains that the governments of Mali and Niger are working toward reconciliation with the Tuareg insurgents and call upon the international community for greater support. See the related BBC article.
Niger is located just below the Sahara Desert in a landlocked region of Western Africa. It is southeast of Algeria and due north of Nigeria. See the map.
What is the population?
14.2 million people (according to the 2007 UN census)
What is the official language?
French. Hausa, and Zarma
What are the major religions?
About 90% of the population practices Islam. Other beliefs include Christianity and Animism.
What is the geography, climate, and terrain like?
Niger is almost twice the size of Texas. The northern half extends into the Sahara. The Sahel is a strip of semi-arid land south of the Sahara that goes through the middle of Niger (east to west). This area is used largely for farming and animal husbandry. The Niger River runs through the southern extreme of Niger, which is a tropical region. Niamey, the capital of Niger, is located along the Niger River.
Niger borders Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Chad, and Libya.
The Saharan region of Niger is almost all unsettled land, while the Sahel region supports a large proportion of the population. In general the Nigerien dry season is from October to June with the hottest temperatures lasting from March to May (reaching 44 degrees Celsius/110 degrees Fahrenheit). The rainy season lasts from June to October and the coolest months are November through February (averaging 10 degrees Celsius/50 degrees Fahrenheit).
Is the government stable?
Niger is a republic. It gained its independence from France on August 3, 1960. Until 1991, the country was held under single-party military rule when public pressure forced the government to hold multi-party elections. By 1993, the transition to a democratic government was complete. Although political unrest in the 1990s resulted in coups and disruption in the federal government, Mamadou Tandja (of the National Movement for Society and Development) became president in 1999 and again in 2004. He has been praised for maintaining stability in Nigerien society and politics. However, Niger is still considered one of the least-developed nations in the world, according the the UN.
There has been concern for unrest building from the Tuareg rebel group, the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ). The Tuaregs are a nomadic group of the Sahara in Niger and Mali. The MNJ and other Tuaregs have grievances against the national government for its lack of Tuareg representation and a general marginalization of the nomadic peoples. In February 2007, the MNJ was formed due to continued frustrations by Tuaregs in Niger. There have been a series of attacks on government facilities in northern Niger. However, the BBC explains that the governments of Mali and Niger are working toward reconciliation with the Tuareg insurgents and call upon the international community for greater support. See the related BBC article.
So what's all this talk about Niger?
In May 2008, I graduated from Soka University of America. This unique university was founded on the Buddhist principles of peace, human rights, and the sanctity of life. Based on my own interests in sustainable development, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, I decided that a natural continuation to my university education was to join the Peace Corps. For the past year, I have been moving towards this path and on October 10, 2008, I fly to Hamdallaye, Niger to begin a life as a Peace Corps volunteer. I feel very strongly about having a balance between academic education and practical education. In the past four years, I have read stacks of books, journal articles, and news reports about sustainable development and Africa, I have completed a thorough Capstone Project on water resources development in Africa, and now it is time for me to bring my knowledge to the field.
In Niger, I will only spend three months in Hamdallaye. The next two years will be spent in a small village (the specifics are yet to be disclosed to me) working with local farmers and agencies to develop a sounder and more sustainable farming system based on the specific needs of the villagers and local economy. I am proud to go to Niger where grassroots efforts in various examples (with no outside funding, mind you) have shown tangible environmental improvements. Please watch an excellent NY Times video on this subject here.
So please enjoy this little blog about my new life in Niger. Check in from time to time to see what I'm up to and the great things I am learning from these amazing people of Niger!
In Niger, I will only spend three months in Hamdallaye. The next two years will be spent in a small village (the specifics are yet to be disclosed to me) working with local farmers and agencies to develop a sounder and more sustainable farming system based on the specific needs of the villagers and local economy. I am proud to go to Niger where grassroots efforts in various examples (with no outside funding, mind you) have shown tangible environmental improvements. Please watch an excellent NY Times video on this subject here.
So please enjoy this little blog about my new life in Niger. Check in from time to time to see what I'm up to and the great things I am learning from these amazing people of Niger!
2 comments:
oh! my goodness Emie-moon!! I am so happy to hear about the pump!!! Victory for you!!! Congratulations!!!!!!!!
Wow, Emily, I'm SO impressed. Thank you for all of your hard work. You are doing amazing things and contributing to the world in such a wonderful way. We each have a unique contribution to make, and I am truly happy you are there right now. Keep fighting! miss you. <3 Sabrina K.
Post a Comment