Hey guys, I know it’s been a good while. I’ve been in my village for the better part of two months I think…it’s hard to keep track of time when you’re in the bush. I have been here for over a year now which is hard to believe! Just wanted to update you all on life in Niger… 
I spend a few days in the village before heading down to Gaya for my 23rd birthday! Not the first birthday spent out of country but the first in Africa. At least I was able to spend it with some friends. Nothing crazy of course but I enjoyed myself. When you’ve been here for a while you really come to appreciate the blessings in your life, and another year is something to be grateful for.
Village life has had its ups and downs lately. I have recently spent time out of the school trying to finish up all of the painting before the school year begins. I was able to paint all of the windowsills as well as the doorframe. I also painted the exterior of all of the school windows (which are metal) as well as the door a royal blue so now it can be seen from a long way off. It looks great!
An NGO (non-governmental organization) sponsored by UNICEF and USAID came through my village recently to give out food aid to mothers with children aged 6-36 months. I was asked to be the liaison between the villagers and the NGO. The NGO was extremely unprepared for the
distribution. Half of the volunteers were speaking to my village women in French, which of course they did not understand a bit. They had not separated the oil, sugar or flour into separate bags beforehand so it was not until after dark when they were actually ready to begin the distribution: one liter of palm oil, one kilo of sugar and 1/3 of a sack of an enriched corn/bean flour mixture per child. Somehow I was given the responsibility of holding the empty bags while they poured the oil into them. About 15 minutes in, a bag burst and an entire liter of oil spilled down my arm, shirt and pants all the way to my feet, but all I could do was grab another bag and keep on going. They rushed through the distribution and then left my village around 11pm, as soon as it was finished. The biggest problem was the fact that they never explained what the women were supposed to do with the food. In reality it was supposed to be used to make a nutritious weaning porridge for young children. The next day I had most of the women coming to ask me what to do with the flour since they had no clue that the flour, sugar and oil were to be used together to make a porridge. In effect, it was the children who suffered as the adults ate the sugar, oil and even flour. I did my best to teach my villagers to make a porridge but I saw many of them eating and feeding their kids the dry flour. It was a perfect example to me of how a potential life saving distribution of aid can be detrimental if the recipients are not educated in advance. “Kala suuru” or “have patience,” as they always say here.
On a positive note, I finally planted a rainy season garden and a few trees in my concession. I planted all sorts of vegetables including tomato, cucumber, basil, corn, hibiscus, beans, pumpkin and lima beans. I built a short fence around my garden in order to keep out goats, chickens and guinea fowls along with curious children. Most of the seeds have sprouted and are doing well. The eggplant that I planted last cold season has begun to bear fruit and I have already eaten a few!
Rainy season is going great and the millet and corn is growing taller and bigger everyday, which the villagers are very grateful for. It has been great for me too as the day after the rains are usually overcast and not hot and the nights are cool and comfortable. More to come very soon…take care, best wishes from Niger.
I spend a few days in the village before heading down to Gaya for my 23rd birthday! Not the first birthday spent out of country but the first in Africa. At least I was able to spend it with some friends. Nothing crazy of course but I enjoyed myself. When you’ve been here for a while you really come to appreciate the blessings in your life, and another year is something to be grateful for.
Village life has had its ups and downs lately. I have recently spent time out of the school trying to finish up all of the painting before the school year begins. I was able to paint all of the windowsills as well as the doorframe. I also painted the exterior of all of the school windows (which are metal) as well as the door a royal blue so now it can be seen from a long way off. It looks great!
An NGO (non-governmental organization) sponsored by UNICEF and USAID came through my village recently to give out food aid to mothers with children aged 6-36 months. I was asked to be the liaison between the villagers and the NGO. The NGO was extremely unprepared for the
distribution. Half of the volunteers were speaking to my village women in French, which of course they did not understand a bit. They had not separated the oil, sugar or flour into separate bags beforehand so it was not until after dark when they were actually ready to begin the distribution: one liter of palm oil, one kilo of sugar and 1/3 of a sack of an enriched corn/bean flour mixture per child. Somehow I was given the responsibility of holding the empty bags while they poured the oil into them. About 15 minutes in, a bag burst and an entire liter of oil spilled down my arm, shirt and pants all the way to my feet, but all I could do was grab another bag and keep on going. They rushed through the distribution and then left my village around 11pm, as soon as it was finished. The biggest problem was the fact that they never explained what the women were supposed to do with the food. In reality it was supposed to be used to make a nutritious weaning porridge for young children. The next day I had most of the women coming to ask me what to do with the flour since they had no clue that the flour, sugar and oil were to be used together to make a porridge. In effect, it was the children who suffered as the adults ate the sugar, oil and even flour. I did my best to teach my villagers to make a porridge but I saw many of them eating and feeding their kids the dry flour. It was a perfect example to me of how a potential life saving distribution of aid can be detrimental if the recipients are not educated in advance. “Kala suuru” or “have patience,” as they always say here.
On a positive note, I finally planted a rainy season garden and a few trees in my concession. I planted all sorts of vegetables including tomato, cucumber, basil, corn, hibiscus, beans, pumpkin and lima beans. I built a short fence around my garden in order to keep out goats, chickens and guinea fowls along with curious children. Most of the seeds have sprouted and are doing well. The eggplant that I planted last cold season has begun to bear fruit and I have already eaten a few!Rainy season is going great and the millet and corn is growing taller and bigger everyday, which the villagers are very grateful for. It has been great for me too as the day after the rains are usually overcast and not hot and the nights are cool and comfortable. More to come very soon…take care, best wishes from Niger.
1 comment:
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NOWhttp://niger1.com/projectplayniger.html
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