A trip to Maradi

Last week I had the privilege of traveling to Maradi, a city 600km east of Niamey, to participate in an SIM orientation program for members who are new to Niger. The road trip took almost 11 hours, mostly due to difficult road conditions. Here are some common sights along the way...



A highlight was an afternoon visit to Danja, about 20 mins drive from Maradi, where SIM operates a hospital dedicated to the care of patients with leprosy. A new hospital dedicated to the care of women with obstetric fistula is now under construction. Both of these conditions are almost unknown in the west, but affect the lives of so many here.







The fistula hospital under construction.



Another highlight was a visit to "Maza Tsaye" - an agricultural project. Here, new sustainable farming ideas and plant varieties are trialled and information passed on to local farmers. The women are included too! Training in sanitation and nutrition compliments the agricultural program. I was impressed with this holistic approach.

Holiday Adventure

What do you do for fun during the holidays if you live on the edge of the Sahara desert? Camel riding and hippo spotting of course!!!

The camel ride was slow and rather bumpy, but lots of fun. The only time I thought I might fall off was when the camel was kneeling down to let me off.




We got off the the camels at a village called "Boubon", where market day was in full swing...

This grain is "millet", the most widely grown crop here.







After a good look at all that was on offer in the market - animals and fish (dead and alive), pottery, clothing, vegetables, herbs and spices and much more - we adopted a different mode of transport for our return journey...



River Transportation







Mango Trees









Water Lillies







Hippos!!!

Christmas Party at CSEN

Last Wednesday we held a Christmas party for the children at CSEN. It was a very fun and special time...

Playing "duck, duck, goose" (though in French it was actually "chicken, chicken, duck"). As I had several of the younger children trying to sit on my lap while we were playing, it was difficult for me to get up and chase the "duck" when it was my turn!

The children were exceptionally well behaved as we handed out gifts and treats, and were genuinely excited and greatful...

Teddy bears and toys for the littlest children...



The girls each chose a necklace...



Puzzles, books, crayons and other assorted gifts all round!

CSEN Orphange

After school on Wednesday afternoons I have been visiting an orphange with some of my students (and two parents) from Sahel. "CSEN" stands for "Compassionate Solidarity for the Children of Niger"... if the accronym doesn't look quite right, thats because its in French!



Most weeks we take along some toys or games to play with, or books to read. Colouring in is definatey a favourite activity! There are almost always arguments over whatever we bring along. Sharing and taking turns appear to be either unfamiliar or unpopular concepts. We spend the whole time in their outdoor play area, where there are two swing sets, a climbing frame, a lovely large tree for shade and lots of red dirt.

A few weeks ago one little girl, Fasia, fell off a bunk bed and broke her arm. The following week I was able to visit her in hospital where she was waiting to have surgery. On the way to the hospital I was preparing myself for the worst, but I was pleasantly surprised. The hospital grounds were neat and shady. The facilities in the rooms were very basic, but clean and not over crowded. However, after more than 2 weeks of waiting Fasia still had not had the surgery she needed, so a collegue arranged for her to be transferred to a brand new private hospital called "Cure" where I'm told she had surgery last Wednesday.


Fasia the week before she broke her arm.

Drawing pictures in hospital.

A few more fun pictures from Sahel!

Pouring concrete on the second floor of the new office building

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Chemisty teacher (a fellow Aussie) in action... the pictures tell the story!!!

Sahel Academy Spirit

The first week of October was "Spirit Week" at Sahel Academy. Sounds serious, but actually its all about fun and softball - the Niamey Universal Tournament of Softball, or "NUTS" for short. Here are a few pictures of Sahel students getting into the spirit...

I've discovered that the road I live on is called "rue du riz" - the "rice road". This picture, taken just down the road from Sahel, explains why...






The rains have stopped, but the Niger river is still carrying alot of water. This is a view of the city from the "other" side of the river (ie. the side I live and work on).