January 2004
Friends
of Niger & NPCA
Meet in Chicago this August
Plan to Attend the Combination
Reunion/Conference: August 5-8, 2004
Once again,
Friends of Niger
will sponsor and organize special FON events
to coincide with the biannual NPCA
conference. The 2004 gathering will take place August 5-8 in Chicago.
As has been the practice,
Friends of Niger events will be open to all 'friends' of Niger - members
of FON, Nigeriens, RPCVs, friends and family of PCVs, etc. FON
members who are also NPCA members may choose to attend NPCA sessions as well
and will receive information regarding these meetings (and their costs) directly
from NPCA.
FON events (which are
free of charge) will include social gatherings on the evenings of August 5,
6, and 7; an information/exchange session on Saturday, August 7; and other opportunities
for 'friends' to gather, reacquaint themselves with old friends and make new
ones. Updates will be posted to this site on a periodic basis between now and
August.
Ambassador
Robert J. Ryan
Passes Away in His 90th Year
Robert J. Ryan, Sr., U.S. Ambassador to Niger,
1964-68, and long-time member and supporter of Friends of Niger,
died at his home in Daytona Beach, Florida on September 17, 2003. 'Bob',
as he was known to FON activists, was 89 years old.
Ambassador Ryan was born in Massachusetts
and joined the Department of State in 1937. Upon retirement, he was appointed
an Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations where he was responsible
for overseeing the logistics of peacekeeping operations. He retired again
in 1977 but retained an ongoing and active interest in both the Foreign
Service and the United Nations.
Bob's love for and commitment to Niger never
flagged. He retained an active membership in Friends of Niger, was
strongly supportive of the organizatio'ns various activities and projects,
freely sharing his knowledge and his personal resources. In 2001, at the
Celebration of Niger event in Washington, D.C., Bob was recognized with
a Friends of Niger Special Achievement Award for his "important and
lasting contribution to Niger and its people and to the purposes of Friends
of Niger."
Ambassador Ryan is survived by his wife Mary,
two sons, four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.
Standing in the middle of the second row,
Ambassador Ryan is flanked by his wife Mary and Nigerien President Hamani
Diori. The photo was taken in 1965 at the presidential palace in Niamey
on the occasion of a reception in honor of Peace Corps Volunteers and
staff. In the bottom row, between President Diori and Ambassador Ryan
is Niger Peace Corps County Director C. Payne Lucas.
In his June 10, 1963
speech at American University, President Kennedy said:
"What kind of
peace do we seek? Not a Pax Americana enforced on the world by American weapons
of war. Not the peace of the grave or the security of the slave. I am talking
about genuine peace, the kind of peace that makes life on earth worth living,
the kind that enables men and nations to grow and to hope and to build a better
life for their children -- not merely peace for Americans but peace for all
men and women -- not merely peace in our time but peace for all time."
FON
Announces Another
Trip to Niger:
Planning Begins for Early 2005
The FON Board of Directors has
taken the decision to begin the planning required for a second Friends of Niger
trip to Niger. The first trip took place in October 2002.
According to FON President, Jim
Schneider, "tentative plans envision the 2005 trip taking place early in
the year - January or February."
Schneider also indicated that
the 2005 trip will include many of the same features as the highly successful
2002 event, "with, perhaps, a little more emphasis on participation in
service activities or work projects."
Anyone with an interest or questions
related to participation in the trip is encouraged to contact Jim
Schneider
Micro
Niger
- How You Can Help -
Contributions to our ongoing support for microcredit
in Niger should be made payable to Friends of Niger and sent to: Micro
Niger c/o FON, P.O. Box 33164, Washington, DC, 20033-0164 or sent along
with the Friends
of Niger 2003 Membership & Order Form .
Vitamin
Campaign
- How You Can Help -
Donations to FON’s ongoing vitamin campaign
should be made payable to Friends of Niger and sent to Vitamins,
c/o FON, PO Box 33164, Washington, DC, 20033-0164 or sent along with the
Friends
of Niger 2004 Membership & Order Form
Video
Production that Features FON
Available for Purchase in DVD & VHS
The 42 minute documentary on Niger, originally
produced for Canadian TV and shot in Niger in January 2002, is now available
for purchase from Friends of Niger.
From the blurb of the video's jacket - "In
a 'Brother from Niger', award winning journalist Andrew Younger brings
a story of courage, hope, and struggle from one of the world's poorest countries.
' Brother from Niger' follows Friends of Niger president Jim
Schneider as he returns to a country he once called home, a country that's
still as poor as when he left it.
The video was shot on location in Niamey, Maradi,
Matamaye, Botsotsoua, Kantche and Zinder and includes interviews with Haoua
Diatta of the Oxcart Project as well as with Schneider, representatives of
FON's Nigerien partner organizations and others.
Copies of the videotape may be purchased for
$20 each (2 for $35). Use the FON
2004 Membership & Order Form or send a check or money
order, made payable to Friends of Niger , to Video, c/o FON, PO
Box 33164, Washington, DC, 20033-0164.
“Serve, serve, serve. That's
the challenge. For in the end it will be the servants that save us all.”
- Sargent Shriver .
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You’re
Gonna Love This T-Shirt
Available
in 4 Sizes
- S, M, L, XL
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Makes a Great Gift!!
It’ll
Look Good on You as Well!!
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Introducing
- Friends of Niger T-Shirts...
You’re gonna love
this T-Shirt!!
Based
on a design originally created by our neighbors at Friends of Burkina
Faso, FON had produced its first and very own T-shirt.
The short-sleeved shirts are 100% cotton, pre-shrunk beefy-T, natural
muslin-colored fabric. The design (above) is four color: brown, black
and the orange and green of the flag of Niger. You’ll notice a nifty
proximity map of Niger within the map of Africa which appears in the
branches of the baobab tree. The shirts are available in Small, Medium,
Large and Extra Large sizes and sell for $18 each, shipping included.
Use the FON
2004 Membership & Order Form or send a check
made out to Friends of Niger (indicating the number of shirts
by size), along with your name and address to: Shirts. c/o
Friends of Niger, P.O. Box 33164, Washington, D.C., 20033-0164.
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Credits
and Other Information
The Camel Express is the periodical
newsletter of Friends of Niger (FON).
FON can be contacted via the post at P.O. Box 33164, Washington,
D.C., 20033-0164;
by email at lorenz3@magi.com; and you will find FON on the web
at the following Internet address - www.friendsofniger.org.
This edition of The Camel Express was
prepared, produced and distributed by Sue & Don Bracken, Irma Poots Sarata,
Judd Lyon, Gabriella Maertens, John Soloninka, Larry Koff, Penni St. Hilaire,
and Evelyn Siemens. Please send address changes and corrections, as well as
any queries to The Camel Express
at any of the addresses above.
FRIENDS
OF NIGER
2004 MEMBERSHIP & ORDER FORM
