The Friends of Niger board would like to send out the following message from Glen Blumhorst, the president of our National Peace Corps Association,

http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/2015/12/when-our-peace-corps-values-matter-most/

He talks about being deeply disturbed by the recent chorus of negative and aggressive speech targeting Muslims and refugees in our countries. He urges us to reach out, in large ways and small, to Muslims, refugees and other minorities in our communities.

Now is the time for us to rededicate ourselves to this third goal of the Peace Corps, to commit ourselves to education and constructive dialogue – to the open hand of America, rather than the closed fist.

A great reminder for the new year. Thank you and best wishes for 2016!

A small company led by Jehiel Oliver in Anacostia, D. C., is bringing small, versatile “Smart Tractors” to Nigera and Niger

He devised a business in which farmers send a text to Hello Tractor’s U.S.-based dispatchers, who locate the nearest GPS-embedded Smart Tractor and ping the service provider. The tractors typically arrive within three days.

Read about how this new tractor and business model are bringing increased efficiency to the farmlands.

Sowing self-sufficiency in Africa with Anacostia-based ‘Hello Tractor’

Hello Tractor Website

Anthology Film Archives is airing a movie by filmmaker Christopher Kirkley this weekend. Akounak Tedalat Taha Tazoughai is a rare Tamashek language film, and worth checking out if you’re in New York City this weekend.

There are three screenings on May 8, 9, and 10:

http://anthologyfilmarchives.org/film_screenings/series/44422

Sneak preview:

Friends of Niger is a big supporter of girls’ education, and we’re happy to pass on this message from the National Peace Corps Association announcing its partnership in the Let Girls Learn Program.

Their focus will be on raising awareness about the initiative across our network of 215,000 RPCVs, and in the process spotlighting the RPCVs who promote girls’ education and empowerment.

Direct link: http://www.peacecorpsconnect.org/2015/03/letgirlslearn-launches-and-the-national-peace-corps-association-is-there/

Let Girls Learn Program website: https://letgirlslearn.peacecorps.gov

  
Rock & Roll Africa: Tal National
Thursday, April 2 | 7:30pm
Schimmel Center 3 Pine St.
Tickets: $19/$10 with student ID
 
West African rockers Tal National hail from the small West African nation of Niger which is situated along West Africa’s ancient trade routes and is home to Songhai, Fulani, Hausa and Tuareg people, all of whom are represented in the group.

The band’s hugely popular and entrancing sound is based on guitar and percussion-driven grooves that are bursting with fiery energy and vocalist/band leader Almeida’s powerful voice (he works as a teacher and a judge while still playing five-hour sets with his band most nights of the week).

“Tal National mix energy and precision with an engagingly hybrid style. There are echoes of sped-up desert blues… and reminders of the Fuji tradition of Nigeria, to the south, in some of the percussion. But what makes this band special is their full-tilt approach, and a hypnotic intensity.” –Guardian Culture

Facebook event page
Tickets and more info

And be sure to check out this new track on YouTube!

Wednesday, March 11 at 6:00 PM at the John Haynes Holmes Community House, 28 East 35^th Street (Madison & Park)

Niger in the Shadow of the “Giant of Africa” – Nigeria – and under Threat from Boko Haram

Though this past year brought a surge of Ebola cases in West Africa, Niger has been spared from the unforgiving virus. Cases have been reported across the border in Mali and Nigeria, but so far Niger remains clear.

That doesn’t mean all is well, however. Cholera remains a critically dangerous threat to Niger’s cities, particularly as refugees flock from other countries and settle in overcrowded camps.

Organizations like Medecins Sans Frontiers continue to provide valuable relief in areas afflicted by this disease. Please help support MSF and other organizations battling these persistent threats to everyday life.

Read more here:

http://reliefweb.int/disaster/ep-2014-000151-ner

http://www.msf.org/article/southern-niger-hit-cholera-outbreak

http://www.cdc.gov/vhf/ebola/outbreaks/2014-west-africa/case-counts.html

Donate: http://www.msf.org/donate

As mentioned in the December 2014 Camel Express, we’ve posted the report on the reunion held in Estes Park, Colorado for the Niger III and Senegal IV training groups on September 29th through October 2nd of 2014. Come have a look:

2014 Niger Reunion Report – Estes Park, Colorado