Education

EDUCATION

Education is necessary for long term well being of any community. Community support of the school proves that the group is committed to the future and willing to change when necessary to survive. Nomadic families face challenges that villagers do not face. If they concentrate too many herds around the school, the pasture can be depleted and the children have to walk farther and farther from their camp to school. The children in school are no longer available to help with the herds and hauling water. It is evident from our recent medical mission in Feb. 2010 that the health of the school children is better than those not in school. This is because they learn about and practice personal hygiene, recieve vitamins and eat healthy food for lunch. This encourages the parents, but to help them stay nearer the school we have instituted an enironmental program of creating small earth dams which retain rainwater and prolong the life of the pasture in the vicinity of the school. This has been done very successfully in the farming regions of Niger.

The ideal to educate nomadic children is to have a boarding school with dormitories so they do not have the problem of their parents not being able to stay near the school with their herds. Our goal to build at the new Tamesna Center for nomadic life.

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Our SCHOOLS
	ABOYE Aboye school opened October 2005. By January all the kids could count to 100 in french and knew the alphabet. There are now three classes the oldest of which will be our first graduating class (from elementary) next year. We hope to start a scholarship program that allows the top two students to continue at the boarding school in Ingall. The students at left are studying from their notebooks. There french was better than mine. On a Nomad Adventures Humanitarian tour in 2006, the Brian family brought this soccer ball to Aboye. It is still in use today at left, Feb. 2010
	Our newest school was finished in spring 2008 it is now open as of October 2008 with 42 students. During our medical mission in Feb. 2010 we visited all our schools and the doctors checked the students. They found them to be in much better general health than those who do not attend school. We left them medical chests and vitamins. DOLI
	IMALOLE The school of Imalole has had a challenging year, last year there were 35 students. This year, 2010, only seven. The pasture is so meager near the school that the parents cannot keep their herds near enough for their kids to walk to school. To encourage the parents to stay, we started a cash for work program to help them survive the dry season starting March and pay them to create earth dams to retain water and prolong the life of the nearby pasture. Results of this method are usually visible in one season, so perhaps next year, the kids will be able to stay in school. After visiting Niger on a Nomad Adventures humanitarian tour, Jill at left decided to adopt Imalole. She found funds to repair the damaged school which had been built by the government and never opened. It opened after repairs were complete in 2007.
	The school at Tedbouk was opened in 2007 by an enterprising chief. We have supported it for two years and now the government has built a permanent structure for them. We have also started an adult literacy program. TEDBOUK
	OJAI Opened April 2006
	.EHALGENE Ehalgene had been closed due to lack of funds. We reopened it in 2006.
	Girka School opened 2000, it is now supported by another NGO. GIRKA
	Parents, when they are able, are required to contribute a goat or sheep to the school hered to help feed the children and cover costs
	School visit to Aboye with Sidi, Jill and Marla in February 2006. They were starting addition and subtraction. None of these children had ever been to school before.
	Sports are important for the good health of the students and are a part of all our school programs. For children without television they are also great entertainment. This program was aided by the Brian family who brought soccer balls.
	Bathing and laundry are a weekly event for the schools.

Pay a community to build small earth and rock dams to retain water and improve the vegetation and pasture. $2000
Support a school of 45 nomadic children for a year. $350 per month (your credit card will be billed $350 /month for a year) total $4200
Support a child in school for a year $100
Construct a 2 class school building $21,000	Send us a check or commit $1500 per month by card for 14 months
Construct dormitories $7,000
Support a boarding school for one year $12,000

Education for girls is a priority for the NOMAD Foundation. The school for the Wodaabe at Tedbouk, left, has 30 student, 21 are girls. This is likely because their mothers are so dynamic.

At left Aboye is our oldest school and ready for the first graduating class from elementary school. We will provide scholarships for the top two students to continue. I hope one is a girl.