In our effort to turn things over to the local management in Niger, Dr. Skankey devised a schedule for Achicha and Sidi to visit the remote camps to check on the newly trained midwives. They made their first mission in June to follow up our training of the new midwives and check on the previously trained. […]
Mid wife training follow up mission–turning it over
Best mission ever!
I want to brag that this has been the most ambitious mission ever—and we pulled it off! Here’s what we did. Trained 23 nomads to build using earthbags giving them a new skill set to build their own or their community structures and giving us three new buildings at Tamesna: boys dorm, girls dorm and […]
Fighting terrorism with opportunity–microcredit for at risk youth
When we saw the large groups of organized youth showing up to support our festival last November–all dressed alike–Sidi and I had an idea. If we provide them small loans to pursue whatever activity they choose they will be able to make a start and this might be enough for them to stay home and […]
Eleven new mid-wife trainees–and the program gets a new director
The midwife program started by Dr. Robert Skankey in 2011 has completely changed the maternal and infant mortality rate among nomads in Niger. In 2011 one in five women in Niger had a lifetime risk of death in childbirth. In 2015 our matrons have assisted at over 300 births with no maternal deaths and no […]
Tuareg kids dance American style…and their own Tinde
Before I left for Niger Benedicte Schoyen gave me a video of a fundraiser her Born to Play dance students did for the Tamesna School in Niger. They also sent lots of beautiful drawings. I also showed them a video of a nephew and niece, Cole and Charlotte, dancing to Bruno Mars. The nomad kids […]
Earthbag building–FINALLY!
This mission was almost three years in preparation and endured two cancellations, but we persisted and it was worth the wait. It was a risky undertaking: teaching the nomads to build??? Nomads don’t have houses! I have always known that nomads wanted and needed structures to store their things while they are on migration, but since we […]
Tamesna festival 2014
Click here to see Niger National Televisions reporting on the Tamesna Festival 2014 It has been a long time building. We have been working like crazy to present our projects to as many nomads as possible. Nomads come to festivals in the season after the rains when their herds are fat and there is some […]
Jewelry
Still in mourning about having to cancel all our volunteers (see two previous posts) and trying to recover. I thought I would be coming home early, but we have decided I am needed to help with the festival and have been granted permission to go with the President of the Regional Council of Agadez (the […]
But not giving up!
The show must go on. I know many of you think I am crazy, but I truly believe that if we stand down in fear of violent people we only encourage their behavior. I cannot become violent myself, but I can resist and gain ground for the peaceful ones. So enough of melodrama… I was […]
Cancellation !%#*#!!
We should be out at Tamesna, well into our earth-bag building project, with foundations laid, 20 nomads participating in the construction of the dormitories and new teacher’s residence for the boarding school. We should be awaiting the arrival of 20 new mid-wife trainees and the 4 previously trained matrons who were to conduct the training […]
Nomad News October 2014
2013 2012
Traditions unchanged–Gerewol Tamaya
After two days spent among the thousands of nomads gathered for the Worso of the Behame’en, Peroji’s lineage, we learned of another festival only a 2 hour drive away. The Worso is a family gathering to which everyone brings their kids, houses and herds. They are celebrating many things like the “humtu” or end of […]
Peroji’s family–then and now
It was 20 years ago when I first met Peroji’s family. Traveling on my first trip to Niger with my new friend Irma Turtle. We were met at the airport by her friends Moneidji and Dula. I saw both of their sons this trip, dancing in a Gerewol. I have gone back to look at […]
Reunion at the Worso
After a discouraging first week when we (the three star photographers) and I were able to find only one festival rehearsal, visit nomadic camps and a rather modern Tuareg wedding with electric guitar and few camels (some well dressed people though), we decided to switch our schedule and go out to the dunes for a […]
Wodaabe festivals
I have been looking, with three very accomplished photographers of tribal people, for Wodaabe festivals–and having a lot of fun with my new camera–taking night shots is so much fun.
Getting through the strikes
It is difficult enough to work in Niger without the added challenges of just getting there. The saga began with driving all the way to LA airport and getting turned away because of an “unconfirmed” reservation in spite of the ticket in my hand. This ticket had been issued only two hours before because of my checking online […]
Tamesna school 2014
The kids came back early from easter break to see me and show off their new skills. We now have two classes but both are taught by one teacher as we have not found a good second teacher–hoping for next fall. There are 18 students in CI (cours initiative) or kindergarten and 26 in CP […]
Construction at the residence
On my arrival at Tamesna visitor’s residence, the masons were hard at work trying to complete yet another round of repairs on our poorly constructed building. We had two contractors do very mediocre work for which we continue to have to recover. Although adobe in Niger is in need of frequent maintenance–the Tamesna residence has […]
Irrigation at the Tamesna Garden
Last trip we tried to get the irrigation pipe installed so a type of drip irrigation could be used to make water use more efficient and increase the potential of the garden size. We will string poly hose and at each plant put a screw all the way through the hose–this makes a hole which […]
Moringa bounty
This is the very best season for moringa so we are starting to harvest from the big garden at ‘Ndoudou and the small one at my house in Agadez. We will pick every month and dry the harvest in the shade to preserve the vitamins, package it in small bags and make it available to […]
Onions!
Our garden at Ndoudou has produced another good crop of onions, but the market is again VERY low. So we have decided to try another tactic. I got Aya and Bahari to chop a 50k sack of our onions and spread them on the roof terrace to dry. We will test them to see how […]
Guinea Bissau–and some
I have finally arrived in Agadez after a tour of no less than 11 west African airports–a long boring story–and not a fun exploration–just trying to get from one point to another–the points happened to be places nobody else wanted to go–so lots of stops in between: Bissau, Dakar, Bamako, Conakry, Lome, Cotonou, Niamey, Maradi, […]
Making a movie
Benedicte Schoyen was determined to make a movie about the Nomad Foundation and travel with me and her husband Ned to Niger to shoot it—and she did. We talked about it for years and it has finally happened. She and Cooper Bates were the cameramen and Ned the sound man. As we travelled and worked […]
Extraordinary volunteers
This trip was made with a group of eleven people: 8 volunteers, (seven of whom were rotarians) and 3 film crew. Front row: Bahari, Aboli, Aghali bob, Sidi, Alhassane, Hasso, Aghali 2 Back row: Linda Lamb, Rene Briggs, Ned Clark, Linda Taylor, Larry Beckett, Benedicte Schoyen, Leslie Clark, Louine Skankey, Bob Davis, Bob Skankey, Dana […]
The Tenere Desert
The Tenere Desert is for me the most powerful place on the planet. It is pristine and dangerous. A voyage there is mostly an inner voyage where your thoughts become clear and unpolluted with distraction. It is a great joy when I am able to show it to my friends.
Iferouane
Iferouane is the gate to the Tenere desert. It was always a prosperous town full of artisans and gardeners. The location was one that all tourists would pass by and so a thriving community of jewelers and leatherworkers grew and a small museum was built. In January of 2007, it was the site of the […]
Party at Aboye
After all our work was done we headed for the desert: a region we had not been able to visit since 2007. On the way we stopped at Aboye, checked on the matrone, and had a party for the people there. When we arrived and they saw who was with us: tuareg guitarists Hasso and […]
Grand Opening Festival for Tamesna Center for nomadic life
After almost five years of work the Tamesna Center had its grand opening. We wanted to celebrate and to announce our presence officially so that the government will participate in or take over some of the programs. Our goal is for the center to be managed locally. It will be a gradual change over, with […]
Larry Beckett’s Handwashing stations
As part of a pediatric outreach program to provide better preventive care for children, Larry Beckett devised and instructed the various communities we visited in necessity for handwashing. He drilled small holes in the lids of the bottles we provided, to conserve precious water, attached a bar of soap and showed a responsible person from […]
Bob Skankey’s Mid-wife follow up
Dr. Bob Skankey has been directing a midwife program which serves the nomadic population since 2011. The women he has trained have proven invaluable to their communities. At the level of training they have received, they are called “matrones” in Niger. This mission was to refresh the skills that the women have acquired, replenish […]
Eyeglasses from Eyes on Africa
Eyes on Africa, once again generously donated 12 dozen pairs of eyeglasses of various magnifications which we distribute at the clinic. We also take them on our mobile missions. The women at Foudouk are particularly in need of them because they do so much fine embroidery work. Linda Lamb, Rene Briggs and Linda Taylor took […]
Linda Taylor’s Painting programs
Linda Taylor a well known artist, educator and Rotarian from Ojai West provided materials and devised arts programs for the kids at Tamesna. The first was a large painting based on the outlines of several of their shadows. She prepared the canvas and mixed the paint and then let them go for it. The shadow […]
Linda Lamb’s programs
Linda Lamb, an old friend and longtime volunteer for the foundation is a teacher by trade and devised some programs for the kids at Tamesna. She is always immediately accepted and liked by the nomads we visit so it was not hard for her to get the kids attention. She started with maps–they recognized Niger, […]
Cooper Bates’ Student Photography Program
Five students at Tamesna School were chosen to lead groups to take a series of photos of their lives. Cooper brought cameras that were issued to them for a day. Halela, Almoustapha, Ahmed, Aghali and Ibrahim took their cameras and were off for the day. When they turned in their cameras the next day, Cooper […]
Tamesna School Opens–Yippeee!
After operating for a year in a temporary structure, the new permanent school building was completed in time to open a little before the schools in the bush normally open on Nov. 1, but the kids came and were free to do the programs we brought. There are 35 so far but we expect more […]
Benedicte’s Dance program at Tamesna
The film crew arrived headed by Benedicte Schoyen–who is demonstrating dance to the studensts at the school. being filmed by Cooper Bates well attired in a turban. Bennie first did a demonstration, then taught the whole class the chicken dance–which much to our chagrin stuck in our heads for several days. Then she chose several […]
The Film Crew Arrives
After a week of organization–preparing the residence for an onslaught of guests, Linda Lamb and I welcomed the film crew consisting of Benedicte Schoyen, Ned Clark and Cooper Bates. After three days on the road from Los Angeles, they didn’t miss a beat. Bennie got acquainted our security first. Then we visited a […]
Wodaabe Splendor
We are here in Niger awaiting the arrival of the film crew and had a couple of days so–hearing about a big Wodaabe festival, we decided to check it out. With our 20 man security team ahead and behind we arrived and actually found the festival. Fortunately many old friends were there–it was a Gerewol […]
NOMAD African Market Sale
We had a wonderful day full of old friends dropping by and new friends coming in. Sidi arrived at 10:30 the night before, but valiantly made tea for his old and new friends and practiced English. Tea and conversation with Kent Butler’s cow. Sherry Grigsby from Eyes on Africa came by and dropped off a […]
