The NOMAD Foundation

seeking to balance cultural tradition...with economic opportunity

New mission starts now!

by 3 Comments

We are headed back to Niger to do a third solar training session, and train midwives among the Tuareg and Wodaabe nomads of Niger.  The existing 18 solar students will start manufacture of panels to create demonstration sites from which they can sell solar equipment.  Five initial midwife and health care liaison trainees have been selected to recieve training, equipment, medicine and a cel phone to keep in contact with the clinic.  The solar training is due to start in mid October and the medical in early November.  Stay tuned…

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Comments

  1. congratulations at all four your splendid work ;i like above all the idea to build solar panels
    a qustion for the projects concerning agricultural : the law of niger do not allow the agriculture in teh zone of nomad breeding; what is your reaction about this?
    I suppose you do a difference between horticulture and agriculture??There are also a problem whith the goats wich eat everything .I suggest to do hortculture on tables to prevent , it is easy with tomatoes and demand few water ,perhaps a little roof in straw against strong sun??
    The idea for midwife is very good What is the cost of the new car.
    friendly
    louis

    Reply

    • We are not introducing agriculture into the nomad area, except for encouraging the planting of moringa which in addition to being a complete food for humans, hugely valuable for nutrition in pregnant women and malnourished children, and of course the population in general . It is easy to grow, takes little water, can be harvested, if irrigated 3 times a year for its nutritious leaves and if protected while young can become a living barrier to other types of small gardening ventures–tomatoes etc. It is very nutritious for animals too so as a living barrier could be grazed by the goats.
      Our garden project is in a gardening area of the Air just north of Agadez. We are growing moringa to distribute at the medical clinic and onions and other vegetables for profits which will be putt into other projects. The reason for this garden is as a demonstration project to introduce efficient agricultural techniques and demonstrate the use of solar power for irrigation needs. This will help us sell solar systems to the increasingly well off gardeners of the Air who are not at all happy with the rapidly increasing price of fuel for their polluting pumps. The proceeds of these sales could then subsidize the less well off.
      We are not at this point interested in purchasing another car due to the difficulty of maintenance and lack of roads. What we intended was to purchase an ATV (all terrain vehicle) with a trailer for its economy, ease of driving in rough terrain. Unfortunately we had one offered to us for only $1000 by a uranium company looking to do a good deed. The value was supposedly $10,000. Now we have to start our search again and see what we can find. We may resort to a motorcycle which is within our $1000 budget but would only serve the nurse in his rounds to visit the remote communities monthly and update the midwife training, but not for emergency evacuations.
      Thanks for your interest.
      Leslie

      Reply

  2. Dear Leslie, et cher Sidi Mamane
    we have met a couple of times when I was in charge of the the Pastoral Unite of the Germany sponsored LUCOP programme and based in Ingall (2004-2007). I am now working for the Dutch NGO SNV and among other things I am in charge to develop the renewable energy strategy for SNV Niger and solar energy is one of them we are going to develop, first of all we are thinking about portable units (good for nomads too). I have lost daily contact with Ingal which I do not have permission to visit anymore since a few years… for the reasons we all know. However I keep being interested in what is going on.

    Your solar energy activity is of particular interest for me and that you even got the guts to produce panels up there “chapeau”! I wish you much success with it!

    If you or Mamane come through Niamey then please contact me. I am eager to learn more about your initiative and who knows maybe we can work together at one point!

    Thanks by the way to our common friend Louis Ryckel who has put my on your tracks again.

    Yours Sincerely

    Thomas Sommerhalter

    Conseiller Elevage/Pastoralisme
    Point Focal Energies Renouvelables
    SNV – Netherlands Development Organisation
    BP 10110
    Niamey, NIGER
    Tél.: + 227-20 75 36 33;
    Cell: + 227 94 24 32 99
    Fax: + 227-20 75 35 06
    tsommerhalter@snvworld.org
    http://www.snvworld.org

    Reply

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