Visiting a Member of the Peace Corps in Niger - Part I

         My niece was assigned to Niger while in the Peace Corps, and toward the end of her tour her brother, a friend, and I visited her there for several days.  I’d spent a couple of weeks in Morocco before but wasn’t certain about the location of Niger so I searched on the internet for a map.

        Sarah's post was in a village some distance from Niamey, but several times we visited the capital, as that was the headquarters for the Peace Corps in that country. It was a favorite place to go on weekends for those serving in villages, and many times I saw cars all loaded up with the supplies that would be needed on new assignments.

         This was Sarah’s home for more than a year.  It was similar to all the houses in the village except that it was surrounded by a woven fence to give her some privacy.  My first thought was that the home looked a bit small for the four of us to be eating and sleeping in there, but that didn’t happen: We slept under mosquito nets and had our meals in the open, and it didn’t rain all the time I was there.

        To give you an idea of the size of the home, I’m 6’4”, and it’s apparent in the photo that I had to bend to use the one and only door.

         Here’s Sarah – on the floor of her home – with the things she needed for daily life.  She’d lived on a farm before joining the Peace Corps.  It had been quite a spacious place, but she had no difficulty adjusting to the simpler life she’d have in Niger.

         Within her fenced-in area she had a cote for pigeons, and I’d never seen one quite like it.  In the background, you can get a good look at how the fence was made.

         She also had a goat.  It was sort of cream-colored – not like these two whose photo I found on Google Images.  The two of them also live in Niger, but I don’t know where.  I’m using it, as these beauties reminded me of Sarah’s goat.

         There are certain things you can’t do without, and this was Sarah’s version of a squat toilet – rather fancy in that there was a stool to sit on.  The primitive types I’d used before had only a place to put each foot.

         And this was our shower with a place for soap or a brush, a hook to hang the cup that would be used to douse yourself with water, and a pail that had to be filled with water before you started.

         Before Sara arrived, this was the set-up for getting water.  Niger is rapidly becoming desert, and all water has to be hauled up by ropes from underground sources. 

         Cement now encircles the underground wells, but hauling is still done by hand-held ropes.  It then has to be carried to the various homes.  It’s a daily chore, and Sarah was able to hire a woman to do it for her. 

        Sarah’s principle mission in the village was to demonstrate and instruct gardening techniques that would provide produce to improve everyone’s health.  The village women participated as shown above.

         Here’s a view of a portion of the successful garden.  It was a lot of work, as watering had to be done daily.  It’s sad to say but true that it wasn’t an unqualified success; the villagers had become accustomed to the diet they’d used a long time and many of them resisted change.  

The villagers were very friendly, and Sarah got to know them either by visiting in their homes or when they came to visit her. When the lady in the photo above came to Sarah’s place, she kept weaving all the time they talked, as she sells such things in the market and didn’t want to waste time.

 This younger crowd came with their babies.

        The village kids wanted to be within her fenced-in area all the time, as they found her to be fascinating. She finally had to establish visiting hours so that she’d have moments of peace and quiet. I told Sarah that she should set up English classes, and that would help her learn some of their language, too.

         Millet is a staple in their diets, and on the way to the garden every day, we passed this woman and her children.  She’s busy pounding the millet for its many uses.  The white powder makes a drink for children, it’s used as a gruel for breakfast, and can be fermented to make a drink for adults.  It’s good for making bread and baby food.  It’s an ideal grain for Niger as it’s drought-resistant.

         This woman is buying millet at the market.  Note the colorful outfit she’s wearing.  It was always a pleasure to see how adventurous the women were in mixing the colors used in their clothing.

        There’s much more to tell about our time in Niger so you’ll want to view Part II.