by Shayna Watson Most of us have heard about the major fashion industry events that take place in the recognized fashion capitals like New York, Paris, London, and Milan. Emerging fashion designers flock to these cities in hopes of working with renowned designers, and gaining exposure for their art and talents. We have heard about… Read more »
One Tribe: The Representation of Race, Africa, and Women in Black Panther
by Jennifer Dees If it hadn’t been for the hype, I probably would have waited to see Black Panther at home. There have been more than enough Marvel films in the past few years, but it quickly became clear that Black Panther wasn’t just another superhero movie. It’s a celebration of black and African culture,… Read more »
New Year, New Hope
by Shayna Watson The village of Kobio is typical of many communities in the Tilaberi region of west Niger. Its people face many challenges as they try to create better lives for their children in the midst of poor conditions like recurring drought and famine. Women used to walk more than six miles to find… Read more »
Preserving Biodiversity and Protecting Livestock
by Jennifer Dees I have the neediest, pickiest cats in the world. To them, if the bowl is half-full, it might as well be empty. I figure they’ve got it pretty easy amongst the billions of other pets around the world. That got me thinking about what pets people own in Niger and the relationship… Read more »
New Years in Niger
by Stephanie Coles Like many of you, I spent the last week of 2017 contemplating what I would like to do differently in 2018. What goals should I set for myself? I jotted some notes down, but I was curious about what others were doing. I needed inspiration. Here is what I found. Last year,… Read more »
Africa: Worthy of Our Respect
By Barbara Goldberg The muck and mire of partisan politics is no place for a nonprofit like ours, but the remarks by our president regarding the countries of Africa cannot be ignored. They are NOT s___hole countries! As true with anything in life, first-hand knowledge and experience reign supreme in making judgements like this one… Read more »
It All Starts with Water
By Kristopher Coulston Imagine spending hours walking miles to search for and collect water – this is the daily routine and a domestic duty for most women and girls in Niger. Education is the key to change, the key to a bright future, but pursuing an education is not a priority when you do not… Read more »
The Hangandi Festival: Celebrating Body Positivity in Niger
By Shayna Watson After months of training, the women of the West African Djerma group are ready to compete in the traditional Hangandi Festival. The winner takes home prizes, bragging rights, and the most coveted prize of all – food. Unlike the popular beauty pageants lauded around the world, the Hangandi is looking for the… Read more »
Tourism Potential in Niger
by Jennifer Dees Picture a place rich in natural beauty with sunny, clear days and brilliant stars lighting the night sky over desert cities. High sand dunes glow golden; beneath them, dinosaur bones have rested for millions of years. Think of herds of giraffes and elephants, and lions prowling in the savanaa. Imagine millennia-old engravings… Read more »
Education in Niger
by Mehreen Quadri According to a UNICEF report from 2013, 23.2% of women in Niger are literate. Factors such as culture, family and societal pressures, and the fact that Niger’s economy relies heavily on agriculture, perpetuate some of the highest rates of illiteracy and the lowest rates of formal education in Africa. Most families in… Read more »
