By Vasti Carrion Place names serve obvious practical purposes – they literally put us on the map, telling others who and where we are. Names also help form our identities, hold our histories, and often communicate something about how and why we got here. This is particularly true for countries like Niger, which have been… Read more »
Tuareg Guitar Sensation Mdou Moctar Partners with Wells Bring Hope
By Ankita Taneja The most innovative artist in contemporary Saharan music, Mdou Moctar, is a Nigerien musician with an international reputation. He has gained immense popularity and love for his modern adaptations of Tuareg guitar music and his songs of revolution. We are excited to announce a new partnership with Mdou Moctar and his band!… Read more »
Niger Eradicates River Blindness
By Adhithi Sreenivasan Niger has recently made great strides in the realm of public health by becoming the first African nation to eliminate river blindness. River blindness is a disease that has plagued West African nations and other regions throughout the continent. Known formally as Onchocerciasis, the ailment is the result of a parasitic worm,… Read more »
How Niger’s Agricultural Industry Is Fighting Back Against Climate Change
By Amber Nicolai Source: Stephan Gladieu / World Bank Over 80% of Nigeriens depend on agriculture for their livelihood—a livelihood that is being severely threatened by climate change. An arid country to begin with, Niger is far from ideal for raising crops or livestock. And now it’s facing the additional challenges that climate change brings… Read more »
Cure Salée: Festival of the Nomadic Herders
By Amber Persson Source: Wikimedia The small Saharan desert town of Ingall is lit up with an explosion of color and culture when thousands of nomadic herders from the Tuareg and Wodaabé clans come together in celebration of their traditions for Niger’s annual Cure Salée festival. The festival symbolizes the end of Niger’s rainy season,… Read more »
COVID-19: A LEARNING OPPORTUNITY
By William Beeker Source: Wells Bring Hope The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted many systemic problems in societies around the world, but maybe none so clearly as those in our education systems. Here in the US, adapting to the challenges presented by the pandemic was difficult, but manageable. Many schools were able to implement some form… Read more »
Climate Change Makes Life Increasingly Difficult for Niger’s Farmers and Nomadic Herders
By Amber Nicolai As with many issues faced by developing nations, climate change is intensifying many of Niger’s existing difficulties, such as the lack of access to land for farming and grazing. About 80% of Niger’s population relies on farming or herding for sustenance, and suitable land is becoming increasingly difficult to find. Source: Peter… Read more »
Refugees and Displaced Peoples in Niger
By William Beeker Source: Mali Refugee The UN recently issued a report on the state of the humanitarian crisis in Niger that’s resulted from sectarian violence in the region. “The insecurity has forcibly displaced more than 537,000 people across the country,” the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. “It has also affected… Read more »
The Risk of Malaria During Pregnancy
By Amber Persson As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rage around the world, there is a silent killer that claims the lives of thousands in countries like Niger. The plasmodium parasite in mosquitoes causes malaria, a potentially fatal disease if left untreated. Malaria is responsible for 50% of all recorded deaths in Niger. Pregnant Mothers… Read more »
It’s Hard to Imagine…
By Barbara Goldberg Since starting Wells Bring Hope 13 years ago, I’ve learned a lot about the impact of unsafe water in rural West Africa and how truly life-transforming clean water can be. Yet there was one thing I didn’t know until recently: many health clinics in rural Niger have no water at all. This… Read more »
