About someone else's journey

in some hot country, far away but so true... What I hate most about Haiti...

Some things you better know before leaving, some others you better learn while being on your journey, whatever the place :) quickly would be better, but sometimes it's not that fast... and you wonder why you have to stay there for another little time, heheeh :) because it's not time to go, I'm not done with you my dear child! says someone taking very special care of you 

Niger 2010+1

Niger has a population of approximately 13 million inhabitants and was ranked 174 out of 177 countries by UNDP’s Human Development Index in 2008.

lire aussi: Bulletin d'information humanitaire: Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre, Septembre 2011

and country updates: http://www.wfp.org/countries/niger

Blanket feeding

"A blanket feeding programme can be initiated when there is a severe food crisis or a significant and persistent deterioration in food availability is expected even when nutritional problems have not yet arisen. The precise objective of a blanket feeding programme will determine the target group and the ration.

Target groups might be: vulnerable families, families excluded from a GFD, pregnant and lactating women, under fives and elderly. All members of a specific vulnerable group are included in the blanket feeding programme, regardless of their nutritional status." for a definition of the various type of programmes: http://fex.ennonline.net/11/revised.aspx

- Women and children -

- Aguié, Women queuing for Blanket Feeding Monthly rations -

- The rations are awarded against a monthly voucher and the women get a new voucher for the next month ration -

- Distribution -

- A group of women with their rations -

- The bags -

Portrait - Aissa

Another favorite!
A country of cute little girls.

Portrait - warehouse labour

One of my favorite pics from Niger.
Casual labour in a warehouse with the driver.

Flying in the field

- Maradi airport, departure gate :) -

In Niger and some other countries UNHAS (Humanitarian Air Service) is providing regular flights between the main cities of the country for the humanitarian community. Late October after 2 months in Niamey I finally planned a field visit. I flew from Niamey to Maradi. Then I was supposed to fly from Maradi to Zinder on the next day and then back to Niamey.

- THE plane I waited for 3 days!!! finally -


It never worked as planned... and the return was epic!!!

At 6am the driver picks me up and drives through an empty and sleepy city. I reach Maradi without trouble 2-3 hours later. The pilots are south-african guys I had met at a pool party at their place the very same Saturday...

- Pilot briefing/debriefing after landing and before departure -

I spend the day and the night in Maradi. But because I would like to attend a blanket feeding distribution and that Zinder is only 2h30 away by road, we decide to reach Zinder by car and stop along the way at Aguié for a distribution. We finally arrive in Zinder at 5:30pm, it's a bit late for the driver to drive back but he wants to do it the same. I'm supposed to leave the next day (Saturday) around noon back by air for Niamey. Unfortunately the weather conditions deteriorate so I get to the office but the plane will never come. Sunday there are no usually no flights planned and it is an election day. Movements are restricted. After negotiations, they will do a rotation but the visibility is still too low for the pilots to risk a landing in Zinder... That night I sleep fully dressed under a mosquito net with holes and there is no water at the guesthouse... It's my last week-end in Niger and I missed the opportunity to say goodbye in church :(

- Baggage drop off at the airplane -

Monday... I wake up with a call from the aviation officer asking me to get ready. False alarm. No plane will land this day either. Travelling by road would take 11 hours and it would be difficult to get a security clearance to do so. I am supposed to wait another day. But finally just before the sunset a car with colleagues from Diffa comes to pick me up. The first 1/2h I'm really tense about the idea of driving by night with a guy that has already 6 hours drive without stop on his shoulders. Praise God, we arrive safe in Maradi. I never enjoyed so much a good bed and a clean room!

- Folks along the airstrip watching us -

I'm the only one having a seat booked on the next day flight to Niamey and hope that the plane will land because I don't feel like driving back to Niamey, in addition by the time we know if the plane is cancelled the car for Niamey will be half way.... But they did it!!! The plane lands in Maradi and takes us back to Niamey (however they again refuse to land in Zinder, security first!). So happy to be back home!!!!

- In case something happens... the fire brigade is ready! -

Ahmed le bijoutier

Voici Ahmed, mon bijoutier qui pose pour entrer dans l'histoire :) Mais en fait, dans la rue à Niamey l'on peut effectivement voir des hommes touaregs se promener avec le foulard.

Voici Ahmed, mon bijoutier qui pose pour entrer dans l'histoire :) Mais en fait, dans la rue à Niamey l'on peut effectivement voir des hommes touaregs se promener avec le foulard. C'est dans la boutique bleue d'Ahmed à Niamey que j'ai acheté la plupart de mes bijoux. Je lui ait aussi commandé sur mesure quelques modèles... dont mon bracelet gravé. Les touaregs et la région d'Agadez sont réputés pour le travail ciselé de l'argent. Il y a aussi souvent des combinaisons ébène - argent.

Encens

De l'encens, du vrai!

Niamey (3)

bumpy roads this time, going to Moussa's place, I didn't know that Niamey was sooo big!

Niamey (2)

Crossing the only bridge of Niamey on a Sunday morning.

Niamey (1)

Be blessed my friend's red toyota!
This is on the way to the youth group... on a regular "boulevard" in Niamey

Ceci n'est pas un pois chiche...

My green IKEA plastic cup filled with warm fresh peanuts... yum! The supply source is of course my dear Aissa!!!



however... I'm still not totally convinced these are not rather chickpeas...

Replantons le désert!

- le désert -

- les jeunes pousses -

- en avant! -

- au travail! -

this series is (c) from Charlotte C.

Le fleuve Niger

- Vue rive droite de Niamey -

- le pont de Niamey, au coucher du soleil -

- les rizières inondées -

- les pirogues -

Giraffes

Ibrahim our driver & the giraffe looking in the same direction :)

The big male.

The little ones.

The giraffes are living free. I think the guide told us there are 196 giraffes in this area.

Hippopotamus

Des hippopotames se baignant dans le fleuve Niger. J'admets... on ne voit pas grand chose mais on ne peut pas s'approcher, il parait que c'est aggressif les hippos.

The lambs and the little boy

My absolute favorite. A spontaneous shot on the Kanazi island.

Vue sur le fleuve Niger

I like this picture. I discovered afterwards while looking at my picutes that someone had drawn a heart in stones.

The engineer, the mechanic and the assistant

Our red Mercedes before leaving the city.

Repairing the spare tire, just in case...

On the road

This week-end we decided to leave our computers, the city and go into the near bush. We rented Ibrahim and his red mercedes and off we go: "Les paysans sont en voyage"*!

Here street indications are easy, you have only 3 roads leaving the city: la route du Burkina, la route de l'aéroport, la route de Tillabéry. If you take the direction of the airport at about 40 kms you will find the giraffes. You take on a guide (at that point we were 6 adults in the mercedes :) and drive into the bush to come closer to the giraffes. These animals are not scared, you can come really close to them. After a picture session we drove back to Niamey.

In the afternoon we headed North: route de tillabery, turn left after the toll in direction of the rio bravo golf court. I haven't posted pics of the golf but it is funny because instead of the green, it is made of stones! We wanted to have a quiet time sitting under the mango trees along the river. It was in deed a nice choice. But as we met fishermen, we decided to rent a pirogue and experience the Niger from the river. They took us to the hippos and their village on the island. The little girls come to hold our hand. I didn't know how to react but it was just a simple kids friendship gesture :) cute.

*"the farmers are travelling". We got stopped for passport check at the first toll. And we presnted Karl as a farmer from the North. And the policeman, curious wanted to see how a farmer from the North looks like :) on the way back the policeman greets us again friendly, "How are the farmers!"