The NOMAD Foundation& Rotary Club

Working with nomads in Niger for 12 years

The Nomad Foundation has partnered with Rotary Club since the famine of 2005 when a headline article in the Ventura County Star attracted Rotarian Randy Strong of Westlake Village Sunrise to Ojai artist, Leslie Clark’s work with nomads in Niger. This meeting led to a series of remarkable events: the founding of the first Rotary Club in the Sahara, and the implementation of a series of over $500,000 in grants which have impacted the entire region of northern Niger. Making this presentation are three of the founding members of that Rotary Club: Leslie Clark founder and executive director of the Nomad Foundation. Founding Agadez Rotary president Sidi Mamane, who is also the Nomad Foundation’s representative in Niger and now mayor of Ingall and past Rotary president Boucha Mohamed who is now Niger’s cabinet minister of agriculture and livestock. He was for five years minister of budget and under his direction, he brought Niger from the poorest to the fourth poorest country in the world.

Leslie Clark Sidi Mamane and Randy Strong at Rotary STEPS conference

Sidi Mamane, Leslie Clark, Dr. Bob Skankey and Boucha Mohamed

Niger is a very poor and little known country, but crucial to the peace and stability of the region. It is an island of relative stability, bordered by highly volatile countries of Libya, Algeria, Mali, Chad and Nigeria. It is not only an under-populated region threatened by criminal elements through drug trafficking and terrorism, but the pathway for refugees trying to find a better life in Europe. This northern area of Niger is sparsely populated by nomads. The stability of this area is in their hands, but they need our help.

These nomads are poor, but have a rich cultural tradition…

Tuareg—camel herders

Wodaabe cattle herders

Nomads are hard to find and harder to get to…

The NOMAD Foundation

Working for 20 years with Nomads in Niger

To facilitate our work, the Nomad Foundation decided to centralize on the annual migration route of nomads in Niger, so they could come to us instead. The Tamesna Center for Nomadic life was begun in 2008. Here, a series of projects address the multiple needs of the underserved nomadic community. All the projects we have done are relatively small by world bank or large NGO standards, but each one has been a piece of a long term goal that has and will continue to have an enormous impact—the stability and prosperity of a relatively unknown but crucial area in the world.

Centralized services for nomads

On their annual migration route

Solar powered well

Health clinic

Adult education and visitors center

Adult education programs

Traditional birth attendant training

Traditional birth attendant training that has delivered over 1,000 healthy babies with no maternal mortality

Mobile health training missions

Solar panel fabrication

Earthbag building

Microcredit for at risk youth

Creating small businesses to reduce migration

Housing for students built by nomads

Education for children

Extracurricular programs Photography

Dance

Art

Music

Theater

Breeding program for school herd

The boarding school built exclusively for nomads has been so successful, the top class skipped fifth grade to be candidates for junior high school next year, a very rare opportunity for a nomad. Our student population has outgrown the existing classrooms and we want to make it possible for these motivated nomadic children to continue their education. So we need classrooms. These children can become the teachers, health care workers, veterinarians, or become better and more efficient herders. Roles that their community needs, so they can stay home among the culture and land they know and love and not have to escape to find a better life.

Junior high school candidates

Annual festival to promote programs

Rotarian volunteers

NOMAD FOUNDATION

PROGRAMS FOR NOMADS

HEALTH

• MEDICAL CARE FOR NOMADS 2008-179,600 patients treated at Tamesna

• MIDWIFE TRAINING PROGRAM 2012-16

20 traditional birth attendants trained 1,000 healthy babies delivered with no maternal mortality • MOBILE MEDICAL MISSIONS 2012-16

Treated hundreds of patients • IMMUNIZATIONS 2015-16

1900 vaccinated for Measles and Meningitis

EDUCATION

• BOARDING SCHOOL FOR NOMADS 2012-17Top class exceed national standards and skips from 4th -6thgrade and training to enter junior high school

• EARTHBAG CONSTRUCTION TRAINING 201420 nomads trained-dormitories and teacher’s residence built

• SOLAR TRAINING 2010-1129 nomads trained-electricity installed in three schools andTamesna education center

• 5 SCHOOLS BUILT & 11 SCHOOLS SUPPORTED1,500 children educated

• SCOLARSHIP PROGRAMS42 students helped attend high school

WATER• SOLAR POWERED WELL & TANK AT TAMESNA

• 30 CEMENT WELLS BUILT

FOOD

• 26 CEREAL BANKS

• 20 FODDER BANKS

• VEGETABLE DEHYDRATION PROGRAMOnions and Moringa to improve nutrition

• SOLAR POWERED DEMONSTRATION GARDEN

WORK

• MICROCREDIT FOR AT RISK YOUTH91 loans for men and women-promotes stability withopportunity

• EARTHBERM AND DAM CONSTRUCTION5 communities-Controls erosion, improves pasture, provides jobs

• 30 WOMEN’S CO-OPERATIVESSewing, embroidery, dyeing, leatherwork, animal husbandry,

helping over 1,000 women

• HERDS16,000 animals vaccinated756 animals purchased20 goats for school herd breeding program30 Chickens and pens for 10 people — small business microcredit

• PROMOTIION AND PURCHASE OF TUAREG JEWELRYEmploys 47 artisans

Emergency Aid

Famine 2005

Floods Agadez 2009

Famine 2010

Measles and meningitis epidemics 2015, 20161900 vaccinated

TAMESNA CENTER FOR NOMADIC LIFEInfrastructure to provide essential services and education

for nomads on their annual migration route

• Well, solar power and tank 2008, second well 2013

• Health clinic 2008 solar powered

• Latrines 2009

• Clinic director and school director’s residence 2010

• Vaccination corrals 2010

• Adult education center 2011

• Classrooms 2011

• Garden 2011

• Dormitories and teacher’s residence 2015