Security

In the last three weeks I've been in Niger one of the words that I've heard the most often is security.  We talk often about personal security, political security, and food security.  Although Niger itself is stable as a country, some of our neighbors, Mali and Nigeria, are not.  And as Niger experiences the brunt of the Sahel famine, it is quite food insecure.  I've been calling Niger "ground zero" for malnutrition as it also has one of the worst rates of malnutrition in the world right now.  In the last two weeks I've seen more children who are malnourished then in the four years I was in Cameroon.  This past Thursday I went to village where Samaritan's Purse was distributing millet, rice, and oil to the most food insecure households.

Distribution of millet

    
After I saw the food distribution, I went with the president of the local women's group to visit her farm, where she planted moringa trees with seeds given by Samaritan's Purse.  She was using the leaves to supplement her family's diet and this was very encouraging as the leaves are very rich in vitamin A, C, iron, and calcium.

Daughter of the women's group president holding a moringa leaf

Because Niger is one of the "hot spots" for international aid right now, its been quite interesting to see and learn about which international NGOs are here and what they are doing.  We stopped at a health center for me to see it and learn about their needs.  At the same time Doctors Without Borders (MSF) was at the health center doing a immunization clinic and measuring mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) to because there had been a measles outbreak in the area.

A MSF worker measuring MUAC to determine nutritional status

Next we visited a women's group and asked them questions about the health of their children, the common foods, their breastfeeding practices.  Shortly after I asked about breastfeeding a grandmother told me about her grandson who was born 4 weeks ago, yet only weighs 2 kilograms.  She brought me this boy to examine.

Our next stop was the refugee camp for the people who escaped from Mali.  MSF was also there providing medical care for all of the people there.  During the tour I saw a mother who had just given birth to a boy a few hours earlier.  I wondered what was going through her mind--if she hoped to be able to return home and raise her son in her own land.

The MSF clinic

One of the tents for the Malian people

As I learn and see more about the harsh realities Nigeriens face living in an insecure place I find it quite overwhelming at times.  A week ago I was talking with the country director about malnutrition here and why it is the way it is.  He told me that instead of asking why, the question is what.  What do I do?  What can I do?  Watching a mother watch her child struggle for breath because he is so malnourished breaks my heart.  No mother should EVER have to bury her child for something that is completely preventable.   How to best treat AND prevent is the ongoing question in this insecure place.

In particular, the way of the desert teaches us how to pray: how to stand before God, how to speak to God, and above all how to keep silent before God.  It reminds us that God is born in barrenness, where there is an absence of pride, of masks, of illusions and of false images.  Paradoxically, God fulfills in emptiness.  God appears when we are not filled with other attachments and distractions, when we are not full of ourselves.

John Chryssanvgis, In the Heart of the Desert

Desert Nomad

This past week some colleagues and I went to the Northern part of Niger, close to Algeria, to assess the possibility of expanding our work in that part of the country.  Because there are no domestic flights to that part of the country and it would've taken days to drive there, we flew on a humanitarian aid plan operated by the U.S Air Force.

Our plane to Arlit

Inside the plane

That part of Niger is predominately desert and most of the people that live there are Tuaregs, who have for centuries lived as nomads wandering from oasis to oasis, constantly in search of water for themselves and their livestock.

Tuaregs at an oasis

 In the mid-1960s a French multinational mining company discovered that underneath all of that sand was huge supply of uranium.  The company came and created a town, Arlit, for the sole purpose of catering to the needs of the Nigeriens working at the mining company.  The mining company designed the town and built the houses, the hospital, the grocery stores, and the restaurant.

Mining for Uranium

In 2006 the little mining town in the desert became well known after a few expatriates were kidnapped and held for ransom.  Because of that and the political situation in Niger and neighboring Libya, almost all of the NGOs left the area.  Recently the area has become more stabilized, however we had to be accompanied by both Nigerien and American armed forces everywhere we went.

Our Nigerien escorts

 
The first day we were there we wanted to do an assessment of a local village.  We, and a Civilian Affairs team from the US military, first stopped at the Prefet's (regional authority) office to announce our presence and explain our plans.  While we were meeting with the Prefet and his officials, another well-dressed man came in and announced that he would lead us to where we wanted to go.  So he, and his two car entourage, and us in our four car entourage went tromping through the desert in search of women and men we could talk to about their life and do a water assessment.

After about two hours of wandering through the desert we finally found some people huddled under the shade of one of the few trees around.  Myself and a colleague asked the women questions about their access to education, health services, food, and their livelihoods.

One of the women and her son we interviewed

They explained to us their life as nomads, staying in one place as long as there was water, but never long enough to send their children to school for any length of time.  Their diet consists of millet and rice with the occasional camel and goat milk.  When we asked about if the women breastfeed their children and for how long, they explained that they first give their children sugar water and typically breastfeed their sons for two year and their daughters for one year.  They explained to us that they breastfeed their son longer so that he will be more intelligent.  After they were finished telling us about their life, I saw one women give a baby a bowl of brown water to drink.  The nomadic life is a isolating, difficult one demanding fortitude and perseverance in both mind and body.  The women explained to us their many needs and discerning if and how to help well is challenging.  How do you provide health and nutrition education for a group of people when you do not know where they will be in the next month?  Follow them on a camel through the desert?

And if the best way to start working with a community is to learn from them, what does it mean to live a life of moving from spring to spring in the desert?  

To survive at all, the desert dweller--Tuareg or Aboriginal--must forever be naming, sifting, comparing, a thousand different "signs"--the tracks of a dung beetle, or the ripple of a dune--to tell him where he is; where the others are; where rain has fallen; where the next meal is coming from. 

Chatwin, The Songlines

Desert Pilgrimage

Ever since April, when I accepted to be the Health and Nutrition Manager for Samaritan's Purse in Niger, I have been wondering what it means spiritually, physically, and professionally to live in the desert.   I feel like in the last week this pilgrimage has begun as I've learned more about my work and developed a daily routine.  

Morning lights from a Mosque

In the early morning hours I meander through the darkened streets of Niamey.  The call to prayer echoes in the shadows as I run pass women rifling through putrid garbage piles, men sleeping outside to escape the heat, people walking home from the mosque, night watchmen, and the grandiose Chinese, American, French, and Malian Embassies.  It is a juxtaposition of sights and smells in the fierceness, solace, and disparities of this place.

Children playing video games in a hut

 On purpose I run pass the Niger River and pause as soon as I see it, to remind me that there can be life and growth, even in the desert.

Niger River

More difficult then running past the river and reflecting on life and growth in the desert is figuring out ways how to actually it in the desert.  Last Tuesday I attended a Nutrition cluster meeting for all of UNICEF's partners who are working to address the high levels of malnutrition throughout Niger, mostly by distributing plumpy'nut and fortified foods.  We were briefed on the current situation--over 157,000 children considered to be malnourished, which is on track with levels in 2010 when the last famine swept through Niger and not much better then in 2005, when many of the large international non-governmental organizations (NGO)s started working here permanently.  To me, what this signifies is that we are not getting at the root of the problem.  While I strongly believe in giving plumpy'nut to children who are malnourished, I don't believe in giving it to them for their whole childhood.  And for the Nigerien children who are susceptible to almost annual famines, they could indeed receive it that long.  The reason why plumpy'nut is successful is because it can be give to children before they become so severely malnourished that no other treatment works, not as a staple food.  The problems of food security in the desert are complex and complex solutions are elusive.  The pilgrimage of finding and cultivating life in the desert has begun.

Camel carrying goods

    Food for pilgrim people, manna from on high. Jesus, bread of heaven, feed us before we die.  Feed us with your love, feed us with your life, come into our longing hearts.  

Stream of living water, flowing from above.  Fountain who revives us, spring of saving love.  Feed us with your love, feed us with your life, flowing to our thirsty souls.  

Food for Pilgrim People, World Communion Song from Korea

The New Country

Street in front of our house

I arrived in Niger from Cameroon on Tuesday evening. I've never been to Niger before and to aid in the transition, I was secretly wishing that Niger wouldn't be that different from Cameroon.  But from the moment I first saw Niger from the plane I knew that was a false hope.  Everything is just different.  I now live in the capital of Niger, Niamey, and share a house with three other girls, who also work at Samaritan's Purse.

One of the first things that I noticed about Niamey is how quiet it is.  In Cameroon, music is constantly playing, especially in any city of a significant size.  But here it is eerily quiet.  Except for the Muslim call to prayer in the mornings and evenings.  It is Ramadan and that may possibly explain why it is quiet during the day in a city that is over 95% Muslim.

View of our house

There are also language differences as the official language is French, no more Pidgin, which at this point removes a lot of humor from my life. I keep wanting to say ashia to people until I remember they don't know what it means.  I've been told that there is a similar word in one of the local languages, I just need to learn it!


 I now have an office job as the Nutrition and Program Manager and directly oversee two Nigeriens, who supervise 20 other Nigeriens. The 20 Nigeriens they oversee provide health education and food distribution in outlying villages.  It is the kind of work that I used to do and enjoyed as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon.  Now I'm two times removed from that work.  With a terrible famine sweeping across the Sahel region and Niger being one of the countries most affected, currently it is kind of like "ground zero" for any organization working to treat malnutrition.   For more information on the severity of the situation click here: malnutrition in the Sahel.

Boxes of "plumpy'sup" in storage

One of my job responsibilities is to oversee the distribution of plumpy'sup and fortified cereals.  Plumpy'sup  is like plumpy'nut, but is for children who aren't as severely malnourished and can supplement their daily diet.  The first day I was at the office I was amazed at just how much of these fortified foods are in storage. Tons.  Literally.  The World Food Programme (WFP) buys the food and Samaritan's Purse (SP) distributes it.

However, on Thursday I learned that over 1,000 children didn't get their months ration because of a possible bacteria contamination leading to a recall of plumpy'sup.  I'm realizing how detrimental this is for families as they currently are depending on these food rations for their livelihood.  

Boxes of "super cereal"

Besides the religious, language, work, and climate differences, I also live quite differently then in Cameroon.  One of the advantages of living in the capital city is access to large grocery stores.  Grocery stores that sell cereal and cold milk and more flavors of tea then I've ever seen in the States!   Since Niger is land-locked everything is imported and I pay easily 2-3 times what I paid in Cameroon for fruits and vegetables.  In addition, I now live behind a walled house with guards so its much more difficult to get to know the Nigeriens and the wildlife.  But I'm trying.  

My neighbors

Nigerien wildlife

You are being asked to trust that you will find what you need in the new country.  That  requires the death of what has become so precious to you: influence, success, affirmation, and praise.  Trust is so hard since you have nothing to fall back on, still trust is what is essential.  

Henri Nouwen