Tag: children

sanitation hygiene defecate

Flying Bags of Poop

Posted onAuthorAriane Alzhara Kirtley

FLYING BAGS OF POOP: I was exhausted from the day’s heat, and tired of conducting questionnaires.  Even though my research was fascinating, I wanted to play with kids, and take a break from the gruel of my work.  I had spent all day walking from one household to another in the village of Goumbi Kanno, conducting interviews with women to inquire about their hygiene and sanitation practices. I was feeling a little strange asking such personal questions to women I hardly knew.  A break was in order. Read more…

That’s a Camp?

Posted onAuthorAriane Alzhara Kirtley

THAT’S A CAMP?  This little boy and his mother were the first Wodaabe that I met in the Azawak.  In fact, their camp was the first Wodaabe camp I had ever seen.  When I met them, they were sitting together in the middle of grasses underneath the blazing sun.  The mother was mending a shirt, and her son sat patiently next to her, intently observing my every move.  Read more…

Twin Magic

Posted onAuthorAriane Alzhara Kirtley

TWIN MAGIC: Twins in Niger, and among the Touaregs in particular, hold a special status.  Giving birth to twins is considered a great honor. Twins are both feared and venerated, as they are considered to have magical powers.  For instance, if you make a wish, you should think about a twin, because twins have the power to make wishes come true.  If the wish is granted, you must offer a gift to the twin as a token of gratitude, otherwise a bad omen may befall you.  Furthermore, NEVER doing anything bad to a twin, otherwise bad luck will haunt you as long as you have not regained the trust of the twin you have hurt or dishonored. Read more…

The Flea Infested Camp

Posted onAuthorAriane Alzhara Kirtley

THE FLEA INFESTED CAMP: I do not know this Touareg child’s name.  But I will never forget her gorgeous smile.  Nor will I ever forget the few days I spent in her camp, located deep in the middle of nowhere.  Truly, her camp was lost at what seemed the end of the earth, perched in the middle of a vast expanse of low lying hills hundreds of kilometers away from anything even approaching civilization. Read more…

The Smile

Posted onAuthorAriane Alzhara Kirtley

THE SMILE:  This is Bintou, a Touareg girl from the village of Tchinwagari in Niger.  She was and continues to be a major inspiration for our work with @ammanimman. Before we helped build a borehole in her community, her family spent hours a day pulling water from the 600 foot deep well of the village.  Read more…