Flying Bags of Poop

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…

Can Your Culture Make you Healthier?

CAN YOUR CULTURE MAKE YOU HEALTHIER? This Fulani girl is from the village of Goumbi Kanno, near Niger’s border with Nigeria.  At the time that I met her, I was working for CARE International, conducting breastfeeding education among the mothers of Goumbi Kanno, a village composed of both the Hausa and Fulani ethnic groups.  I was living on the Hausa side of the village, and my first – very judgemental! — impression of Kanno was that it was filthy and neglected.  Read more…

From Magic Potions to Prostitutions

FROM MAGIC POTIONS TO PROSTITUTION:  I wrote the story of “Gotchi and Satchi” (see my thirteen previous posts) for my eldest son, to share with him the story of the Wodaabe women of Couloubade village, and their lives as seasonal migrant workers. Amman Imman has been working with these women since 2014 to help improve their conditions and reduce their time away from home. Read more…

Fairy Water Fetchers: RIP Raichatou, We Will Always Love You!

FAIRY WATER FETCHERS: RIP RAICHATOU, WE WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU Raichatou and her group of little girl friends were my shadows during the first month that I lived with their nomadic community.  They walked with me to neighboring camps as I conducted my Fulbright research, took me to visit marshes and wells, taught me traditional games and words of Tamachek, and ate illiwa by my side. Read more…

Water for Health or Who Said Troughs Aren’t Meant To Be Used As A Pool?

In the first photo, a mother gives a bath to her children in the clean water from the Couloubade borehole. Why not recycle an animal trough into a bathtub? The children aren’t too happy. Baths are a new thing to get used to! Read more…