Community Enterprise

Parents Supporting Schools

"one tree does not make a fence." -Tuareg Proverb

LEGS: Learning & Earning

RAIN's Learning and Earning Groups (LEGS) are groups of dedicated nomadic women and men who come together to support their children's schools while building new livelihoods for themselves and their families. 

Yabande, Wodaabe ArtisanTalented and skilled women form artisan and agricultural cooperatives and partner in small business ventures such as grain grinding and produce preperation for sale to local markets.  Community men participate in husbandry improvement programs, share and donate livestock to support schools, and manage cereal banks and general stores.MCV tote bag.

All of these activities build a path to sustainability and self determination - school programs are supported, and adults take their futures into their own hands as they learn and earn. 

Artisan Cooperatives

Drawing upon traditional heritage to create new livelihoods. In 2007, Akadaka Alhassane, a Tuareg woman from Gougaram, asked if RAIN could develop a program to help her group of straw and leather artisans earn money. We asked the women if they would be willing to share their profits with their local school. The answer was an enthusiastic yes. So began RAIN's first artisan cooperative. 

Since partnering with RAIN, the Gougaram Women's Artisan Cooperative and the Wodaabe MCV (Metier Chance Vivre - From Skilled Work, Life) Embroidery Cooperative have collectively earned over $16,000 - with half donated to funding school programs. The women have used their school support accounts to purchase medical care, clothing, shoes, mattresses, blankets, and books as well as provide salaries for teachers and cooks.

 RAIN is celebrating the recent addition of a new group -Fatima Alma - "Albaye" Albaye (the word for the traditional Tuareg wallet) - Tuareg women who produce beautiful hand crafted purses and other items, as well as a second embroidery cooperative of Wodaabe women.

MCV tailor Aja at work.RAIN provides the seed money for materials, design instruction and training, space to work, and a tailor. We then purchase the finished items from the women for sale in the U.S. RAIN is currently working towards establishing markets in the capitals of Niamey and Agadez for artisan items, and assisting the women in becoming members of their regional trade associations. 

 Each artisan cooperative is rooted in the unique cultural and artistic traditions of their particular ethnic group. Tuareg women work in straw and leather, and the Wodaabe have a long history in embroidery. The rural nomadic women who make up the cooperatives start without knowlege of how to measure, follow a pattern, or conduct basic accounting. Already talented, these women hone and refine their abilities to become true professional artisans, able to trade with the modern world while preserving the traditions that define each group's unique identity. Above, Wodaabe artisans measure fabric.

The success of RAIN's artisan cooperatives have inspired a variety of small business enterprises within our partner communities - new livelihoods that are culturally appropriate while supporting their children's schools. At left, "Albaye" - traditional Tuareg wallets.

Agricultural Cooperatives

Women as key investments in sustainable agriculture. Many rural nomadic men must travel to neighboring countries, referred to as exod, to find work as pasturelands shrink - leaving women to provide and take care of their families. The women in our partner communities become empowered by the process of the school market gardens - they head the committees that make planting and harvesting decisions, become literate in accounting, and learn how to harvest and prepare the crops for sale. It's only natural that the next step would be to empower them with greater food security by investing in their own garden cooperatives. Combining the models of the garden and artisan cooperative programs, a group of women come together to manage a five thousand square foot plot of land. They receive training in sustainable, organic gardening techniques and drip irrigation from RAIN's partner, The International Crops Research Institute for the Semi Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). They plan budgets and crops, hire a gardener, and take turns monitoring the garden. 

From produce to profit. Harvest time brings another opportunity to earn incomes while supporting their children's schools. Using solar drying ovens provided by RAIN, the women prepare, dry and preserve the produce for sale in local markets. They also sell seeds as well. As in our artisan cooperatives, the women keep 50% of the proceeds and donate the remainder to their children's schools. 

Herding Cooperatives

Foudouk Young Men's Herding AssociationNew and old techniques come together to increase livestock for all. RAIN is investing in nomadic livestock growth through a traditional practice called temoko - the loaning of animals to produce offspring at greater rates.  Both men and women are coming forward to form herding cooperatives, sharing their livestock resources to grow their herds of sheep, goats and cattle. They also benefit from education in improved animal husbandry. Recently in Foudouk, where drought reduced livestock by 40%, the Young Men's Herding Association donated surplus herds from improved husbandry to their school.

Grain Grinding

A new venture brings income while saving the day. Much like fetching the daily supply of water, grain grinding is a household job assigned exclusively to women and girls, done by hand, and very time consuming. The solution is two-fold: make the investment of a grain grinder machine, not only reducing the time demands of this necessary activity to a fraction, but providing a viable service that can produce income for nomadic women.

Cereal Banks and General Stores

Insurance against crisis for the entire community. During severe food shortages, which are always hovering on the horizon, the security of surplus food and animal feed becomes priceless. Even if a family has the money to buy animal feed, during times of scarcity, prices skyrocket - leaving it out of reach for most, who then suffer the catastrophic event of losing their livestock - a major source of food and livelihoods. To prevent this and provide income generating opportunities, RAIN has partnered with three communities in creating cereal banks and animal feed centers. With the help from RAIN, each community can purchase cereal and feed when prices are low, then use the stores in times of scarcity, selling the surplus at affordable prices or donating to families in need. 

Access to essentials. Another challenge faced by these remote communities is obtaining the supplies basic to living - items such as oil, millet, tea, soap and other staples. Heads of households must often travel long distances, expending precious resources while risking spoilage or loss. Three partner communities have now opened general stores, stocked with the necessary staples at low prices. 

Learn more about our work in Niger.