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Bess Palmisciano, an American lawyer, first met
the Tuareg when she traveled as a tourist to Niger in January,
2000. She was impressed with their independence and resilience,
as well as their eagerness to share with her their food, music
-- and hopes for their children.
Those hopes include education. Once shunned by
the Tuareg, parents now see schooling as vital. However, the
state-run schools lack even the bare necessities, such as sleeping
mats and adequate food, for the children who live there while
their parents are in the desert with their herds.
Back home in New Hampshire, USA, Bess raised
a modest amount of money to help rebuild one school in one
Tuareg community. She wanted to do more.
So she returned to Niger to explore
with people ways they could work together. Rain for the Sahel
and Sahara, Inc. (RAIN) was created to support the projects
resulting from those talks. Soon, with RAIN’s help, parents
were digging wells and planting gardens for the schools. Money
made by selling excess crops is put back into the gardens and
the schools.
Besides market school gardens, RAIN
helps with AIDS education programs and women’s artisan
cooperatives. Existing programs continue to grow and new projects
are under discussion. But all programs, whether new or modeled
after existing ones, are initiated and administered locally
-- an essential factor for long-term change among the Tuareg.
Today, RAIN provides school supplies
to 1,000 students, while about 250 volunteer parents tutor
students, manage gardens, teach children about health and raise
funds for schools through community businesses the sale of
traditional crafts. RAIN is responding to requests to increase
its scope and now works with both Wodaabe and Tuareg nomadic
people.
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