We're back in Regina. Our plane was pretty much on time coming in to Regina on Wednesday, and our family and friends were there to greet us. The return trip was uneventful and a little long. It was almost 28 hours of being either in an airport or on a plane.
Everyone is glad to be home, though some certainly miss the heat of Niger as it was about -20C when we arrived and has been colder since.
Although our trip has come to an end, we aren't quite done as a team yet. This Sunday, March 1st, our church will be hosting a special potluck supper during which we will share about our experience. We invite you to come and join us, starting at 6pm. We ask that each family bring a main dish as well as a salad, hot vegetable or a dessert. The address is 101 Munroe Place, Regina. We hope to see you there.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Coming Home
Please note that the Niger team is scheduled to arrive in Regina at 6:29 pm Wednesday on AC 1133 from Toronto.
Pictures from Sunday
On Sunday the Niger team Skyped into our service for an update on the project. The following are the pictures they sent that we showed while we talked with them. The pictures show the completed project, the women's ward at Danja hospital, and the discipleship seminar.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to Niamey we go..
Hello everyone,
I just want to put up a quick post to let you all know that we are now back in Niamey after a slightly shorter drive; we had less stops this time around. It was also much less cramped than the trip out to Maradi, since Vicki, Lynette, Annie and Tommy rode with the Evans'. So 11 of us got into the same bus as last time, with much less luggage as well.
The amount of dust in the air was significantly less this time, and so we were treated both to beautiful African vistas and some very hot temperatures. Which was especially hard on the few members of our team who were suffering from a stomach bug since the night before. Nevertheless, we all made it safely to Niamey and are enjoying a bit of shopping tonite and tomorrow before our flight shortly after midnight.
Jon
PS: A few events that took place on the weekend haven't been blogged about yet and we'll hopefully have those to you tomorrow before we leave. If not, come ask us on Sunday at church and we'll be happy to tell you.
I just want to put up a quick post to let you all know that we are now back in Niamey after a slightly shorter drive; we had less stops this time around. It was also much less cramped than the trip out to Maradi, since Vicki, Lynette, Annie and Tommy rode with the Evans'. So 11 of us got into the same bus as last time, with much less luggage as well.
The amount of dust in the air was significantly less this time, and so we were treated both to beautiful African vistas and some very hot temperatures. Which was especially hard on the few members of our team who were suffering from a stomach bug since the night before. Nevertheless, we all made it safely to Niamey and are enjoying a bit of shopping tonite and tomorrow before our flight shortly after midnight.
Jon
PS: A few events that took place on the weekend haven't been blogged about yet and we'll hopefully have those to you tomorrow before we leave. If not, come ask us on Sunday at church and we'll be happy to tell you.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Sowing the Seeds of Change in the Sahel
Sowing seeds of change is just one of the catch phrases SIMaid uses in their brochures, and for good reason. Over the past history traditional farming practices used by the farmers caused desertification, deforestation and wind erosion, resulting in frequent drought and famines. This makes me think of the drought that we had during the 1930’s. We North Americans have had our own problems with poor farming practices. .i.e. fence rows filled with dirt, and severe drought with wind erosion and loss of top-soil during the late 1980’s.
Peter Cunningham is an Agronomist with SIMaid and is head of the “Farmer Managed Agro Forestry Farming system (FMAFS)” which works to develop a sustainable dryland farming system for the Sahel. Peter and his crew go into the rural area and work with some of the farmers such as Issa who has a 2-ha plot planted with the new multi-purpose Australian Acacia trees.
The Acacia trees are native to a part of Australia known to have the same climatic conditions of the Sahelian zone of Niger, these trees are a nitrogen fixing plant that can pull nitrogen out of the air which can improve the intercropping of millet and sorghum. Also the tree has many species that have different growing characteristics such as seed pod size and shape. The seeds are ground and used in a 25% mix with normal grain flour that can increase protein levels by 50 %.
In drought conditions, the farmer can sell wood from the Acacia tree as a fuel. The farmers are taught to selectively prune the trees, so that the tree can robustly revive itself and continue production.
Gary, Tom, Brad, Jack, Jonathan, Kory and myself went with Peter Cunningham (SIMaid agronomist) went out to the experimental tree farm to see Issa the landowner who is working with Peter. Issa was very proud of the success of this project; the neighbouring farmers are watching and learning from this success.
Yours sincerely,
Jim Etter
Peter Cunningham is an Agronomist with SIMaid and is head of the “Farmer Managed Agro Forestry Farming system (FMAFS)” which works to develop a sustainable dryland farming system for the Sahel. Peter and his crew go into the rural area and work with some of the farmers such as Issa who has a 2-ha plot planted with the new multi-purpose Australian Acacia trees.
The Acacia trees are native to a part of Australia known to have the same climatic conditions of the Sahelian zone of Niger, these trees are a nitrogen fixing plant that can pull nitrogen out of the air which can improve the intercropping of millet and sorghum. Also the tree has many species that have different growing characteristics such as seed pod size and shape. The seeds are ground and used in a 25% mix with normal grain flour that can increase protein levels by 50 %.
In drought conditions, the farmer can sell wood from the Acacia tree as a fuel. The farmers are taught to selectively prune the trees, so that the tree can robustly revive itself and continue production.
Gary, Tom, Brad, Jack, Jonathan, Kory and myself went with Peter Cunningham (SIMaid agronomist) went out to the experimental tree farm to see Issa the landowner who is working with Peter. Issa was very proud of the success of this project; the neighbouring farmers are watching and learning from this success.
Yours sincerely,
Jim Etter
A day in the life of a Hausa Village…
Today, our team went in two directions. Some of us stayed at the worksite and finished up some things like putting in fans and lights. The rest of us went on a trip out to the bush. There is a missionary couple here who work a lot with local villages and farmers showing them how to improve soil and growing conditions, and the nutritional value in their diets. This is done mainly through what is now called “Sowing Seeds of Change for the Sahel.”
We went along today to witness a food presentation in the village of Botsi. This was quite an involved process and our part in it was just to watch and see what it was all about. Really, though, our purpose for going was to again to be exposed to another aspect of Hausa culture and way of life. Even Peter, the missionary who heads up this program, mentioned that this trip would be an experience in seeing Africa ‘outside of the bubble’ of the Maradi guesthouse (where we are staying) to the construction site, and back again.
Well it certainly was. We headed out this morning, packed into two vehicles, down the main highway here in Niger. It is like the Trans-Canada in that it spans the southern border of the country. After a many kilometres, we turned onto a sand road, stopped the vehicles, and locked the wheel hubs into 4WD. And off we went into the African plain with only two tread marks, from previous travellers, to guide us. Our first stop was a quick one at a village to pick up a couple more people including a Christian farmer, Issa who is helping Peter on this project. We had a chance to step into one of the mud brick houses and were taken back at how little room there was inside. Two rooms, eighty square feet total, bed squeezed into the hallway between the rooms.
We continued on to Botsi through the scorching plain. The winds were blowing sand and produced a haze over the horizon. There were a number of trees scattered over the landscape.
As we entered Botsi we were greeted by people, goats, donkeys, cattle and chickens. The people the village brought out benches for us to sit with the rest on the villagers in their central meeting place. One of the SIM people with us was a local radio personality named Jaho who hosts a radio show. Some of the people recognized his voice from hearing him on their portable radios. Jaho helps out with the Sowing Seeds of Change food demonstration presentations.
As our lunch was being prepared, Issa took us back out to his Acacia tree farm near the village. As the team from last year learned, the seeds from the Acacia tree can be pounded into flour and used as a supplement to increase the protein level of regular millet flour that the Hausa people use every day.
We returned back to the village for lunch where we were treated to fire roasted chicken and rice. The food was served in large bowls with no spoons. So we dug in scooping out a handful of rice at a time and ate it directly out of our hands along with the broken up pieces of chicken. It was delicious!
The afternoon was a real treat watching Miriama (a local Housa lady who does work for SIM and has been doing some of the cooking for us) give the food demonstration to the village women. She demonstrated adding Acacia flour to the regular food dishes that the village women prepare.
Once all the food dishes were complete, they were served to the entire village and us to try this new combination of food. The dishes included, Tuno da Miya, a cooked flour/corn mixture with a texture similar to dumplings covered in a sauce made from beans, tomatoes and chillies. Damba, a couscous type dish with maringa leaves (type of tree – highly nutritious. The real treat was the Fanka and Kosai; deep fried balls of the flour mixture which we called Hausa Timbits.
The response to this new high protein fortified food was well received by all and it looks promising for the for Acacia flour to be accepted as a food supplement more and more in the village.
Throughout the afternoon, we were able to mingle with the villagers and experience the Hausa culture first hand. The kids really got a kick out of us taking pictures and videos of them and playing them back to them. Later in the afternoon we presented the village chief a soccer ball and pump and we were taken back by the villagers’ response. They were so appreciative of the gift and cheered for a long time. The boys of the village quickly took the ball and had a quick game of soccer.
We departed the village with everyone thanking us and waving goodbye - a humbling experience.
Please pray for the Hausa people in Botsi that through the missionaries and Issa they see God’s compassion and accept the new enriched food from the Acacia tree to feed their families.
Kory and Tom
We went along today to witness a food presentation in the village of Botsi. This was quite an involved process and our part in it was just to watch and see what it was all about. Really, though, our purpose for going was to again to be exposed to another aspect of Hausa culture and way of life. Even Peter, the missionary who heads up this program, mentioned that this trip would be an experience in seeing Africa ‘outside of the bubble’ of the Maradi guesthouse (where we are staying) to the construction site, and back again.
Well it certainly was. We headed out this morning, packed into two vehicles, down the main highway here in Niger. It is like the Trans-Canada in that it spans the southern border of the country. After a many kilometres, we turned onto a sand road, stopped the vehicles, and locked the wheel hubs into 4WD. And off we went into the African plain with only two tread marks, from previous travellers, to guide us. Our first stop was a quick one at a village to pick up a couple more people including a Christian farmer, Issa who is helping Peter on this project. We had a chance to step into one of the mud brick houses and were taken back at how little room there was inside. Two rooms, eighty square feet total, bed squeezed into the hallway between the rooms.We continued on to Botsi through the scorching plain. The winds were blowing sand and produced a haze over the horizon. There were a number of trees scattered over the landscape.
As we entered Botsi we were greeted by people, goats, donkeys, cattle and chickens. The people the village brought out benches for us to sit with the rest on the villagers in their central meeting place. One of the SIM people with us was a local radio personality named Jaho who hosts a radio show. Some of the people recognized his voice from hearing him on their portable radios. Jaho helps out with the Sowing Seeds of Change food demonstration presentations.
As our lunch was being prepared, Issa took us back out to his Acacia tree farm near the village. As the team from last year learned, the seeds from the Acacia tree can be pounded into flour and used as a supplement to increase the protein level of regular millet flour that the Hausa people use every day.We returned back to the village for lunch where we were treated to fire roasted chicken and rice. The food was served in large bowls with no spoons. So we dug in scooping out a handful of rice at a time and ate it directly out of our hands along with the broken up pieces of chicken. It was delicious!
The afternoon was a real treat watching Miriama (a local Housa lady who does work for SIM and has been doing some of the cooking for us) give the food demonstration to the village women. She demonstrated adding Acacia flour to the regular food dishes that the village women prepare.
Once all the food dishes were complete, they were served to the entire village and us to try this new combination of food. The dishes included, Tuno da Miya, a cooked flour/corn mixture with a texture similar to dumplings covered in a sauce made from beans, tomatoes and chillies. Damba, a couscous type dish with maringa leaves (type of tree – highly nutritious. The real treat was the Fanka and Kosai; deep fried balls of the flour mixture which we called Hausa Timbits.
The response to this new high protein fortified food was well received by all and it looks promising for the for Acacia flour to be accepted as a food supplement more and more in the village.Throughout the afternoon, we were able to mingle with the villagers and experience the Hausa culture first hand. The kids really got a kick out of us taking pictures and videos of them and playing them back to them. Later in the afternoon we presented the village chief a soccer ball and pump and we were taken back by the villagers’ response. They were so appreciative of the gift and cheered for a long time. The boys of the village quickly took the ball and had a quick game of soccer.
We departed the village with everyone thanking us and waving goodbye - a humbling experience.
Please pray for the Hausa people in Botsi that through the missionaries and Issa they see God’s compassion and accept the new enriched food from the Acacia tree to feed their families.
Kory and Tom
Friday, February 20, 2009
Humble Beginnings
This morning, Thursday Feb 19, five members of our team drove out to one of the small villages outside Maradi to visit a pastor/evangelist. His name is Pastor Abdu; he and his wife is Sahia have two small children. He is working at planting a church in the village. He met us, greeted us, and ushered us into his mud walled yard. He has a small, two room mud house with a straw roof. Right next to it was a corn stalk chicken coop. A couple of the little baby chicks were scurrying about outside the coop. In the middle of the yard, a steer was tethered. It was creating a compost/manure pile to be used for fertilizer.
Near the fence was a cornstalk room with an opening, but no door and a sand floor. Pastor Abdu put down some mats and two chairs. He invited us to sit. We exchanged greetings and then he told us about his work; Judy Evans translated for us. Some neighbours came by and joined in the visiting. There are no other believers in the village, so this was a witnessing opportunity as well. After a while, a small pail of water, dishes and spoons, and two bowls of macaroni with meat (and intestines) were placed before us. We ate, talked and drank our own water; I was thankful for my water bottle.
We were able to bless Pastor Abdu and Sahia with a small money gift to help them in their ministry. What a joy to fellowship with this young couple. We pray that God would remove barriers and evil strongholds that are hindering the advance of the Gospel. We prayed that God would open eyes and hearts to say yes to Jesus.
Pastor Mogens.
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