Killing time on a lengthy journey this week I was flicking through a magazine when I stumbled upon ‘Your Life in 10 Items’. The article shocked a committed hoarder like me, stating that Mahatma Gandhi could count his possessions on the fingers of his two hands.
In Niger’s bustling capital, Niamey, it’s easy to forget that more than 80 percent of people in this country are dependent on the land for food and their livelihood.
Most are extremely poor – a combination of regular poor harvests which yield little and a hand to mouth existence when the harvests are good.
I’ve just met a Nigerien woman in the capital, Niamey, who is determined to challenge the unscrupulous traders who are partially behind the high prices of millet – the staple here – and other grain which is playing an important part in the severe food crisis which is devastating this country.
My country is a really wonderful country. With a good rainy season you will discover it on every person’s face. If the harvest is good, villagers show their happiness through different sports.
We found a small girl wrapped in dusty cloth. At 3 years and 6 months, Haoua weighed only 6 kilograms. The child was completely dehydrated.
Suddenly the room I was working in went orange. It was as if someone had put an orange filter over the window glass. Then it went very dark but it was the middle of the afternoon. All three of us in the room looked at each other in bewilderment and immediately rushed outside to see what on earth was going on.
I like my job. I like humanitarian work. For me it’s the only way to help other people. I think it’s the only way I can express myself. Even if there weren’t any humanitarian organisations in Niger, I would create my own so that I could help others.
