Maza Tsaye

One of our favorite things during our orientation week was learning about agriculture in Niger. We took a tour one day of Maza Tsaye, which is a SIM run tree nursery in Maradi. Every tree native to Niger is grown here along with many other trees that grow well in a hot and dry climate. They are doing some amazing work with local farmers in Niger to improve crop yields and to try to slow the spread of the Sahara Desert.

Lots and lots of tree seeds!

About 70% of Nigerians are subsistence farmers which means that most of their produce is consumed by the farmer and his family leaving little or nothing that can be sold. So, in a country this impoverished, one of the best ways to help alleviate poverty is to teach the people how to be better farmers. However, Nigerian farmers in the past have been resistant to adopting new farming techniques. Their families’ lives literally depend on their crops for survival. If it is a bad year with the crops, one of their children might starve to death as a result. This makes it difficult for them to take risks on implementing new techniques that they have never tried. They really have to be convinced it is going to work before they will give it a go.

This is the Gao tree, also known as the magical tree in Niger because there are many advantages to having it around. The pods on this tree are good food for the animals and the farmer can eat the leaves and stems as food.

Pods from the Gao tree.

This is Ousmane. He is in charge of tree growing and planting. All of the seeds start out in these little sacks and will be planted in the ground once the rainy season starts. There are only four months out of the year that are suitable to plant trees. So, they try to get them growing nicely a few months before the rains come. That way the trees have enough time to dig their roots deep into the ground before the hot weather returns in the Fall. Farmers can purchase these trees from Maza Tsaye to plant in their own fields. It was interesting to  learn about how a few rows of trees in a field can really help the crops. When the leaves fall to the ground they help to slow evaporation of water from the soil. Animals come along to eat the leaves and fruit from the tree and they leave behind droppings that add fertilizer to the soil. The leaves themselves also decompose and add organic matter to the soil. Having several trees in a field can markedly improve crop yields.

The trees on the left seen below are actually from last seasons’ crop, but they weren’t big enough to plant. They will be planted with this year’s crop and will have a better chance at survivial.

Below is the highly nutritious Moringa tree that Marc mentioned in his post about the CREN.

The workers at Maza Tsaye are teaching Nigerian farmers the importance of compost and how to make a three part compost. Many believe that if their crops fail it was because there wasn’t enough water for them to grow. However, most of the time, the issue is with the soil. The soil in Niger is mostly either sandy (like in Maradi) or rocky and hard (like here in Galmi) so adding compost really helps the ground to retain the water it needs to nurture a plant. David, our tour guide, said a farmer can increase his crop yield greatly by adding a little compost to his land.

One agricultural method that has been quite successful for the Nigerians over the past few decades is the FMNR (Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration) technique. This technique teaches farmers how to properly prune their tree stumps by selecting how many shoots they want growing off each stump. Trees were previously just removed from fields because it was perceived that they would steal away moisture and nutrients from the crops. In reality, trees can help crops by improving soil fertility, reducing wind speeds, and providing a habitat for birds so that plant killing insects can be controlled. One of the workers at Maza Tsaye demonstrated FMNR to us while we were there.

Marc took this picture to show you how big some of the thorns are out here. Most of the plants have thorns on them, I assume, to deter the animals from eating them. Marc had one go straight through his tennis shoe when he went running his first week here. We decided to share this picture with you on Good Friday as a reminder for all of us to give thanks for Jesus' sacrifice.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe and went up to him again and again, saying, "Hail, king of the Jews!" And they struck him in the face.

John 19:1-3

Road to Maradi

We left for Maradi on Monday, March 26^th.  It is about a 3 1/2 to 4 hr. car trip depending on how slow you drive through the rougher spots. We had the kids “roped in” the back seat. We were hoping that by leaving around nap time the kids would sleep most of the trip, but we had no idea how bumpy the ride was going to be. They attempted to sleep, but ended up awake for the majority of the trip. Eli thought the bumps were so fun. He would giggle and squeal and say, "Daddy, this ride is so bumpy!"

                             

It was enjoyable getting to see more of the country’s landscape and many of the villages that were scattered along the road. The soil in Galmi is quite rocky and hard but as we drove East the land became more sandy and looked more like the desert.

Of course, every village we passed had plenty of onions for sale!

It is difficult to tell the sheep and goats apart in Niger because they have the same color and pattern, but someone recently pointed out to us that the sheeps' tails point down and the goats' tails point up. So, this is a sheep herder below. :)

I have been surprised by how young kids are when they begin working. If a child can't pass an exam at the end of 6th grade then they are done with their schooling and usually begin helping support their family full time.

Marc decided half-way through our trip that he wanted to buy a few cokes. He said he envisioned pulling over to one of the little shops on the side of the road, passing his money through the window, and getting his cokes. However, our driver pulled all the way off the road and turned off the car. He began chatting up someone he knew while someone in our car ran out to buy some beverages. The conversations carried on for a little while so our quick stop became a long one. While we waited, a large group of children gathered outside our vehicle to see who was inside.

Eli and Hailey enjoyed all the attention at the window while we waited. :)

Once we arrived in Mardi, we stopped off at a bakery to pick up some fresh bread for dinner. There were a few boys who bravely approached our van. I passed out the remainder of our popcorn and they ran off delighted. I’m not sure they knew what it was. They looked at it for quite a while, but they never tasted any. Then, one of the boys shoved the bag in his front pocket and ran away without his friend. It was quite fun watching this all play out, yet also heartbreaking as I looked at these little ones in tattered and dirty clothes begging for handouts of any sort.

Some more cute kids hard at work..

And finally we arrived!

R & R

Merriam-Webster defines rest as "freedom from activity or labor" or "peace of mind or spirit." This past week we left Galmi and headed to Maradi in search of some rest and relaxation. We attended a SIM (serving in mission) conference while we were there and tagged on a few extra days at the end just for our family. 

While we are talking about definitions, I should mention that this experience in Niger has been continually redefining ideas and concepts for me that I only thought I understood before. I now have new mental images to go with words like "poverty" and "hunger."  With this most recent trip to Maradi, the word “pothole” has been redefined as well. It will be hard to complain about road quality in the US again. I have never ridden on a road as bumpy and damaged in my life. The crazy thing is that this road is one of only two paved roads in the entire country (although the road for half of our trip was still dirt). It is mind boggling. We hired a reliable driver to get us there safely and prayed for God’s protection while we traveled. We are so thankful to have had safe travels going and coming.

I have a few more posts that I hope to get up this week to show you our trip and give you a tour of a different part of this country. Though our family slept in one room for the week, and it was a tad more rustic that what we have here at Galmi, we had a wonderful time! I really enjoyed the break from the kitchen. Our conference meals were all planned out and then we packed a few frozen meals to carry us through the rest of our stay. We also ate out at two restaurants and ordered food from the grill by the pool at the French Club. Luxurious!!! (though probably another redefined word). We could not have asked for a better get-a-way, and we feel refreshed and ready to tackle this hot weather that is coming in the next two months!

The sandbox at the SIM guesthouse in Maradi was a favorite with the kids.

 There were lots of kids for Eli and Hailey to play with! These are some of our new friends from Australia.

 We were the only people eating in this restaurant between 7-8:30 pm  (it may be because it was quite expensive for Niger's economy). What a treat to not have to cook! The kids had a really yummy pizza, Marc had a cheeseburger & fries, and I had minute steak with green beans.

Check back later this week for more pictures and stories!

Weekly Update

Here is a weekly update for those of you out there still hanging with us! We hit our half-way point this week which means we get to break into the next block of cheddar cheese. Ha! In all reality, we are very much enjoying ourselves and the ways we see God in each and every day here. We have been stretched and our faith has grown deeper as a result. It is really unmatched by any other experience I have ever had. We have learned to pray about even the smallest needs and seen how deep the Father's love is for us and those around us.

We received a package from Nana and Papa D last week. The kids LOVE when they see Marc walk through the door with these USPS boxes. They can hardly let him put his backpack down before they are ready to see what is inside. The box always provides a few moments of entertainment as well.

Some friends here on the compound recently brought us some unexpected goodies from Niamey! This is the first time I have seen fresh green beans since leaving the states. It is possible I might just have a panic attack the first time I step back into a real grocery store. :) I'm sure the "variety" will likely be overwhelming for a little while after seeing things on a much smaller scale. These were delicious! We shared them with Marc's hospital translator and his fiancee when they joined us for dinner last week. Mammane said he hadn't seen green beans since he went to bible school in Nigeria so hopefully they were a treat for our guests as well.

It has been SOOOO windy and dusty here for the past week. The good news is that the dust has kept the temperatures unusually low for this time of the year (some of the hospital nurses have told Marc that the weather feels more like December right now), but it has certainly hampered some of our outdoor fun (and ruined a few pairs of contacts as well!). There were several days where the SIM plane was unable to land in Galmi because of poor visibility. However, the plane did land yesterday and brought the Kubaczs home to us from their recent trip to Chad where they were looking into a potential missions opportunity for their family in the future. We are glad to have them back after their week away, and Eli was SO excited to have Gracie, his partner in crime, back by his side. 

Even with the windy days, we have managed to get outside enough to let the Eli and Hailey burn off their energy. The kids love playing on the tennis/basketball courts. Marc and I love taking them there to play because it is one of the few fenced in areas where we can let them run freely yet also keep them contained.

Hailey's locks are getting more blond each day!

There is a tortoise (someone's pet) named Thorn who lives near the courts. We always have to visit him before we head home. There is a hole inside the fence around Thorn's cage so Eli likes to crawl in and look at him up close. He always says, "I won't touch him mommy, I just want to wook at him. :)

And... I attempted to cut Eli's hair this past weekend. Some of our close family might remember this blog post from awhile back that was the first (and last) time I tried to cut Eli's hair. I quickly remembered why I hadn't tried cutting it since then. Eli screamed his head off the entire time and fought me every step of the way (which is why the next picture reveals a few slightly bald and uneven spots!). One of the older missionary kids was riding his bike by our house during the haircut and asked us later on that day what we were doing to Eli to make him scream so loud. Ha!

This was supposed to be my practice run before cutting Marc's hair, but Marc said I am not allowed to touch his head yet. He obviously thinks I need a little more practice (and I can agree with him). He has decided he is going to wait until we get home to cut it, but we'll see about that. :)