Rotary Global Grant project in Niger.

1. The NOMAD Foundation
& Rotary Club
Working with nomads
in Niger for 12 years

2. The Nomad Foundation has partnered with Rotary Club since the famine of 2005
when a headline article in the Ventura County Star attracted Rotarian Randy Strong of
Westlake Village Sunrise to Ojai artist, Leslie Clark’s work with nomads in Niger. This
meeting led to a series of remarkable events: the founding of the first Rotary Club in the
Sahara, and the implementation of a series of over $500,000 in grants which have
impacted the entire region of northern Niger. Making this presentation are three of the
founding members of that Rotary Club: Leslie Clark founder and executive director of
the Nomad Foundation. Founding Agadez Rotary president Sidi Mamane, who is also
the Nomad Foundation’s representative in Niger and now mayor of Ingall and past
Rotary president Boucha Mohamed who is now Niger’s cabinet minister of agriculture
and livestock. He was for five years minister of budget and under his direction, he
brought Niger from the poorest to the fourth poorest country in the world.
Leslie Clark Sidi Mamane and Randy Strong at
Rotary STEPS conference
Sidi Mamane, Leslie Clark, Dr. Bob Skankey and Boucha Mohamed

3. Niger is a very poor and little known country, but crucial to the peace and
stability of the region. It is an island of relative stability, bordered by highly
volatile countries of Libya, Algeria, Mali, Chad and Nigeria. It is not only an
under-populated region threatened by criminal elements through drug
trafficking and terrorism, but the pathway for refugees trying to find a better life
in Europe. This northern area of Niger is sparsely populated by nomads. The
stability of this area is in their hands, but they need our help.
These nomads are poor, but have a rich cultural tradition…

4. Tuareg—camel herders

5. Wodaabe cattle herders

14. Nomads are hard to find and harder to get to…

15. The NOMAD Foundation
Working for 20 years with
Nomads in Niger

16. To facilitate our work, the Nomad Foundation decided to
centralize on the annual migration route of nomads in
Niger, so they could come to us instead. The Tamesna
Center for Nomadic life was begun in 2008. Here, a series
of projects address the multiple needs of the underserved
nomadic community. All the projects we have done are
relatively small by world bank or large NGO standards, but
each one has been a piece of a long term goal that has and
will continue to have an enormous impact—the stability
and prosperity of a relatively unknown but crucial area in
the world.

17. Centralized services for nomads

18. On their annual migration route

20. Solar powered well

21. Health clinic

23. Adult education and visitors center

24. Adult education programs

25. Traditional birth attendant training

27. Traditional birth attendant training that has delivered over
1,000 healthy babies with no maternal mortality

29. Mobile health training missions

30. Solar panel fabrication

31. Earthbag building

34. Microcredit for at risk youth

35. Creating small businesses to reduce migration

37. Housing for students built by nomads

38. Education for children

41. Extracurricular programs
Photography

42. Dance

43. Art

48. Music

49. Theater

50. Breeding program for school herd

51. The boarding school built exclusively for nomads has
been so successful, the top class skipped fifth grade to be
candidates for junior high school next year, a very rare
opportunity for a nomad. Our student population has
outgrown the existing classrooms and we want to make
it possible for these motivated nomadic children to
continue their education. So we need classrooms. These
children can become the teachers, health care workers,
veterinarians, or become better and more efficient
herders. Roles that their community needs, so they can
stay home among the culture and land they know and
love and not have to escape to find a better life.

52. Junior high school candidates

56. Annual festival to promote programs

58. Rotarian volunteers

59. NOMAD
FOUNDATION
PROGRAMS FOR
NOMADS

60. HEALTH
• MEDICAL CARE FOR NOMADS 2008-17
9,600 patients treated at Tamesna
• MIDWIFE TRAINING PROGRAM 2012-16
20 traditional birth attendants trained
1,000 healthy babies delivered with no maternal mortality
• MOBILE MEDICAL MISSIONS 2012-16
Treated hundreds of patients
• IMMUNIZATIONS 2015-16
1900 vaccinated for Measles and Meningitis

61. EDUCATION
• BOARDING SCHOOL FOR NOMADS 2012-17
Top class exceed national standards and skips from 4th -6th
grade and training to enter junior high school
• EARTHBAG CONSTRUCTION TRAINING 2014
20 nomads trained-dormitories and teacher’s residence built
• SOLAR TRAINING 2010-11
29 nomads trained-electricity installed in three schools and
Tamesna education center
• 5 SCHOOLS BUILT & 11 SCHOOLS SUPPORTED
1,500 children educated
• SCOLARSHIP PROGRAMS
42 students helped attend high school

62. WATER
• SOLAR POWERED WELL & TANK AT TAMESNA
• 30 CEMENT WELLS BUILT
FOOD
• 26 CEREAL BANKS
• 20 FODDER BANKS
• VEGETABLE DEHYDRATION PROGRAM
Onions and Moringa to improve nutrition
• SOLAR POWERED DEMONSTRATION GARDEN

63. WORK
• MICROCREDIT FOR AT RISK YOUTH
91 loans for men and women-promotes stability with
opportunity
• EARTHBERM AND DAM CONSTRUCTION
5 communities-Controls erosion, improves pasture, provides jobs
• 30 WOMEN’S CO-OPERATIVES
Sewing, embroidery, dyeing, leatherwork, animal husbandry, helping
over 1,000 women
• HERDS
16,000 animals vaccinated
756 animals purchased
20 goats for school herd breeding program
30 Chickens and pens for 10 people — small business microcredit
• PROMOTIION AND PURCHASE OF TUAREG JEWELRY
Employs 47 artisans

64. Emergency Aid
Famine 2005
Floods Agadez 2009
Famine 2010
Measles and meningitis epidemics 2015, 2016
1900 vaccinated

65. TAMESNA CENTER FOR NOMADIC LIFE
Infrastructure to provide essential services and education
for nomads on their annual migration route
• Well, solar power and tank 2008, second well 2013
• Health clinic 2008 solar powered
• Latrines 2009
• Clinic director and school director’s residence 2010
• Vaccination corrals 2010
• Adult education center 2011
• Classrooms 2011
• Garden 2011
• Dormitories and teacher’s residence 2015

66. District 5240 – Westlake Village Sunrise
Continuing Education For Nomads in Niger
A sustainable District Grant to impact education, peace and stability!
Will affect 1000s of lives!
The Rotary Club of Westlake Village Sunrise is sponsoring a district Grant to build classrooms for continuing
education for nomads in Niger. The project needs commitments of funds by other supporting Rotary clubs to move the
project forward. This is one in a series of projects done in partnership with the Nomad Foundation. In addition to being
an educational project, it is a project with a strong peace and stability component.
For more information or if your Rotary club would like to contribute cash or DDF (District Designated
Funds) to this project, please contact Randy Strong at marketingstrong@gmail.com