As the new decade approaches, we are proud to share the following programmatic successes and achievements from the last year:
Our Mentorship Program successfully provided mentoring to 564 elementary and middle school students, 67% of whom are girls. With the right support, mentorship, and coaching, our female mentees developed the confidence to value their own education and focused on developing new life skills, building competencies, and outperforming their own expectations. Our local, trained female mentors worked with students and their families to ensure students not only attended school regularly, but also thrived and outperformed their peers. As a result, our female mentees were 15% less likely to drop out of school. This year, we also expanded our existing elementary mentorship program in Tagantassou where the school director noted the positive impact of our program on attendance, which ultimately influences students’ ability to continue their education and enroll in middle school.
In addition to serving as their mentee’s advocate, our mentors provided students with traditional and cultural skill-building practices such as weaving, health education such as WASH techniques and reproductive health, and education on issues of gender-based violence. As a result, our education programming successfully provided critical wraparound support that ensured girls’ continued education, well-being, and long-term success.
RAIN recently piloted a Middle School Expansion Program in response to the Nigerien government’s opening of new middle schools in rural communities. Despite increasing access to middle schools, many of these schools remain largely under-resourced, lacking proper facilities and teacher resources. Our Mentorship Program works to support these under resourced schools and provide students with mentorship and supplemental classes to support their educational advancement. Mentors also serve as a bridge and trusted partner to families, many of whom were reluctant to send their girls to middle schools, especially schools that required long travel to attend. Our pilot saw enormous success in its first year – 100% of students at our pilot middle school program passed their year-end national exams on the first round. This is rare in Niger as most students are obliged to sit a second-round oral exam due to low test scores. Further, our pilot also saw that middle school enrollment increased by 24% this year. With the success of this pilot, we expanded to two new middle schools in the Tillabery region and are currently working with 120 middle school students.
Looking Forward:
2020 will be an exciting year for RAIN as we expand our educational initiatives for girls. With new middle schools and, correspondingly, expanded elementary school populations, we see a unique opportunity to grow our mentoring program. There is a growing demand in our partner communities and their neighboring villages as more families start to see the positive impacts of our programs. For example, in a small village near Ingui, the community has explicitly requested more mentors. While there are already some students enrolled from that area, families are concerned about the long distances their students travel to get to school and believe that mentors’ support and consistent encouragement would help combat this issue. As such, we plan to expand to more than double the mentoring program in this area in the next academic year.
Our educational goals for 2020 are to:
1. Train 137 female mentors (including 25 new mentors) who will mentor a total of 685 youth across elementary and middle schools, 70% of whom will be female students;
2. Provide scholarships for room, board and tuition at the Agadez Learning Center for 40 youth (18 new students from villages that don’t have a local middle school), over 50% of whom will be female students; and
3. Help 75 female students to successfully enroll in or advance to the next grade in middle school. Your support allows us to achieve these milestones.
Our Sustainable Herding Initiative is one of RAIN's most beloved programs in Niger. We currently have 6 herding groups across our partner communities and plan to expand in the coming year. As with all RAIN’s programs, we leverage education to bring not just one-time resources but valuable skills and knowledge to transform communities over time.
Goat herding is a traditional practice that combined with RAIN’s training can help generate much needed income and food security. RAIN provides participants with three female goats and one male goat, vaccinations for the herd, and training in sustainable animal health and husbandry and basic business skills. We also provide training in long-term strategy and problem-solving for herd growth/maintenance for business. Finally, the process reinforced participants belief in themselves that over time they can set and achieve goals as a group. For example, this year, Fatima fulfilled her childhood dream of buying a long-eared Fulani goat from Zinder, a town more than 500 km from Aouderas.
Over the course of the first four years, the women cultivate their herd and sell the kids of the original goats. They also retain the livestock products – milk, yogurt, and cheese – for nutrition, which is important as families without herds are forced to buy more expensive powered milk. By the fourth year, herds reach a sustainable size and the program becomes self-sustaining. Importantly, SHI builds trust by demonstrating RAIN’s commitment to the community’s success through a tangible, familiar investment – goats.
In the coming year, we’re starting two new herding groups in Aouderas and Betermatas and will use the opportunity to formalize a training manual to standardize the program and make replicability easier for future scaling. We hope you'll support RAIN as we grow this program!
In 1963 Larry was in the 2nd delegation of Peace Corps Volunteers in Niger (Pictured in the center on the steps of "La Presidence" -the president's residence).
Larry saw the need in Niger first hand.
56 years later that impression has stuck with him.
This experience is part of why Larry is a RAINMaker - a monthly donor. His recurring donation ensures there's never a season Nigeriens go without.
Last month Larry was moved by the story of Issoufou, a home-stay student from the middle school mentoring program who was profiled in our last newsletter. Along with his check for September he wrote a letter to Issoufou. Larry dusted off his French for the letter and with his go-ahead a rough translation is below:
My dear young man, Issoufou,
This very day, I learned your name and I also understand that you are starting your second year at your school.
I decided to write to you only to offer you my very good wishes - I am sure that this year offers you many joys and academic growth.
My friends call me Larry, and I'm 80 years old! You see I have very little hair left! (Larry drew a smiley face with 3 hairs).
(and my French is lacking too). I am American but I worked in Niger from 1963-1964, 55 years ago and then some.
Issoufou, young man, I want us to be partners. Buddies, from this day on. You, you learn at your school, and you seek out success and joy wherever they are to be found, and me, I'll keep your name in my prayers. Every day.
I'm happy to know your name.
Sincerely,
Larry Cassidy
Your support means so much to students like Issoufou, who wouldn't otherwise have access to middle school.
Issoufou’s ability to attend school will determine his ability to provide for himself in the future. Traditionally, those with physical handicaps were left to beg – being unable to participate in Niger’s economy, which relied heavily on manual labor. Going to school gives Issoufou opportunities beyond that. The ability to pursue an education shows Issoufou, his peers, and others in his community that school and the knowledge acquired there is more than theoretical, it can be practical. It can be a means to survive. Issoufou's story has touched many and Larry's response touched us at RAIN. We hope you will join Larry and help close the opportunity gap for students like Issoufou!
