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::News Flash::
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Animal Loan Programs
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Who
is Helped?
Who is Irma Turtle Volunteer Interviews Surviving
the Niger Droughts of 2005, 2006 Interviews with nomads PROGRAMS PROJECT MAPS NIGER MALI ETHIOPIA INDIA NEWSLETTERS |
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 Movies range from 2-8megs in size. Dial-up users may only receive 1meg/5min. |
View the Animal Loans Video 1.7megs
Nomads and their lifestyle cannot survive without animals in their herds. Years of drought cause great loss. TurtleWill works with the Tuareg and Wodaabe of Niger and Mali, and the Khalkh of Mongolia to help restore their herds in loan-based programs of cows, sheep and goats.We have adopted our system from the Wodaabe, ancient nomadic cattle herders of Niger. They still maintain a wonderful centuries-old tradition called "Hapbanaii" that works directly for the survival of the group. Within this tradition a man will lend a cow to another man or family in need. For the Wodaabe there is nothing more important than their cattle. Cattle are their wealth, their sustenance and their survival. Without cows to herd and to follow along the annual migration paths, a Wodaabe is not truly a Wodaabe. Hapbanaii means, "the passing on of the gift". The second man keeps the cow until it has produced two heifers. He keeps the heifers for his own family and then returns the cow to the original owner so that it can be given to someone else. And of course when this second man is back on his feet, he in turn will do the same thing for someone else in need.
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Toll-Free: (888) 299-1439 Phone: (480) 488-3688 Fax: (480) 488-3406
501 (c ) (3) Tax ID number: 86-1039391
E-Mail: IrmaTurtle@turtlewill.org