AWARDS AND RECOGNITIONS

Educational Projects

"The Big
Birthday Wish"

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Movies range from 2-8megs in size. Dial-up users may only receive 1meg/5min.

Please watch the following short videos

1. TurtleWill helps to Educate - 4.5megs

ABOUT EDUCATING NOMAD CHILDREN
Interviews with Tuareg and Wodaabe nomads, Niger

2. "Mothers of Students" Interview with Alhorna Marah and Barka Denji,
Wodaabe nomads, Kouri, Niger - 2.3megs

3. "A Village Benefits" Interview with Hamid Ibrahim Amadou,
Tuareg Director Karafo Primary School Karafo, Niger - 7.0megs

4. "Education is a Must" Interview with Mohamadu Bakaka,
Tuareg Chief Mizene, Niger - 0.9megs

5. "Miles to School" Interview with Mohamed Al Moustafa,
Tuareg Chief Tezerzait, Niger - 3.5megs

TURTLEWILL’S PROGRAM FOR EDUCATING TRIBAL PEOPLES

Nomads are among the most marginalized populations in any country due to their remoteness, mobility and high rate of illiteracy. Education gives individuals the tools to understand and keep up with the world around them, as well as to articulate and defend their own rights as citizens. Educated nomads are the ones most likely to work towards the ongoing preservation of their cultures, which can be understood as a most important patrimony of their mother country.

Since the 2000 Millennium Development Goals, the governments of Niger, Mali and Ethiopia have made efforts to educate nomadic children, building primary schools in the remote regions. Unfortunately, due to the vastness of these regions, schools may be 10-40 miles apart, making it almost impossible for many children to attend.

In addition, due to sorely limited resources, these governments usually only provide the school building, the teachers, and occasionally the salaries.

Primary Education
TurtleWill’s goals in educating nomadic children include:
• increasing the overall percentage of nomadic children attending school.
• raising the percentage of girls' attendance up to a 50% share.
• giving future heroes and leaders the means to develop and flourish.

Nomadic children cannot attend primary school unless they can live and eat at school. The distance between the schools and their constantly moving nomadic homes is very often too great for children to return home daily. Most nomad parents today recognize the importance of their children attending school so that they will have the same opportunities as others in the world around them. However, they will not leave their children at a school during their migrations unless they know their children can be fed, housed and supervised adequately.

The current “boarding” system often means little more than curling up on a mat on the floor of the dusty school room, or sleeping on the ground in the compound of a nearby family, without even a blanket during winter. Parents of girls are understandably more hesitant to permit this arrangement.

Adequate room and board must be provided with safe and secure sleeping conditions for both girls and boys. This includes separate dormitory buildings with supervisor as well as meals, uniforms, blankets, sleeping mats and medicines. It also includes latrines, which are a crucial element in keeping young girls in school. A school well is also necessary to insure a clean water source.

Lack of quality education compounds the difficulty for nomad children. Teachers, who are government employees, often go unpaid for months. In Niger, during the school year 2006/07 teachers were often on strike. Quality education is further compromised because one teacher is often required to teach two or more grades, in the same classroom. Schools are sorely lacking in basic school materials and books. Under these remarkably poor conditions, those who suffer the most are the children.

TurtleWill has been working in Niger, Mali and Ethiopia aiding primary schools in the remote regions since 1998. As of 2007 our support includes 27 schools with over 1,200 students. Our actions include:
• Building dormitories and latrines for boys and girls.
• Providing blankets, uniforms and medicines.
• Digging a school well to insure clean drinking water
• Providing three daily meals if not already provided.
• Paying supplemental teachers.
• Providing all necessary scholastic materials including books, desks.

Niger
As of 2007 TurtleWill’s educational support in Niger includes a total of 18 schools with over 1,000 students, located in both the Tuareg and Wodaabe nomad regions.
Click Here to view the map of Niger Schools

Mali
In 2005, with funding from internationally known singer Robert Plant (of the group Ledd Zeppelin) TurtleWill expanded its educational efforts into Mali. Working in the remote northern Tuareg nomadic region of Kidal, TurtleWill has built dormitories for three primary schools at Aghabo, Djounhan and Essouk. Support also includes the provision of blankets, mats, uniforms, shoes and meals. In 2007 TurtleWill added another Tuareg primary school in the Timbuktu region to its roster.
Click Here to view the map of Mali Schools

Ethiopia
Starting in 2005 TurtleWill has been supporting three primary schools in the southern Omo for Hamar and Karo children,

Secondary and Higher Education Scholarship Programs
Secondary or Middle schools for grades 7-10 are available only in a few large towns. Nomadic families generally cannot pay for the necessary transportation, room and board plus educational expenses that are required to send their children even farther away to one of these schools. In 2005 in Niger, to insure that deserving tribal children are able to continue their education beyond 6th grade, TurtleWill instituted a Secondary Education Scholarship Program with Residence in the town of Tchirozerene. Acceptance into this program is based on scholastic achievement. The Residence is run by an educator and his family, who are fully responsible for the supervision, housing, meals, clothing and after-school study of each of the students. Our students live at this Residence, attend the nearby Middle School and then receive daily additional afternoon tutoring back at the Residence.

Currently, we have 12 students in Niger in the 7th and 8th grades on this program.

In Ethiopia, TurtleWill began its Educational Scholarships programs in 1997 and is currently funding 23 students for higher education at technical schools, college and university.

Adult Education: literacy and technical training
Most adult nomads are illiterate, as are many young people for whom attending school wasn't an option when they were of primary age.

There are also talented young adults who, despite having had no formal education, have the capacity to learn a trade or a skill. Technical schools are only available in two major towns, requiring considerable funds to pay the cost of tuition plus room and board. Nomadic families can rarely afford this.

Adult Education opportunities benefit both the individual and the community. TurtleWill support adult literacy classes as well as technical training scholarships for adults with potential to benefit themselves, their families and the community. These include training as midwives, nurses and gardeners.

Student Residence for Girls for Grades 11-13 in Agadez, Niger
In 2005 TurtleWill purchased the land to build a Student Residence for Girls in Agadez, Niger. Its purpose is to ensure that deserving young women can continue their higher education in a secure and motivating environment. This Residence envisions housing 40 girls when completed. Continued financial support for University level education is planned. Total funding required for this project is $75,000.

Wodaabe Children at Foudouk School, Niger	Students at Tamazalak School, Niger
Tuareg children Tamazalak School, Niger	Tuareg straw school, Mizene, Niger
Women’s Literacy Class, Tamazalak, Niger	Wodaabe children, Girka School Niger
7th and 8th grade Tuareg Scholarship students at our Student Residence in Tchirozerene, Niger	Students at the Tuareg primary school at Emezelag, Niger
Tuareg Students at Aghabo School in Kidal region, Mali