Thursday, April 9, 2009

What's happening with young girl's education

Hadiza's father, Mano (on the right), died in January

Young Girls Education: I'm still sponsoring Hadiza, with funding from the Friends of Niger organization, in her attendance of junior high. Hadiza and I are gradually getting to know each other better; she comes to visit me every time she's home on break from school. It's been a hard year for her family, and truly our whole village, because her father Mano got very sick in October and passed away recently, in late January. Mano was a major person in my life here, and I miss his presence in the shade on the corner where we used to hang out. I had developed photos of him and his family while I was home for Christmas, so it was good to be able to give them to Hadiza and her Mom, A'I. Hadiza's teachers informed me that although she was lagging behind most of last semester, she's doing better in her classes now, and they are hopeful that she'll be able to pass her exams in June.
We went to Maradi together for a conference 2 weeks ago, which was really great for both of us. (See the Alvin AiIey post from a while ago.)
Next: A big new project in the works

1 comment:

John said...

These are terrific photos and a nicely laid-out storyline. Can't wait to read more on this.