Copyright Eden Foundation
Whenever things get rough or crisis occurs, I evaluate the things in life that really matter. Family is one, faith is another. The beloved animals and the endless expanse of the beautiful Zinder bush are some of the highlights that make my everyday life so rich. But at the end of the day, [...]

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Copyright Eden Foundation (2009)
While heading up to the field station recently, the Eden research team drove past a number of people working by the roadside.

Copyright Eden Foundation (2009)
They were digging away sand that had accumulated by the roadside; a job that is normally carried out by bulldozers.

Copyright Eden Foundation (2009)
The event was being directed by [...]

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Dear readers!
It is my honour to present esthergarvi.com’s very first Guest Blogger! Four years my elder and offering a unique perspective on the childhood that we shared, Ladies and Gentlemen, please welcome my very own sister Miriam Garvi!
* A LEGACY OF MEANING * by Miriam Garvi
I consider my upbringing to be a most privileged [...]

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Copyright Eden Foundation
As we approach the end of hot season, trucks can be seen throughout the country bringing men come back from their yearly exodus. Twenty years ago, this was also the situation for the farmers of Tanout. Once the millet was harvested, the men would leave their families for a period of nine months [...]

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Those of you who have been reading this blog on a daily basis, know that the past week has been tough. Last year, around this time, I lost my great canine friend Aslan to piroplasmosis, and this year, his brother Baghera (my mother’s dog), fell ill with the same disease. He has not fully recovered, [...]

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Instead of bringing you my own world today, I wanted to give you glimpse of the world of the Eden families, which is my reason for being in Niger. I do not live in Tanout, and I have never yet had to drink water that looks like my coffee latte. Ever. But many people do, [...]

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…for anyone into aid, sustainability and how to empower the poor without creating dependency. A valuable read!

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Copyright Eden Foundation
Meet Alhadji Bukar, an Eden farmer in the Tanout area.

Copyright Eden Foundation
14 years ago, Alhadji Bukar joined the Eden program and started to sow edible trees and bushes in his field. Today, these trees and bushes are well established and produce food, even during years where there is little rain. The Eden trees [...]

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The Famine Scam (2008) - as the outside world remembers Niger in 2005

A documentary broadcast on Swedish public television on Tuesday called into question the reputation of Britain’s public broadcaster, the BBC, for filing misleading and inaccurate reports about the severity of a food shortage in Niger in 2005.
The SVT report showcased efforts by a [...]

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Copyright Eden Foundation
I miss my mother so much. Sometimes I have words to describe it, but other times I don’t. Back in the old days, I used to be able to paint emotions with endless words, beautiful words, powerful words. Today, my heart is still. What is there has not changed, and will not [...]

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The world is still in awe of the historical elections that took place on November 4th 2008, when the first coloured man ever was elected president of the United States of America. According to the experts, this would have been unthinkable only a few years ago.
NEW YORK: Barack Obama was elected the 44th president of [...]

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To read the article in full, click here.

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Cash handouts - the solution for West Africa or another way of keeping the aid circus running?
IRIN (Integrated Regional Information Networks), which is part of the UN but supposedly editorially independent, recently published an article about aid and cash handouts, entitled “West Africa: Do high food prices warrant a cash response?”

Experts say many of [...]

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Famine food or luxury food?
Hanza beans & wild Swedish mushrooms, both straight from Nature’s Pantry!
On July 16th, Sean Callahan, a top Catholic Relief Services (CRS) official, appeared before US congress to recommend “urgent response” to the people affected by the global food crisis:
In some regions of Niger, families have started eating only one meal a [...]

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Copyright Eden Foundation
I hear aid workers in town talking about the need for emergency food operations in Niger again, and on UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund site, I read the following about Niger’s current state:

Almost 30% of the population is in need of emergency food aid
CERF 2008

And there we go again… It’s a never ending [...]

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