In Niger - Martine Lévesque

Martine Lévesque: All in the family in Niger

Niger, a country in the Sahara (to the south of Algeria), is considered the poorest country in the world. Uniterra volunteer Martine Lévesque is developing an educational program there. A noteworthy detail: her spouse and three young children are along for the adventure!

"What was hard was adapting to the climate of the Sahel where temperatures are very high," related Martine Lévesque on a Radio-Canada radio broadcast. When we arrived in March 2003, the temperature varied from 45 to 50 degrees. We'd never known anything like it."

Furthermore, "it was necessary to adapt to a new culture and a different religion-Niger is 98% Muslim," adds Martine Lévesque. "As a woman, I experienced certain difficulties that I had never had before in my relations with men." Today, Martine Lévesque and her family have successfully adapted to the habits and customs of the capital, Niamey.

Ms. Lévesque is a specialist in "non-formal education," i.e. literacy training. "Eighty percent of the population in Niger is illiterate. It's a huge problem," explains Martine Lévesque. "Naturally, we must teach them to read and write, but we also have to give them a little more: literacy education with an occupational training component. Education must include job training and other things of use in everyday life. Literacy per se isn't sufficient to escape extreme poverty." And this year, Niger is suffering a major famine.