Niger

Acarrara

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2011, Libya, war: A Tuareg man, who emigrated as a child from Niger to Libya due to the conflict his people faced, is once again forced to flee and arrives in Italy, first in Lampedusa and then in Trento. His name is Mussa.

In the summer of 2019, after many years away, he returns to Niger, to the land of his ancestors. With the eyes of the man he has become and with his personal history behind him, he revisits the harsh life of those forced to undertake long journeys every day to collect water. He feels the responsibility to act.

Upon returning from that journey, using only his own financial resources and driven by courage and determination, Mussa Yahja decides to start a project: to create better living conditions for the community of Acarara, in the Nigerien desert 70 km from Agadez, and for the nomads passing through.

"Aman Iman," "water is life," says a proverb in Tamasheq, the Tuareg language. And so it had to be for Mussa: to bring life by digging a well, planting trees, starting gardens and shelters, in a decidedly uneven battle against the desert. It was an extremely difficult and obstacle-filled struggle, especially in an area that is arid for most of the year due to a constant decrease in rainfall caused by drastic climate changes, and strong winds blowing relentlessly every day. Tuareg and Fulani in this desert face immense hardships to survive. The dwellings are "zeribe," built from intertwined branches and tarps. The only activity practiced is basic pastoralism. There are no healthcare or educational services. The location for the well was determined through ancient knowledge that suggests the presence of ants indicates water. Strike after strike, at 32 meters deep, a large aquifer was found, and hands were raised to the sky in gratitude.

The entire work was financed with his own resources. After finding the water source, Mussa also purchased a gasoline pump, which made it easier to extract water for people, animals, and to experiment with the first crops. He supported the construction of the first shelters made from handmade clay bricks using water and sunlight, and the first trees were planted.

Given the importance of this endeavor, it was necessary to make a structural shift in the work. The well has been reinforced and deepened to now reach 40 meters in depth, a submersible pump has been installed, along with a photovoltaic system to power it, a water tank, a distribution fountain, and a channeling system to bring water to the surrounding area. The realization of these latest interventions was made possible by the contributions of the Lunelli Foundation, the Trentino Alto Adige Region, Ipsia del Trentino, Bambini nel Deserto, friends, and donors.

REZD Acarara Environmental Rehabilitation of the Desert Area

Aman Iman, water is life: a well in Acarara

This is an Environmental and Sustainable Rehabilitation project developed based on similar experiences carried out in Burkina Faso thanks to Italian Cooperation and in Niger itself with the project in the Tientelloust valley thanks to the Cooperation of Trentino Alto Adige.

The environmental rehabilitation project in the area of the Acarara well in the desert region of Air - Agadez in Niger has seen us engaged since 2019 thanks to Mussa Yahja, a young Tuareg now living in Trentino. At that time, driven by a great love for his people and with only his own financial resources, he began the manual digging of a well, experimented with the first agricultural crops, and planted trees to fight the desert, thus creating better living conditions for his people. Bambini nel Deserto met him during this time, heard his dream, and decided to support its continuation.

The project, in addition to the structural interventions described above, has further grown thanks to the collaboration of the Lunelli Foundation, Ipsia del Trentino, and the Trentino Alto Adige Region, with additional funding from Bambini nel Deserto as part of the Green Re-Evolution Program. This includes the planting of another 500 different species of native trees and others that Mussa continues to plant, new gardens, a perimeter fence with wire mesh to protect the crops from passing animals, and a wall to counter the northeast wind currently being repaired, both self-produced and financially supported by Mussa with the manual help of the community.

There are still many initiatives to be developed in Mussa's dream: agriculture needs to be helped to take shape, the fence needs to be completed, more shelters need to be built, and the desert must be fought with more plants. All this represents a resource for the nomads in transit, their livestock, and a hope for a better life for the community, with the possibility of freeing themselves from long journeys in search of water and food and thus settling in their own land.

This project is having a positive impact on the local Tuareg community, contributing to the fight against desertification, the promotion of sustainable agriculture, the improvement of living conditions in the region, and the strengthening of the community also thanks to the construction of the school "Ecole des Etoiles".