List of resources for Niger

Following is a list of websites for additional information about the Peace Corps and Niger and to connect you to returned Volunteers and other invitees. Please keep in mind that although we try to make sure all these links are active and current, we cannot guarantee it.

A note of caution: As you surf the Internet, be aware that you may find bulletin boards and chat rooms in which people are free to express opinions about the Peace Corps based on their own experiences, including comments by those who were unhappy with their choice to serve in the Peace Corps. These opinions are not those of the Peace Corps or the U.S. government, and we hope you will keep in mind that no two people experience their service in the same way.

Contents 1 General Information About Niger 2 Connect With Returned Volunteers and Other Invitees 3 Online Articles/Current News Sites About Niger 4 International Development Sites About Niger 5 Recommended Books 6 Books About the History of the Peace Corps 7 Books on the Volunteer Experience

[edit] General Information About Niger

http://www.countrywatch.com On this site, you can learn anything from what time it is in Niamey to how to convert from the dollar to the CFA franc. Just click on Niger and go from there.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/niger
Visit this site to learn all you need to know about Niger from a traveler’s perspective.

http://www.state.gov
The U.S. State Department’s website issues background notes periodically on the social and political history of countries around the world.

http://www.psr.keele.ac.uk/official.htm
This site includes links to all the official sites for governments worldwide. Scroll down to Niger.

http://www.geography.about.com
This online atlas includes maps and geographical information. Search for Niger to find information and links to other sites, such as the Library of Congress, that contain comprehensive historical, social, and political background.

http://www.cyberschoolbus.un.org/infonation/info.asp
This United Nations site allows you to search for statistical information for member states.

http://www.worldinformation.com
This site provides an additional source of current and historical information about countries around the world.

[edit] Connect With Returned Volunteers and Other Invitees

pcvneinfo@ne.peacecorps.gov
Ask Niger Volunteers anything: What should I bring? Will I be alone? Is there running water? Can I buy sugar?

http://www.rpcv.org
This is the site of the National Peace Corps Association, made up of returned Volunteers. On this site you can find links to all the Web pages of the “friends of” groups for most countries of service, made up of former Volunteers who served in those countries. There are also regional groups who frequently get together for social events and local volunteer activities.

http://www.friendsofniger.org
The site of the Niger returned Volunteers organization

http://www.rpcvwebring.org
This site is known as the Returned Peace Corps Volunteer Web Ring. Browse the Web ring and see what returned Volunteers are saying about their service.

http://www.peacecorpsonline.org
An independent news forum for returned Volunteers

http://www.peacecorpswriters.org
This site is hosted by a group of returned Volunteer writers. It is a monthly online publication of essays and Volunteer accounts of their Peace Corps service.

[edit] Online Articles/Current News Sites About Niger

http://www.joelmayer.com/niger/
A site with links to a variety of information about Niger, hosted by a returned Peace Corps Volunteer

http://www.allafrica.com/niger/
Africa-America Institute site that aggregates and indexes content from more than 100 African news organizations

http://www.tamtaminfo.com
Brief news stories on Niger, sometimes confused with stories on the state of Niger in neighboring Nigeria (also available in French)

http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/faoinfo/economic/giews/french/basedocs/ner/nertoc1f.htm
Information on food and agriculture in Niger (in French)

http://www.woyaa.com/links/COUNTRIES/NIGER/index.html
Provides links to a number of interesting sites on Niger

http://www.africaaction.org/featdocs/west.htm
Country-specific data and links for West Africa, including Niger

[edit] International Development Sites About Niger

http://www.careusa.org/careswork/countryprofiles/Niger.asp
CARE’s page on Niger

http://www.cartercenter.org/activities/activities.asp?submenu=activities
Information about the Carter Center’s Guinea worm eradication program (search for Niger)

http://www.unicef.org/programme
Information about UNICEF’s work in Niger

http://www.africare.org/about/where-we-work/niger/
Africare’s work in Niger

http://www.catholicrelief.org/our_work/where_we_work/overseas/africa/niger/index.cfm
Catholic Relief Services’ page on Niger

[edit] Recommended Books

1. Beckwith, Carol, and Marion Van Offelen. Nomads of Niger. Abradale Press, 1993. Book of photographs.
2. Chilson, Peter. Riding the Demon: On the Road in West Africa. Atlanta: University of Georgia Press, 1999. Account of a former Volunteer’s experiences with a bush-taxi driver.
3. Decalo, Samuel. Historical Dictionary of Niger. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1979. Description of the people and historical events through 1976; includes a bibliography.
4. De Gramont, Sanche. Strong Brown God: The Story of the Niger River. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1991. Epic history of early European explorers of the Niger River written by a Pulitzer Prize winner.
5. Diatta, Haoua. Shadow of Africa: Life of an African Ambassador’s Wife. 2000. Written by the wife of the Nigerien ambassador to the United States, this book gives a rare insight into the history, culture, and international politics of Africa and Niger.

[edit] Books About the History of the Peace Corps

1. Hoffman, Elizabeth Cobbs. All You Need is Love: The Peace Corps and the Spirit of the 1960’s. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2000.
2. Rice, Gerald T. The Bold Experiment: JFK’s Peace Corps. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame Press, 1985.
3. Stossel, Scott. Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Institution Press, 2004.
4. Redmon, Coates. Come As You Are: The Peace Corps Story. San Diego: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1986. Though out-of-print, this is a very entertaining read that can be found used with ease on the internet

[edit] Books on the Volunteer Experience

1. Dirlam, Sharon. Beyond Siberia: Two Years in a Forgotten Place. Santa Barbara, CA: McSeas Books, 2004.
2. Casebolt, Marjorie DeMoss. Margarita: A Guatemalan Peace Corps Experience. Gig Harbor, WA: Red Apple Publishing, 2000.
3. Erdman, Sarah. Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village. New York, NY: Picador, 2003.
4. Hessler, Peter. River Town: Two Years on the Yangtze. New York, NY: Perennial, 2001.
5. Kennedy, Geraldine (ed.). From the Center of the Earth: Stories out of the Peace Corps. Santa Monica, CA: Clover Park Press, 1991.
6. Thompsen, Moritz. Living Poor: A Peace Corps Chronicle. Seattle, WA: University of Washington Press, 1997 (reprint).