The Association des Scouts du Niger (in

Hausa language Hausa (; /; Ajami: ) is a Chadic language spoken by the Hausa people in the northern half of Nigeria, Ghana, Cameroon, Benin and Togo, and the southern half of Niger, Chad and Sudan, with significant minorities in Ivory Coast. Hausa is a member ...

''Iskutun Niger'' and Zarma language ''Nizer Skutey'') is the national

Scouting Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement employing the Scout method, a program of informal education with an emphasis on practical outdoor activities, including camping, woodcraft, aquatics, hiking, backpacking ...

organization of

Niger ) , official_languages = , languages_type = National languagesWorld Organization of the Scout Movement The World Organization of the Scout Movement (WOSM ) is the largest international Scouting organization. WOSM has 173 members. These members are recognized national Scout organizations, which collectively have around 43 million participants. WOS ...

in 1996. The coeducational Association des Scouts du Niger has 3,202 members as of 2011.

History

Scouting in Niger was started in 1947 under the auspices of

French Scouting French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...

. The movement was disbanded by the military regime in the 1970s. In 1993, the

Roman Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

and the National Directory for the Youth restarted Scouting, supported by the

Scouts de France Scouts et Guides de France (''Scouts and Guides of France'', SGdF) is the largest Scouting and Guiding association in France. It was formed on 1 September 2004 from the merger of two Roman Catholic Scouting organizations: the Guides de France (f ...

. The Association became a member of the World Organization of the Scout Movement in 1996.

Program

Activities

Scouts in Niger are active in the Africa Region and attend many International Scout camps and Jamborees with their African neighbors. One Scout attended the 19th World Scout Jamboree in

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

in 1998 as part of the

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

contingent. Faced with the 2005-06 Niger food crisis, in May 2005, the

government of Niger The government of Niger is the apparatus through which authority functions and is exercised: the governing apparatus of Nigerien state. The current system of governance, since the Constitution of 25 November 2010, is termed the Seventh Republic ...

issued a call for national and international solidarity in a bid to offer help to nearly 3.6 million in distress. In order to participate in the national solidarity efforts, the Association des Scouts du Niger appealed to the international Scout fraternity, through a project dubbed ''Scouts du Niger contre la faim'' (Scouts of Niger Against Hunger), funded by

Lëtzebuerger Guiden a Scouten The Lëtzebuerger Guiden a Scouten (''Scouts and Guides of Luxembourg'', LGS) is one of Luxembourg's Scouting and Guiding organizations. It is a member of the federation Scouting in Luxembourg and of the World Association of Girl Guides and Gir ...

. In addition,

UNFPA The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities, is a UN agency aimed at improving reproductive and maternal health worldwide. Its work includes developing national healthcare strategies ...

had recourse to the Scouts of Niger for the implementation of a project of

food distribution Food distribution is the process where a general population is supplied with food. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) considers food distribution as a subset of the food system. The process and methodology behind food distribution varies ...

to pregnant and

breastfeeding Breastfeeding, or nursing, is the process by which human breast milk is fed to a child. Breast milk may be from the breast, or may be expressed by hand or pumped and fed to the infant. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that br ...

women in the Agadez and

Zinder Zinder (locally, ''Damagaram''), formerly also spelled Sinder, is the third largest city in Niger, with a population of 170,574 (2001 census);

areas. According to the Chief Commissioner, Yazi Oumarou, with the support from Guides et Scouts du Luxembourg,

food Food is any substance consumed by an organism for nutritional support. Food is usually of plant, animal, or fungal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals. The substance is inge ...

(

sorghum ''Sorghum'' () is a genus of about 25 species of flowering plants in the grass family (Poaceae). Some of these species are grown as cereals for human consumption and some in pastures for animals. One species is grown for grain, while many othe ...

and

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...

) was bought and stored to be resold at an affordable price, to the population of the catchment area. Scouts were involved in

gardening Gardening is the practice of growing and cultivating plants as part of horticulture. In gardens, ornamental plants are often grown for their flowers, foliage, or overall appearance; useful plants, such as root vegetables, leaf vegetables, fruits ...

in plots with access to water, that were given out by the local authorities. After

harvest Harvesting is the process of gathering a ripe crop from the fields. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulse for harvest, typically using a scythe, sickle, or reaper. On smaller farms with minimal mechanization, harvesting is the most labor-i ...

ing, Scouts sold the produce to their communities.

Sections

The association is divided in three sections according to age: * Louveteaux (

Cub Scout Cub Scouts, Cubs or Wolf Cubs are programs associated with Scouting for young children usually between 7 and 12, depending on the organization to which they belong. A participant in the program is called a Cub. A group of Cubs is called a 'P ...

s) - ages 8 to 12 * Eclaireurs ( Scouts - ages 13 to 17 * Routiers (

Rover Scout Rover Scouts, Rovers, Rover Scouting or Rovering is a program associated with some Scouting organizations for adult men and women. A group of Rovers is called a 'Rover Crew'. Rovers was originated by The Boy Scouts Association in the United K ...

s) - ages 18 to 25.

Ideals

The

Scout Motto The Scout Motto of the Scout movement is, in English, "Be Prepared", with most international branches of the group using a close translation of that phrase. These mottoes have been used by millions of Scouts around the world since 1907. Most of t ...

is ''Sois Prêt'' in French.

References

External links

Official website
{{WOSM, africa Scouting and Guiding in Niger World Organization of the Scout Movement member organizations Youth organizations established in 1993