Learn About and Help The People of Niger With Samaritan's Purse
Thursday, July 18, 2013 at 5:00AM 
I am proud to partner with other homeschool bloggers to help Samaritan's Purse raise funds and awareness for Niger, the largest country in West Africa.
We have put together a blog hop homeschool unit study of sorts to allow you to teach your children about Niger.
Today I'll introduce your children to a fun instrument used in Niger. They can listen to the instrument, learn to draw it, and more!
{More on that part later... first I want to tell you about what Samaritan's Purse hopes to do during this campaign.}
Teams from Samaritan’s Purse International Headquarters recently visited Niger to document the needs of the Nigerien people.
The results are staggering:
- 65% of Niger’s population lives on less than $1.25 per day
- 43% of children suffer from chronic malnutrition
Samaritan's Purse wants to introduce you to Guidan Gado village. It is their goal to raise this village out of chronic food insecurity and crippling poverty.
They hope to implement projects that will directly improve livestock and food production, increase household income, and expand access to clean water.
Watch this video to find out more.
The Music of Niger
As you can see, Niger is located in West Africa.
When we think about African music we think about tribal music - lots of drumming, singing, chanting, and dancing.
*Image courtesy Worldatlas.com
Just as our music in America is a mixture of cultures and styles, so is the music of Niger.
Much of the music uses percussion instruments. A percussion instrument is anything that can be shaken or struck to make sound.
Of course, there are other varied instruments used in the music of Niger, but I'd like to focus on a percussion instruments your children will enjoy!
The Talking Drum
The Talking Drum is an hour glass shaped instrument that can be squeezed and played to mimic the patterns of human speech.
This drum is very popular in Nigeria (just to the south of Niger), as well. Watch this video of the Talking Drum:
Other activities your children might enjoy:
Of course, the children of the village of Guidan Gado village use music to express themselves and have fun in their daily lives. Here is a video directly from Samaritan's Purse showing some sweet girls dancing and singing together.
Think about how we use music in our lives. No matter where you live, chances are you will use music for fun, enjoyment, communication, and creativity. Even though the people of Guidan Gado live a world away, we share much in common!
In support of the Raise a Village campaign, I am part of a team of homeschool educators who are partnering with Samaritan's Purse to bring you an educational unit study of Niger.
Visit these blogs and you will have an entire unit study about Niger!
Why not teach your children about this country in Africa and help raise awareness for the campaign by Samaritan's Purse at the same time?
- Amber from Classic Housewife
- Amy from Milk and Cookies
- Carlie from Beautiful Motherhood
- Erica from Confessions of a Homeschooler
- Jennifer from Mama Jenn
- Jimmie from Jimmie's Collage
- Jolanthe from Homeschool Creations
- Mary from Homegrown Learners
- Maureen from Spell Outloud
Reader Comments (3)
What a neat project! I will definitely show these videos to my kids. We'll be studying Africa later this year as well, so this unit study will be great!
--Gena
I love that your post focused on music! I've never seen that kind of drum before, thanks for sharing. :)
WOW! This blog hop is so timely. I have been reading books on AFrica to my kids... we read Mary Slessor - missionary to Calabar and A Long Way to Water - a book based on the life of Salva Dut - a Sudan lost boy now involved in digging wells in his country and neigbors. I plan to read the a book on the life of the missionary Dr Livingstone next. Thanks for this post. We will definitely use it.