Opening Doors In Niger

From SPARK

Brief Summary

Success of on-going project elsewhere used to obtain NGO status.

When attempts to gain acceptance in a new culture were unsuccessful, the Jordans found that sharing previous experiences from another culture was helpful. Initiating, training, and encouraging the people to take ownership of the project made the difference in dealing with how they were first perceived. God opened doors through simple acts of friendship and service.

Introduction

Retelling this case history might help others present their work in a better way. As they present it in a positive light, another door could be opened.

Key Factors:

• The official application for Non Government Organization (NGO) status was stalled somewhere in the process. We did not know where it had bogged down.
• Three linguistic research teams were working in three separate languages in country. As part of their contract for being able to work in Niger, each team taught linguistics in the university.
• The national government wanted locally owned and operated literacy programs.

What was done

In the early 1990's our organization was trying to get NGO (Non Government Organization) approval in Niger. Besides being affiliated with other NGOs in the country, the financial benefits of certain tax exemptions would be helpful.

All the proper forms and application had been completed and submitted to the proper authorities, but without success. The folder was on, or in, someone's desk. We didn't know where, or how to move it along.

My husband Dean and I came to the capital city to set up an office. We hoped to find housing to make the organization's presence more known. (There were already three families working in the country. They were doing linguistic research on three very different languages, and teaching in the university. However, there was to date no official presence to which they could relate.)

In between realtor appointments, we visited various government or university offices. We introduced ourselves and tried to track down the application. One such visit took us to the office of Mr. M. In his absence, a university student gave us a tour of the complex of rooms. One room, in particular, was a buzz of activity. University students, representing various Nigerien languages, prepared slips of paper for dictionary entries. The little square slips of paper reminded us of our language learning days in Ghana. That was two decades ago. Suddenly, a box of these slips of paper fell to the floor. We smiled along with the students. We confessed to them how often that had happened to us in our own village context. And in that simple act a bond of friendship was formed.

Mr. M. arrived and we had a brief meeting. He had a class to teach, so we made an appointment for later in the afternoon.

Back at home we sensed that we had not been so well received, and wondered what we could do to improve our presentation. We refreshed ourselves and changed into our best African garb. I even chose a head covering to show my submission to manly authority. We prayed together. Then researched what SIL personnel relationships had already been established with the various officials. Careful notes had been kept which proved very helpful.

Once in Mr. M.'s office, we finally got around to talking about the application. He was very defensive, until we began to relate our own past experiences in Ghana. We began to relate how we had learned the previously unwritten Nafaanra language. (In the same way, our three teams were doing this in Niger.) We told Mr. M. about devising an alphabet for that language. How we taught the Nafana people to read and write their own language. We had then left the literacy program for them to run themselves. The Nafana totally owned the literacy project. Suddenly we had credibility. The whole idea that an on-going literacy project was feasible was very exciting to him. He literally slid forward on his chair, and asked for more details.

Dean began to talk about what the organization could do for them. As Mr. M. became more interesed, Dean asked, ‘How can we make you more successful?’ Then, Dean replayed the scene we had witnessed in the adjoining rooms. He offered to teach the university students how to use a dictionary production computer program. This program, called Shoebox, was specifically designed by JAARS for that purpose.

Results

Dean mentioned again the problem with the NGO application. At that point Mr.M. reached down beside him and produced the folder in question. He said, “It's right here. Now let's see what we can do about it.” Mr. M. signed it right there in our presence. But he wasn't content with just putting his signature on the contract. Over the next days he traveled with the document from office to office. Eventually getting the signatures of everyone else named on the form.

And Dean was true to his word, as well. As soon as we had settled into our home, the students began arriving. Each student in turn came to our home for computer training and learned how to use Shoebox. During the six years we were in Niger we experienced much more camaraderie. There was more give and take between our offices.

Our experience was a strong reminder of what Uncle Cam always taught. He said go in to a new field as servants of that country. That must be our attitude. Ask, “ What can we do for you? How can we help you accomplish your goals?”

By Carol Jordan