“Who goes there?” A looming voice bellowed, before the children reached the hill. The voice belonged to Wasselkou, Cheikh Almoustapha’s right-hand man.…
By Ariane Kirtley
My name tells my story: Ariane Alzhara Kirtley. Like Ariane in Greek mythology, I endeavor to help lead others to safety. Like Alzhara flowers, I blossomed in the wondrous Saharan wastelands. And in the footsteps of my family Kirtley — “over those hills” in Old Gaelic – I am driven by a compulsion to walk, seeking new adventures, discoveries and meaning. After obtaining a Bachelors in Anthropology and a Master of Public Health from Yale, I founded Amman Imman: Water is Life to help Africa’s indigenous populations. I am also the mother of Fassely, Soriya, and Indima. Similarly to how my parents raised my brother and me, we travel the globe as a family.
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After a long moment of silence, Mouheini recounted the story of the boy at the well, “He was about our age, Fada.…
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“What will we do now?” Takat wailed, “I’m so scared. Where will we go tonight? How will we get water?” Fear and…
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Undertaking this trek beneath the torrid mid-afternoon sun was unbearable; Mouheini’s entire body felt like it was baking. The girls had not…
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At the well, men were tying a teenage boy around Mouheini’s age onto a rope. The girls drew nearer to watch as…
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The screeching of wood pulleys welcomed them from afar. As they approached the well, they saw three donkeys attached together, pulling ropes…
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The girls finally left around 5 AM. They were so accustomed to journeying at night, that they knew their home territory even…
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At four in the morning, Mouheini felt a hand rocking her gently. “Wake up, my daughter, I’ve prepared your donkey.” Her father,…
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Mouheini wanted to be out in the dry marshland, sitting under the shade of the acacia trees with her girlfriends, playing games,…
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Sadouan sat underneath a goat-hide tent, braiding her daughter Mouheini’s hair. The air inside was stifling. It was early May, with temperatures…
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