My name is Zouera Sani Boubacar, I am from Niger Republic, I am PhD student at the Regional School of Water of the University of Kinshasa under the AWarMN program. I am working on the relationship between land use and water quality in a tropical urban catchment of the Congo Basin.

I could not believe when I received my scholarship acceptation letter on December 2021. What I had been waiting for, for months, had just arrived like a blessing. I was happy to have obtained such an opportunity, but at the same time worried. Being a mother, I had to leave my home and my children to continue my studies far from my country. My youngest was only six months old, and I had to choose between leaving him or bringing him with me. The condition that my husband had imposed on me to let me go was to bring my last born, aged six months, with me, which I did. Thus began my adventure: far from my family, in a new country, with a child, and a goal to achieve my PhD! I knew it wouldn't be easy for us, but nothing is easy in this life. My first year was divided between writing a proposal, academic internships, programming field data collection, followed by physicochemical and bacteriological laboratory analyses. At the same time, there was a little being with me who I had to take care of. It was a difficult year for me, it was a real challenge, and I had to overcome it.

Thank God today, I have 21 months in the AWarMN program. I have carried out all my field data collection, completed all my laboratory analyses, done statistical analyses of my data, and obtained brilliant results, which I have presented at several conferences, including the Friend Water conference, UCAD, Dakar, September 2023; the 28th International Interdisciplinary Conference on the Environment, Louisiana State University of Shreveport, October 2023; the Waternet Symposium, University of Da res Salam, Zanzibar, October 2023, etc.

I wrote my first paper, which is currently under review. Next year, if all goes well, I will start writing my thesis document. My defense will take place at the end of the year 2024. Being part of the AWarMN program is a chance for me; I have benefited from enormous opportunities by joining this program. The adventure continues, and the best is yet to come.

Last Modified: Wed, 06 Dec 2023 15:02:34 SAST