On Friday January 12, Randall Cantrell (Housing and Community Development, University of Florida) gave a lecture titled, “Housing and Community Development in Niamey and Niger: Young Migrants’ Hope for their Present and Future.” Cantrell is a former peace corps volunteer and is currently an International Center Global Fellow.
His lecture focused on how young, low-income males migrating from villages to Niamey make progress towards their financial goals and how they envision their own financial development as well as the development of the country. He argues that young males in Niger have dual roles—to support extended family and also to start their own family. Cantrell’s research builds off of his experience in Niger as a peace corps volunteer, using the changes he saw over time to inform his research questions and interviews. His interviews considered topics such as residential experiences, home security and support, migratory habits, work, and income.
Cantrell’s research was conducted as a 15-day survey, interviewing 22 young men. While many of the respondents did not feel they had fully accomplished their financial goals by moving to the city, when asked if they would return to the village most stated they had greater opportunities where they were now. Cantrell hopes to continue to conduct research on housing and community development in Niger as the country and its citizens develop over time.