Niger abroad program called off following kidnappings of French citizens

Thirteen Boston University students were just one week away from boarding a plane to the African country of Niger when they received notification that their trip was to be cancelled.
After two French nationals were abducted in Niamey on Jan. 7, BU officials cancelled the Spring 2011 Niger program, director of institutional relations Joseph Finkhouse said.
Finkhouse said BU International Programs consulted the BU Office of Risk Management and decided it wasn’t safe to send students to Niger this semester.
“There has been political unrest in Niger recently,” Finkhouse said.
“The State Department has placed strict restrictions on their employees in Niger following the kidnappings. And this [also] played a part in the decision to cancel our program.”
Students who were enrolled in the program said receiving notice that the Niger program was cancelled on such short notice presented difficulties in their school schedules.
College of Arts and Sciences junior Kira Skolas said the news was devastating.
“Niger was really the only program of its kind in BU International Program’s repertoire,” she said. “Combining cultural immersion, coursework and a chance to work with a development initiative focused on your interests.”
Others, such as Amanda Matteo, a junior in the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, said the news was bittersweet.
“I was relieved that I would be safe and be in the U.S.,” Matteo said. “However, I was extremely disheartened to come to terms with the fact that I would not be accomplishing a lifelong dream to travel to Africa.”
For some, such as College of Arts and Sciences junior Ana Duque, there was little time to grieve over the lost opportunity to study abroad.
“The way I see it I had two options: start crying or start looking for alternatives and plan my semester in a day,” Duque said.
While some of the students who were planning on studying in Niger this semester are looking for alternative abroad programs for the spring, Duque said this is a difficult process.
“I am applying to other programs, although we do not have that many options due to time and money,” Duque said. “BU does not transfer our scholarships or grants, which makes it almost impossible to pay for.”
However, BU International Programs has been successful in finding alternative programs for some of these students.
“The staff here have been able to find students alternative options with programs in other parts of Africa, Shanghai and through non-BU programs,” Finkhouse said.