Detour

Excursions with Gina Arias: Niger, Part 1

Peace Corps ads inspired Gina Arias to start volunteering and the decision changed her life.
Peace Corps ads inspired Gina Arias to start volunteering and the decision changed her life. DETOUR Staff

Gina Arias has already taken you on excursions to the Dominican Republic and Colombia. This time, she will take you on her very personal, life-altering journey to Niger in West Africa.

Arias visited Niger as a health and nutrition education volunteer from the Peace Corps and spent two years working in the field.

Prior to the trip Arias knew absolutely nothing about the country. “Obsessed as I was with maps, I only knew that it was north of Nigeria,” she remembers.

Yet, she took the leap of faith and boarded the plane for the adventure. The year was 1994 and Gina Arias was about to get a whole education on Niger: on location and in person.

This video is only the first installment in the three-part series on Niger. Stay tuned for more episodes this week.

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This story was originally published September 26, 2022 at 9:00 AM.

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