Not everyone can point to Niger on a map. But to those who live in Niger, it doesn’t change what they’ve gone through.

Throughout the years, Niger has had floods, famines, political unrest and multiple coups. In fact, Niger suffered a flood coupled with a famine just last year. Despite these events, Niger has received very little media attention. A new student organization hopes to change that, all the while raising money to help the impoverished country of Niger.

The Republic of Hope is loosely connected to the global resource systems major. Although it is aimed at GRS students, anyone can join and are encouraged to. The main focus of the Republic of Hope is to fight against hunger and poverty, with its main focus being on Niger.

Although helping Niger is the primary focus for now, the group hopes to raise the awareness of poverty worldwide and eventually be able to expand its help and have a sub-group for each continent, not counting Antarctica.

“We wanted to focus on one area where we could definitely help,” said Michael Misra, junior in global resource systems and co-founder of the group. “At the same time, we wanted it to leave it open so you could spread out to where you wanted to.”

As a group with such high goals, it started in a relatively simple way.

It was during a globe class that students Misra, Brie Faye, Gretchen Hanson, Christopher Biagini and Danika Schaaf learned about the famine, floods and political unrest in Niger.

Desiring to learn more, Biagini, sophomore in pre-journalism and mass communication, researched Niger, but found little media coverage of the events that had happened, despite the fact there was a flood coupled with a famine in 2010.

“It was one of those countries that is never in the news,” Biagini said when talking about the research he had done.

“It was screaming for help,” Misra said.

Deciding to take matters into their own hands, the founders planned and organized their visions and ideas for the Republic. When they were ready, they presented their idea to Gail Nonnecke, professor of horticulture and GRS adviser. Eventually they appealed to David Acker, the associate dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The Republic of Hope loosely choose its group’s name from the phrase on the Niger coat of arms, Republique du Niger. Instead of calling themselves the Republic of Niger, they changed it to the Republic of Hope, explaining, again, they did not want to restrict future members to only Niger. Although it is a young group, the Republic of Hope has high goals.

The Republic of Hope plans to have a major, planned event each month to help keep students aware and to keep the students’ interest up. They hope to hold a hunger banquet in the fall for the students. The group is not only aimed at students. The Republic of Hope hopes to bring in the community and ISU staff as well. In fact, the group hopes to hold a soup dinner in the spring for professionals.

As well as raising awareness, Republic of Hope wants to raise money for Niger. Their goal for this semester is to raise $500 and $1,000 for next semester. In the next three to four years, the money the group raises will be given to established Non-Government Organizations, which will then disperse the money to three specific groups: the rural, urban and nomad.