Introddduuucccing Mouuufassaaa!

So I have a new love in my life—love at first site, actually. His name is Moufasa (Lion King, anyone?) and he is wonderful. He is also only 8 weeks old. If you haven’t guessed already Moufasa is my cat. My friend gave him to me about a week ago. Her family initially tried to give me the black kitten but I was adamant that I did not want the black kitten. They sacrifice and eat black animals here and I did not want to go home knowing the potential and probable fate of my new love. Hence, I chose the white one with only a few splotches of color. At first, I wanted to strangle the little shithead because the first couple of nights he would cry incessantly for his real mom. I did not get a wink of sleep and was close to strangling him. He was also refusing to eat. He even refused to eat fish! I wasn’t sure if he was crying because he missed his mom or because he was hungry---I assume both. I talked with my a lot of the villagers and they told me to try giving him peanuts and peanut butter and then later on introduce him to fish but I was so scared he would starve to death so I kept on trying to give him fish(he is now spoiled rotten and will only eat fish—but just the tiniest amount). Initially, I did try peanuts. I would take a handful of peanuts and chew them up and then spit them back out—at the suggestion of the locals. However, Moufasa would not eat it. I do not blame him—who in their right mind would like to eat regurgitated food? I mentioned my concerns to my friend’s family about him not eating and his incessant crying and the Fatima, the twelve year old, was like, “Don’t worry, Todara. Moufasa just misses his mom’s boob and in a couple of days he will forget about it, stop crying, and start to eat.” Anyhow, I wanted to strangle him but after a few days little by little he stopped crying at night. Instead of strangling him I now just want to kiss him all the time. He sleeps with me at night and during the day when I read in bed. He normally will just sleep my chest. I know its no breast milk, but I think it’s a pretty good consolation prize. I enjoy the cuddling but not when he pees in my bed---twice now! I am trying to rid him of that. I spoke to another volunteer who has a cat and he mentioned making a faux kitty litter box. So I think I may just try to find local materials to make one. In the morning he will come and bat at my head with his paw right around 6 o’ clock so now I have my very own alarm clock. Pretty nice. He also goes with me when I go to the market. I put him in my purse and away we go. Initially, he would hide at the bottom of my purse and as I would walk to the market I would talk to him. Although, I think the locals thought the sun finally fried my brain and the crazy white girl finally resorted to talking to inanimate objects (the purse). I decided it might be a good idea to hold the purse in a fashion so as to allow the Moufasa to peek out of the purse. The villagers just love how I bring him with me to the hospital or the market. They are, however, puzzled as to why I talk to him. The very first day I went to the market, the women vendors were like, “Todara, you are talking to your cat.” I responded that I knew I was talking to my cat. The women then ask…”Hmmmmm…and this cat responds to you?” I said, “Sure, why not”? They then asked, “So do you always talk to your cat like that. Here and in the United States?” I replied yes. One woman then said, “Ok. So we know you talk to your cat like that but do other people talk to their animals like that back home?” I laughed and replied yes. They could not believe it. I also followed that up with saying, “Why? You mean you don’t talk to your animals like that”?---knowing full well they did not. One women responded, “I would not even know what to talk about.” I told her she could talk about her day or get her animals’ opinion about something. This just probably made them think I am even crazier than they already think I am. I tell everyone he is my baby and introduce him as Moufasa. Most of the villagers are like, “Whattttttt? What is his name? Noubasa, Moubasi,? I am like, “No, M-O-U-F-A-S-A. I am thinking you haven’t seen/heard of the Lion King.” So now when I am walking around my village everyone asks how my baby and/or Moufasa is doing or if he is not with me I tell them in the local language he is sleeping because he was tired. World travels fast. I find it endearing and makes me love my village even more. It pained me to drop off Moufasa off at my friend’s house when I came up to Ouaga—Masse is watching him for me. When I dropped him off Mohammed her son was like, “Oh great, his mom is right over in the other family’s part of the courtyard (in Burkina a bunch of relatives share a large concession and have several different courtyards). I was like, “Ohhhhhhh, no. I do not want Moufassa seeing his mom. I just got him to forget about his real mom’s boob—so he is no longer crying—and I don’t want to remind him of what he is missing.” I am hoping the follow my instructions otherwise I will have some sleepless nights when I return to village and my homicidal thoughts just might return. I am trying to get him used to being an outside cat and not an inside one like he prefers. When I go back Stateside and have to leave him with my friend’s family I want him prepared. I try to spend time with him outside in the courtyard but right now he is just scared and hides in my latrine area(a little nook in my courtyard that is closed off that has a hole in a ground where I deficate/urinate). I am thinking…. really? The latrine area? I assure you that area does not smell like roses. So in my next blog, I will update you on my adventures with Moufasa. Until then, Happy Holidays!!!!

Goal: Let's Get Fat!

Thank goodness rainy season has ended. While it is nice that with the rain comes relief from the heat but it also means it is difficult to do any medium to large scale projects. This is mostly because during rainy season everyone is working in the fields. Since the end of rainy season (end of September), I have started doing weekly health lessons with the local primary schools in the region. At one of the schools on the first day that I met the kids—probably around the ages of 5-8, the director introduced me and asked the kids if anyone knew my name. One kid raised his hand and responds with Nissarra. Not my name! Nissarra literally means foreigner/white person in the local language; the word makes every volunteers’ skin crawl when we hear it. When you are walking in the market, or on the street, or riding your bike, you just hear Nissarra all of the time. The kids love to chant it. It has been explained to me that it is not meant to be racist, it is just an adjective to distinguish me from other people. I try to explain to the adults who speak French that while it may not be rude in their culture, it is incredibly rude and offensive in my culture. I say my name is either Todarra (Bissa name) or Brittany but not Nissarra and some times people still call me it--especially some of the people on the health board that I work with. Sometimes more than others it really irks me and I will respond, “Excuse me? I have lived here for a year already. I work with you. You should know my name by now. I have a name and it’s not Nissarra.” It is like saying, “Hey black/brown/white person, come here.” In the beginning, Ganga, my official counterpart would call me that in conversations with other people until one day when he was talking on the phone with a PC staff member. He called me Nissarra and Congo (a Burkinabe, himself), God bless him, corrected and chastised Ganga saying he has not to call me that anymore. Now when the COGES members mess up or someone else calls me Nissarra he jumps on them and chides them by saying, “Her name is not Nissarra. It is Todarra!” One small victory.....Anyway, that was kind of a long tangent. So when the kid called me Nissarra the director was like, “no, that is not her name. Try again.” The next kid raises his hand and says, “la blanche.” That literally means white person. The director again says again that is not my name. Finally, the third kid raises his name and says Todarra. So long tangent short, I have started health classes with the local primary schools. I am still conducting weekly health causeries with the women on baby weighing days. I have also helped with the tetanus and polio vaccination campaigns—I have a 4 day polio campaign when I return to site. Before coming here I recently conducted a two week nutrition and health workshop with 12 women from a quartier of one of my satellite villages. It went really well. Every morning I would show the women how to make an enriched porridge to give to their malnourished children (the children were chosen to participate in the program because they were malnourished) and afterwards we would pick a certain health topic to talk about for the day e.g. nutrition, diarrhea, malaria, family planning etc. One challenge, or should I say lesson I learned, was that it is not entirely effective to just sensibilize women on these topics, because it’s the men/their husbands that rule the roost and make all of the decisions for the family. For example, during our family planning talk I asked if any of the women practiced family planning. None of the women raised their hands so I asked if there was a particular reason they did not practice it. A couple of women responded that they had asked their husbands but their husbands said no and that it went against their religion, Islam. No questions asked. Thing is, every women in my workshop was Muslim. I was at a loss for words; I didn’t know how to respond. It’s logical that it is not a good idea to have children if you lack the means to adequately provide for them but its like, how do you trump religion here? You can’t. A few Muslims in my region practice family planning but I have yet to meet one. My counterpart says they exist though. I would really like to get their opinion or even motive as to why they started practicing family planning so that maybe I could share it with the women. Good hygiene is another example—the women know using soap prevents maladies but they are not the ones who give the authorization to buy the soap---it is the husbands. It is a difficult situation. I think for the next two week health workshop I am only going to allow couples to participate. That means that if a family wants their child to participate both parents most attend all days. Because I conducted this workshop, my supervisor, the Associate Peace Corps Director, invited myself and three other volunteers to speak for fifteen minutes each in front of the Ministry of Health on our findings. It was quite intimidating doing the presentation to the Ministry of Health, let alone in French but the APCD said I did very well. I even told them about my idea about incorporating both the husband and their wives in the next workshop and they were very impressed and liked the idea a lot. When I return to site I am going to have a World AIDS week with all of the local primary schools in my aire sanitaire. Yayy for doing projects!

Moringa Shmoringa

During the past couple of months I have been working on writing a Moringa garden grant. My grant was just approved by the Peace Corps so I am super excited about that. Once funding from friends and family happens I can then focus on doing coordinating an Agricultural and Nutrition Conference and after that begin doing Moringa sensibilizations and building the actual garden. This will be my primary project leading up to rainy season (mid-May). I have included the grant below in case you are wondering about all of the logistics of it. It is somewhat long. Okay, no. It’s quite long so I apologize but it does give a person a good sense of how life is like for my village and Burkina in general. To be nice I cut it down some. Enjoy! Anyone is welcome to donate to my garden. Once all the paper work goes through, I will post the website that one can go to to donate.

A Garden to Inspire Hope for a Healthier Future
Yorko, Burkina Faso
September 20th, 2009

Significance and Scale or Problem:

The village of Yorko is located in the central east region of Burkina Faso, in the province of Boulgou, and 15 kilometers east of Zabre, its district capital. Yorko is part of the aire sanitaire of Beka (11,689 inhabitants). As a farming community with 4,675 inhabitants; the village is separated by six quartiers. The village lacks electricity, running water, and paved roads. Yorko is characterized as being a farming community, harvesting grains, vegetables, as well as peanuts. Unfortunately, the growing season only lasts about 9 months (October-June). During the summer months, when there is a scarcity of fruits and vegetables, most families can only afford to eat once or twice a day. The majority of these meals lack nutrients, as fruits and vegetables are scarce during this time and/or each family is not able to pay the inflated prices of fruits/vegetables. Thus, malnutrition affects the entire community.
Malnutrition is Burkina Faso’s most prevalent and most pressing health concern. A child who is malnourished during pregnancy or during his/her first two years of life is affected both mentally and physically—these effects are irreversible. From pregnancy to adulthood, good nutrition is of utmost importance during all stages of life. Each family is affected by some form of malnutrition. Unfortunately, Yorko follows this norm. Bloated bellies, elastic skin, tinged red hair, a lack of hair, emaciation, are all too often common place here.
Baby weighings are offered at the CSPS clinic in Beka—6 km away-- three times a week. Very often one will see children who are moderately or even severely malnourished (according to World Health Organization guidelines). When a child’s weight borders severe malnutrition, the mothers are supposed to be referred to a CREN (Centre de Recuperation et Education Nutritionnel)—a hospital that specializes in the rehabilitation of malnourished children. Once admitted, the children and mother must complete a 26 week stay. However, the closest CREN is in Manga, 75 km away, and the majority of the families simply cannot afford to send both the mother and infant to the hospital for that amount of time or money. Hence, often times health agents will not refer cases that border severe malnutrition to the CREN because they know the families cannot afford such costs. Instead of recommending the families to the CREN, the health agents will invite the child to participate in the World Food Program (WFP). A couple of times a month the WFP will give some flour to those mothers whose children qualify. However, while in theory this alleviates some of the malnutrition problem in the long term this practice is not sustainable, as the program leaves the family forever dependent on the Non Governmental Organization (NGO). A more sustainable approach to the eventual eradication of malnutrition is to offer an opportunity to the community to allow them to work together to find their own solution to the maladies plaguing their community. Within Yorko there is a strong motivation and dedication to improve health and quality life through a community effort to establish local nutritional sources. With this said, the only thing lacking in the community is the means to implement such a sustainable project.
Moringa oleifera, commonly referred to simply as "Moringa,” with its high nutritional value, is a key and a vital factor in helping to alleviate some of the adverse effects of malnutrition. Trees for Life, Church World Service, and Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization have all advocated the Moringa tree as a “natural nutrition for the tropics.” Leaves can be eaten fresh, cooked, or stored as dried powder for many months without refrigeration, and reportedly without loss of nutritional value. Moringa is especially promising as a food source in dry and arid climates because the tree is in full leaf at the end of the dry season when other foods are typically scarce. Not only does Moringa aid in the fight against malnutrition but can be used in the treatment of a variety of different ailments ranging from high blood pressure, inflammation, rheumatism, and indigestion. While the benefits of Moringa are numerous, Moringa alone will not cure malnutrition. Moringa must be used as a complement to other nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables. Therefore, it is important not only to educate the villagers on the many benefits of Moringa, but also on the basics of nutrition. With help from Friends of Burkina, a garden, of both Moringa and vegetables, would offer Yorko and its surrounding communities hope for a brighter and healthier future by allowing them to take charge of their nutritional needs and thus become active participants in their fight against malnutrition.

The purpose of this project is to accomplish the following objectives:

1) Improve the overall health of women, children, the elderly, and the sick
2) Increase knowledge and awareness of Moringa and good nutrition, thereby increasing Moringa consumption
3) Develop a year-round sustainable income generating activity which will improve the quality of life of members and their families by increasing the accessibility and availability of fruits and vegetables to the community year round.
4) Conduct nutrition sensibilizations by promoting cooperation between CSPS staff, maternity, women’s groups, parent teacher associations, schools, and traditional medicine men. This will result in improved local
5) Promote organizational capacity
6) Promote reforestation and to help counter the effects of desertification


Intended Recipients:

The direct recipient(s) of this project is an agricultural women’s group, DAKOUPA, based in Yorko, which specializes in the production of peanuts(and all related products: peanut oil, peanut butter, etc. The women will not only share the profit generated by vegetable and Moringa sales but also set aside a portion to oversee the maintenance and upkeep of the garden and wells. The women will not just sell the vegetables and the Moringa in the market, but also the CSPS. Thus, the individuals who buy the Moringa and vegetables will benefit directly from both the nutritional and medicinal values. While the women’s group will be benefiting financially from garden sales, they will also be incorporating Moringa and vegetables into their cooking, thereby sharing the benefits with their family and friends. These individuals, as well as those who buy the Moringa and vegetables, will be benefiting indirectly from the garden. Those who consume the nutritious leaves and vegetables will benefit as the leaves/vegetables will give the individuals a balanced diet, thus improving their health. These individuals can also use the tree products(like the flowers and bark) to treat common ailments such as high blood pressure, rheumatism, inflation, etc.


Grantee Organization:

DAKOUPA, an agricultural based women’s group of Yorko, will be the organization to oversee the garden. Informally started in 2003, DAPOUKA specializes in the production of peanuts(and all related products: peanut oil, peanut butter, etc.); this group of twenty-five women, was formally recognized by the government in 2007. DAKOUPA is a group of dedicated women committed to the continued development of Yorko. In 2002, DAKOUPA sought out a grant to help build a community Bantaré school. In addition, the organization has used some of its peanut sale profits to buy school materials for the women. Not only does the group understand the value of a good education, but also the importance of good health and hygiene. Prior to the completion of a water pump in 2003, the women attended a conference on the benefits of pumps and clean water. The group also contributed 50,000 CFA from their peanut sale profits to help pay for the pump. The women believed that by helping to contribute to the construction of the pump, the pump would not only benefit them and their families but the rest of the community as well.
For this project DAKOUPA has formed a sub-committee to oversee all garden related matters(operations, finances, maintenance, community relations/education). The purpose of this committee is for a smaller group of active and interested DAKOUPA members to take ownership of the project and to ensure its success from beginning. Finally, Houssein Ganga, husband of one of the members, was asked to serve as conseillé of the organization to further facilitate its success. His extensive experience in both the agricultural and health sectors will aid in the sustainability of the project (see: About Houssein Ganga).

About Houssein Ganga:
Born in Cote D’Ivoire in 1968, Houssein Ganga is a resource person for both the health and agricultural sectors. He has occupied several diverse posts within the aire sanitatire of Beka. Houssein has acted as a land surveyor since 2001 with EPA(Enquietes Permanentes Agricoles); he has also served as a surveyor for DRAHRH (Direction Regionale de l’Agricultureet de l’hydraulique et de Resources Halieutiques) since 2005. Houssein is responsible for supervising the provision of harvests, surveying potential arable land, and ensuring food security. Additionally, he has experience writing several grants including one for a garden(demi hectare) in Beka. Since 2003 Houssein has acted as a health agent for Yorko, has been an active COGES member since the induction of the CSPS in 2005 and has been President of COGES since 2007. As COGES president, Hussein attends every community sensibilization (malaria, malnutrition, diarhea, family planning, etc.) and serves as the chief translator at such sensibilizations and community meetings.
In addition to Houssein’s roles as agricultural surveyor and health agent, he has served as a Peace Corps counterpart, collaborating with volunteers since 2005. In 2007 he helped the Peace Corps volunteer at the time draft a grant for a water pump in Beka and was the main Bissa liason for community sensibilizations on the importance of good hygiene, sanitation, and nutrition. He also has attended a conference on infantile nutrition in 2006. Houssein is fluent/alphebetized in French and Bissa. His active involvement in the community demonstrates not only his dedication and devotion to improving the quality of life of all the region’s inhabitants but also makes him both a qualified and excellent choice to act as a conseillé for DAKOUPA.


Local Contributions:

Local contribution include the following:
1) One hectare of land for the garden
2) All manual labor involved in the construction of the garden, cultivation, maintenance, and Moringa/vegetable sales
3) Local materials (sand, gravel, rocks, water)
4) All local transportantion costs related to well and garden construction
5) Use of public spaces to plant community trees
6) Conduction of community sensibilizations on good nutrition


Community Benefits:

There are numerous ways in which the garden will benefit children, women, men, alike, as well as the elderly and the sick. On the health side, the garden will provide Yorko and its surrounding communities with access to vegetables that are often lacking in one’s diet. Additionally, during the rainy season when availability and access to fruits and vegetables is scare and expensive, moringa leaves, not only rich in nutrients, are plentiful, thus helping to counter malnutrition. After initial training of COGES members and DAPOUKA(training of trainers) on Moringa and nutrition in general, these two organizations will in turn educate the rest of the organization and community.
Environmentally speaking, the benefits are numerous and far reaching. The leaves are not the only valuable resource from the Moringa tree. Leaves, as well as its branches, can be used as fodder for animals, while its high nutrient content makes for excellent mulch in the garden. By using Moringa as mulch, it acts as a covering to minimize excessive evaporation and erosion of the soil. Additionally, the planting of the Moringa will decrease the threat of deforestation and counter the adverse affects of desertification.
Economically speaking, the garden will provide DAPOUKA with a sustainable means of year long term income generation. The women may sell the vegetables during each vegetable’s designated growing season and Moringa all year long, especially during the summer months when resources are scarce. The women will not only introduce the Moringa and vegetables into their families diets, but also equally share in the profits generated by the garden, both of which will improve the health and livelihoods of the families. As previously mentioned, the women would like to set aside a certain percentage of their profits to help build another Bantaré school within the region as well as helping pay for the education of children whose family simply cannot afford it.


Statement of Work:

The following activities will be planned for 2010:

1) Nutrition/small enterprise development conference and sensibilizations
a. After the nutrition conference, sensibilizations(women’s groups, agricultural groups, schools, Parent-Teachers Associations, CSPS staff, etc.,) can commence in January and can continue prior, during, and after completion of the garden
2) Construction of the wells
a. Well construction should begin early February in order to be completed by the beginning of rainy season
3) Construction of the garden
a. Garden construction should begin early March in order to be completed by the time planting begins and before rainy season
4) Development of Moringa seedling nursery
a. Development of the seedling nursing should begin two months prior to planting. Planting would be ideal during the month of May, so seedling development should be done mid-March.
5) First Planting
a. The group would like to begin planting 200 of the total Moringa seedlings mid-May
6) Second Planting
a. The group would like to begin planting the vegetable seedlings early August
7) Production and sales
a. Moringa: Once the Moringa trees come to term, moringa production and the selling of the leaves and powder can be sold year round with an increase during rainy season(early June to late September). Initially sales will be done by word of mouth; however, after several sensibilizations the women will see an increase of sales at the local markets
b. Vegetables: Once vegetables have been harvested, they can be sold at the markets at different times of the year(depending on the vegetable)




Budget:

Requested Materials Quantity Unit Price Total
Metal fencing 11 rolls 30,000 CFA 330,000 CFA
Watering can 12 cans 2,500 CFA 24,000 CFA
Metal fence posts 60 posts 9,000 CFA 540,000 CFA
Cement for posts 12 sacks 5,500 CFA 66,000 CFA
Metal wiring for fencing 10 rolls 2,500 CFA 25,000 CFA
Metal door 1 door 60,000 CFA 60,000 CFA
Buisage (molding for wells) 2 50,000 CFA 100,000 CFA
Iron 6 for the 2 wells 17 1500 CFA 25,500 CFA
Iron 8 for the 2 wells 5 3000 CFA 15,000 CFA
50 lbs. fertilizer 1 bag 19,000 CFA 38,000 CFA
Binette (small hoe) 5 1,500 CFA 7,500 CFA
Tomato seeds 5 packets 1,500 CFA 7,500 CFA
Cabbage seeds 1 box 10,000 CFA 10,000 CFA
Lettuce seeds 5 packets 1,500 CFA 7,500 CFA
Insecticide 3 5,300 CFA 15,900 CFA
Cement (for 2 wells) 50 bags 5,500 CFA 225,000 CFA
3 day nutrition conference XXXXX XXXXX 125,000 CFA

Total Amount Requested: 1,621,900 CFA or $3,243.80 USD
(Based on an exchange rate of 500 CFA to $1)


Statement of Sustainability:

Since deciding to do this garden, the issue of sustainability has been at the forefront of the organization’s objectives. In dealing with construction of the garden and its wells, the organization chose to build cement wells rather than the traditional, rural wells. While cement wells are considerably more expensive than traditional wells, the cement wells will last for years while traditional well will start deteriorate after a couple of seasons. Thus, the group decided cement wells are a better investment for the long term. Because DAKOUPA is dedicated to the continued development in all areas of community development including nutrition/health, education, environmental, and economic, it has created a separate sub-committee of DAPOUKA devoted entirely to oversee all aspects of the garden including: financial, organizational, as well as the general maintenance of garden.
In conjunction with the aire sanitaire’s community health board (COGES), the members of DAPOUKA, after initial training on nutrition/Moringa, will be active in educating men, women, and children alike on the benefits and nutritional value of moringa/having a well-balanced diet. The organization will be working with important, and more importantly, active members of the community (traditional medicine men, midwives, nurses, and teachers), thus cementing the powerful and credible message on why good nutrition and Moringa is important. Overall, this training of trainers will in turn not only develop but promote organizational capacity as well.
In the course of educating Yorko and its surrounding communities on the benefits of Moringa and nutrition, the group will not only create a demand for their products(Moringa leaves, vegetables etc.,) they will create an income for themselves and the families. The women understand that for the garden to be effective in the long run, they must be life-long advocates of good nutrition. These members can then reinvest the profits back into the garden as well as share part of the profits amongst themselves further improving their families’ quality of life.
As mentioned before, the group would like to contribute a certain portion of its profits into the development of the community by constructing a Bantare school that would educate more than 70 women. It also has plans to set aside money to help send the children, of needy families, to school. This would be an excellent place to start educating women and children on good nutrition. Women and children alike can then share the information learned at school with the rest of their families and friends and in effect, the message can be passed on for generations to come.
Environmentally speaking, Moringa’s adaptability to adverse weather and soil conditions make it an excellent food source given Burkina’s environmental conditions. Additionally, because the tree produces leaves during the wet and dry seasons, it is a reliable source of green vegetables when little other food is available. This offers not only an income generating opportunity for the women year round but also aides in Burkina’s fight to combat malnutrition indefinitely. In addition, the leaves and branches of the tree can be used as fodder for animals, while its high nutrient content makes for better mulch in the garden. By using Moringa as mulch, it acts as a covering that will prevent excessive evaporation and erosion of humidity within the soil (from the sun). The environmental benefits of Moringa are far reaching and will only reinforce the sustainability and effectiveness of the plant for generations to come. The clear benefits of Moringa/nutrient rich vegetables, coupled with the dedication, commitment, and hard-work ethic of DAKOUPA makes this garden project sustainable—one worthy of serious consideration.


Evaluation of the Plan:

In evaluating the success of the garden, there are many ways this can be done. Initially in terms of tangible evidence, successful completion of the wells and garden is an easy way to evaluate this. Additionally, the number of trees planted within the aire sanitaire of Beka will be another indicator. After each sensibilization a Moringa plant will be given to each family who wishes to have one. After the vegetables and Moringa has been harvested, it would be easy to monitor profits and monthly trends (such as if Moringa sales increase during the rainy season). Another way to measure the success the project is to count the number of sensibilizations conducted and the number of individuals who attended. Granted if there is an increase of interest in Moringa/garden sales after all of the community sensibilizations, this would be a clear indication of success. At the CSPS, staff can monitor the number of moderately and/or severely malnourished, who come through during baby weighings. The CSPS also distributes food rations from the WFP; the CSPS staff can then monitor and document if the number of families who participate in the program decreases as the months pass.


Stewardship:

Brittany Bermudez, a Peace Corps volunteer in the health sector, will serve as local project steward assisting in communication and translation between DAPOUKA and Friends of Burkina. As acting steward, Brittany will attend all meetings, sensibilizations before, during, and after completion of the garden as well as offering support and guidance to the group in all of its endeavors. In addition to participating in the training of the group, Brittany will assist in the evaluation reports prior to the end of her service in 2009 and assist in any follow-up necessary. Brittany will be treating this activity as one of her primary responsibilities during her Peace Corps service. Her successor will overtake all responsibilities after December, 2010. Please feel free to contact Brittany at the following:

Mini Hot Season Means Puppy and Kitty Season!

Yes, it’s me again. I have not been abducted by aliens. Some may think this since I have been MIA, especially with blogging. But alas, I have returned to Ouaga for my mid-service conference. The past few months have seemed to go by so quickly. It is hard to imagine I have less than a year left to go. The last few months have seemed to be quite busy, as well---well for Peace Corps/Burkina “standards” anyway. Let’s see…what shall I talk about first? My work or the scary vampire bats?...Definitely, the scary vampire bats. I now have nightly visitors to my house. Most visitors would be courteous enough to knock and see if they can come in but these “visitors” don’t ask for my permission. They sneak in through the cracks between the tin roof and the mud walls and they fly around and like to make high pitch screeching sounds. Very annoying. At first there was just one bat. Scary but not too scary. But then his friend decided that he needed company so now I have two bats. I always thought that bats liked to hang upside down and sleep. Nope. I was either wrong or I have special bats because these two like to fly around chasing each other. Luckily, I haven’t had to go to the bathroom during their visits. Luckily, I think of my mosquito net as my protective blanket. Sometimes, they will land on my mosquito net and then I will whack them with my big flash light. Often times that will knock the bat unconscious…but only for a few minutes. I am too scared to get out from under my mosquito net because they other one usually is still in flight. I also fear the bat may suddenly wake up and then my life would be a scene from the Alfred Hitchcock’s movie, Birds. I think we have learned to co-exist with one another…on the stipulation that I stay under my mosquito net. I have told my counterpart that I have bats but his response was something to the effect of “Oh, that’s cool.”
Mini hot season started in October and it was quite hot. However, my tolerance for the heat has increased significantly since coming here. I now consider 90-95 degrees a nice day; anymore than that and I start to feel that it may be too hot. There seemed to be several of those the last couple of months. One day when I was in Zabre I saw a Fan Choco vendor with his cart. Fan choco is like our version of the ice cream but it comes in a small sack and tastes like frozen brownie batter. At first I thought it may have been a mirage because it was so hot. Fan Choco simply does not exist in rural Africa. Granted Zabre is the district capital but it’s more like a medium size village. But then I heard his little horn so I knew it was not a mirage and I ran after him like no other. But now it is cold season. Yayyy! When I say cold season it is a bit misleading because the temperature during the day still gets up to 90-95 degrees but it cools down during the night and early morning to about 55-60 degrees. During the morning and even into the afternoon I will see people wearing winter coats and several layers. I kid you not! During this time I will be wearing a tank top and a skirt and be thinking this weather is still hot but perfect. They just think I am crazy. About every person I have met in the village tells me that they plan on coming back with the states. At the time it is 75 degrees perhaps and they are still in their winter coats. I tell them if you think this is cold, you will die in the states from Iowa winters or pretty much anytime between September-late April. I try to explain to them how cold it can get with the snow but then the locals do not have any concept of Celsius or Fahrenheit so I just end up telling them they would die. Last cold season at night I would lay in bed at night and shiver under my pagne. But then I think to myself, “Relish this moment, Brittany. Relish it.”
Okay, so I caved. I know I said in one of my very first blogs that I did not plan on getting a cat or a dog. But when it’s kitty and puppy season, it is just so hard to resist. I saw it the day it was born and that was the end of my promise to myself to not get a pet. This goes back to other volunteers’ horror stories of villagers eating their pets or their pets mysteriously “disappearing.” It is currently being weaned but I get it the day I return back to village. I am really excited. Masse’s kitten was so cute. Well a more accurate word would be her “former” kitten. She ran over it with her moto. One night when I went to her house for dinner, I noticed I had not seen the kitten for a few nights and asked where it had wandered off to. With a straight face she told me she had ran over it. I was like, “oh my God! Poor thing. Did you have a funeral for it?” She looked at me like I was crazy and told me she threw it out in the front yard. I then looked at her like she was crazy. Her family always thought it was so weird that I play, kiss, and pet the kitten. They see a dog’s purpose to scare off intruders and a cat’s purpose to eat the mice. Having a pet for the purpose of having a companion does not really exist here. Burkinabe do not show affection towards animals, let alone with one another. After the age of one I do not see children hugged or kissed by their parents. Families, husbands/wives, girlfriends/boyfriends do not show affection here. Hugs, kisses, holding hands—nothing. I have tried to get to the bottom of this mystery but I have not really gotten a clear answer. I asked the Mayor of Zabre why this was and he told me that if a man showed affection to one of his wives, the other 2, 5, 8 wives would be jealous. This can also apply to his children. I then told the mayor but “he can show affection to all of his family and then that would not be an issue.” He did not seem to understand my point so I kind of left it at that.

Oh Yeah, There's the Work Factor

Thank goodness rainy season has come to an end. Now, I can start some big projects. As mentioned before, during rainy season everyone is cultivating so my village literally turns into a ghost town so it is kind of hard to hold community sensibilizations. That, and the fact that the rain makes satellite villages inaccessible (flooding). Lots of times planned sensibilizations have had to be postponed; however, there have been times where we sucked it up and made the muddy trek en brousse to the satellite village. During the months of July and part of August I thought I was going to die of boredom. I never thought that was ever possible but after this rainy season there is a good possibility that death by boredom is plausible. I was lucky to avoid this fate but I sure did come close. I asked my Ganga, my unofficially counterpart, what the previous volunteer did work-wise during the rainy season. He replied that she did not do any work. I tell him I refuse to believe she did not work during the three months of rainy season. He chuckles and tells me she did small causeries at the CSPS (clinic) on a variety of different of topic. “Great! That is what I am going to do then.” During rainy season you cannot really catch people at the market or even at their houses but you sure can catch them at the clinic or the maternity (before baby weighings or pre-natal consultations). So since the month of July I have been conducted weekly sensibilizations. Every month we will change the topic. So during July we talked about malnutrition, during August we talked about good weaning practices, and during September we talked about the importance of good hygiene and diarrhea. I have also held weekly sensibilizations on good pre-natal care. I also met with my women’s soap making group. Apparently, they are selling the soap at cost so they are not making any profit. I have tried to explain to them that in order to make a profit they need to sell the soap at a price higher than the at cost price but about 90% of them do not seem to understand this. They do not want to raise the price because they think no one would buy their soap and a price increase would make people go to their competitors. Oy. I have tried telling them they are selling the soap pretty much for free but they still want to make it…lol. I have also done a few HIV/AIDS sensibilizations and we are just starting a family planning campaign in a few days. Lastly, I am in the process of writing a grant for a moringa garden for a women’s group in a Yorko, a satellite village. So far the grant is 9 pages single spaced and I’ve spent the last two days slaving away to complete it. However, I did run across a lot of problems in writing it. Before coming to Ouaga to write the grant, I told Ganga he needed to find out not only all of the materials needed to construct the wells and the garden but also their prices. Luckily, when I came to Ouaga I talked to another volunteer about the garden. He had constructed a Moringa garden in his village. When he looked at my list, he started to laugh and told me it was like I was trying to build a car but only had tires. Lovely. So I think I have figured all of the materials needed and their prices; however, instead of the garden being $2,800 it is now $4,300. Ughh.

Rain, Rain, Go Away. Come Again Another Day.

Rainy season is finally coming to an end. I know before when I said I wish it would rain more but I had no idea how much rain would come. Now it rains at least every other day for hours—sometimes everyday. I like the rain but the rain makes it so humid and damp that anything relating to fabric or paper is turning musty and moldy. Books, clothes….you name it; it is probably damp, musty smelling, or growing some sort of green mold on it. The most likely scenario is that it probably is a combination of all three. Ick. I have to re-wash all of my clothes every so often just because of this. However, when I do wash my clothes and put them outside to dry, they never dry because the rain always comes back/no sun to dry them. Lol. Sometimes I will wash them on Monday, and they will not officially dry until Sunday. During early September there was such much rain it caused lots and lots of flooding. One time it rained almost two feet in a span of ten hours; this caused tens of thousands of people to be homeless in the capital and some people even died. Yikes. With the rains, come a host of other problems as well: malaria is running rampant in Burkina, my counterpart and my friend, the mayor Zabré, both caught typhoid fever so I guess that is going around too. Oh yeah, there is also Cholera. Wonderful. Luckily, I am vaccinated against the fever and take anti-malarial medication. Because it rains for hours at a time here---4,6,8 hours—you’re pretty much stuck in doors. This has given me an opportunity to catch up on my reading. There was a time where I read 5,000 pages during a two week time period….and no, that would not be a typo. 5,000. Hmmm…let’s see what else. Oh yes, I have a staph infection of the foot. About a week ago I must have gotten a cut on my left foot or something to that effect. Did not think too much of it. Smart move. Pretty soon I could not wear sandals (even Band-Aids!) because it hurt too much and I started to limp. I thought to myself, this is Burkina, I can deal with it and it will go away on its own. Nope. It was not until my foot swelled to twice it size. My foot would not fit into my sandal. It seriously looked like I had elephantitus of the foot. I then thought it might be a good idea to see the Peace Corps doctor. Right when she saw my foot she exclaimed, “Oh my God! How long has your foot been like this?!” She told me no, it was not elephantitus and I probably had a Staph infection. I am now taking antibiotics for this. Update: no change in the status of my foot. In other news around the world, Burkina has run out of cooking gas. About five weeks ago, I ran out of gas….have not cooked since. Every Zabré market day (every three days) when I would head into Zabré I would stop by the gas place and ask if they had gas. No. Okay, when is the gas coming I ask. The answer I would get would either be tonight or tomorrow. Great, I say. I shall be back. After having this same conversation with the same guy four different times, I tell the guy this: “Look, you keep telling me it is coming tonight or tomorrow. Do you actually know when it is coming?” He replies, no. I then thank him and tell him that’s all I wanted to know. Sooo….five weeks later. No gas. For lunch and dinner I eat things that don’t have to be cooked. Tomatoes, onions, cabbage—I am hoping it will be there when I arrive back home from the capital. Oh yeah…one other thing: the vaccination refrigerator at our clinic ran out of gas. Small crisis: all of the vaccinations were ruined. I think they have to go to the district capital to get vaccinations now (but they still administer them in Beka). I also did Karem for a little while. Muslims fast (called Karem) during the month of Ramadan. I thought to myself, “Hey, that might be fun. I think I will do that too.” To fast one can only eat at 5 in the morning and at 6:30 at night and they cannot even drink water. Here is summary of the first day of Karem:

5 AM: My alarm wakes me up. I sleepily shove food down my face and climb back into bed
6:30: I wake up for the day
8:30: My first hunger pains set in
9:30: The hunger pains increase. I try to think of happy thoughts. This would usually involve some sort of food. That really doesn’t help me.
12:30 I think to myself, “Oh my God! How can any choose to do this? This is torture!” The headache starts.
1:30: It is hot. I cannot drink water as part of my fasting. The headache has worsened.
2:30-6:00: More thoughts about food and water.
6:00: I make dinner.
6:10: Dinner is finished and ready to eat.
6:10-6:30: I stare at my plate of food longingly for a good twenty minutes.
6:30 on the dot: There is food going into my mouth.

As the week progressed, the days got easier and the hunger pains were not really there anymore. Then I came to Ouaga. The temptation of good food made me jump off the band wagon. Okay, I admit it..I am not a strong person…however, I have a small excuse: I have no gas to cook. Therefore, I think God would understand my predicament and have pity on me. However, having no gas has not been all that awful. For dinner most nights of the week I will go eat at my friend’s house. Another interesting happening during late August, early September: my bike’s tiring tubing tore. Therefore, my bike was out of commission. This kind of would present a problem if you have to bike 10 kilometers to the next town to buy food. Well for those two weeks that I was waiting on Peace Corps to send me my tubing I would have to walk 10 km to the market and 10 km back. I texted Peace Corps and they were very responsive sending the tubing by transport that very day. However, when I walked the 10km to the bush-taxi station to pick it up, it was not there. They had no idea where it was. So for two weeks (every three days) I would have to walk 20 km to get food. Finally, I get word that the tubing is at the Gendarmerie (national police/guard station). Hmmm…let’s see what else. Oh! I attended Laura’s village Chief’s party. It was quite interesting with traditional dancing and music. There was also a large procession en brousse to a place where the Chief sacrificed several chickens. Watching him was kind of like seeing a car crash: it is disturbing to watch but yet, somehow you cannot take your eyes off it. Nonetheless, it was very fun to watch. I even got chicken blood squirted on me when the little kids would fight over who could keep the chicken after it was killed or for most of time in the process of dying. I guess I have now been christened. Okay, kids. Until the next time!

Rainy Season AKA Trying To Find Creative Ways To Entertain Myself So I Don't Have To Talk To Myself

Random tidbits:
1) Saw a 3 y/old boy fall in a well. He is okay.
2) Saw an Animist ritual. Disturbing to watch but very interesting.
3) My friend, Masse, is still trying to kill me: death by carbs
4) I've only had two accidents this month. Yes! Score!


Rainy season has officially commenced. Well no, not really. It almost two months into the season and when I officially envisioned rain every other day. However, rainy season normally starts slow and then picks up momentum as it progresses. This has not been the case--it only rains about a couple times a week. Now, its up to three times. When the rain falls, it does not just fall, it pours for hours at a time. Think 4-5 hours worth. I love the rain though. It's fun. I have a tin roof on my mud hut so when it rains it feels like I live under a subway station. As fun as the rain is, rainy season means my market stinks. Fruits and vegetables? Non existent. I can find some sort of tree leaves they put in a sauce that everyone makes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I kid you not. This, and a couple other carbs are all I can find in my market. I have to bike the 9-10 km to Zabre to find my basic veggies. Rain or shine, Zabre, here I come!!! Despite not being able to do big projects, I have tried to stay busy with doing small AIDS sensibilizations in ________ and its satellite villages. This past month I also did my week long girls camp; it went really well. Twenty six girls were in attendance. As mentioned in last month's blogs I wanted to focus on reproductive health and having good role models/goals/esteem. Laura, my volunteer neighbor, came and helped me with my girls camp. She was a God send since she is completely fluent in french and was helpful in explaining technical terms and just generally when the girls had no clue as to what I was talking about. This was not because I was explaining something difficult to comprehend, it was more my massacreization(yes, i just made that a word and am sending a letter to Webster's to seeks its introduction into the English language)of the French language. In the last post I forgot to mention why I wanted to focus on having goals and good role models/a good support system. This stems from an incident that happened at Laura's camp that I helped with a couple weeks prior. Laura had just assigned a task to the girls. Anyhow, since children in our region do not start learning French until they hit primary school, some girls' French level are more advanced than others(it is not uncommon to see 15 and 16 year old girls who are still in primary school). Anyhow, this was the same time that one of the primary schools decided to drop by the camp to see how it was going. Since Laura's camp encompassed different grades/ages, some girls were slower to start(I assume it was because their French levels were lower). The teacher spotted a couple of girls who were slower to start; she then proceeds to slap one of the girls in the back of the head and yells at them for being slow. She then tells Laura, "Don't pay attention to these girls. They are slow and dumb and will not amount to anything in life." Ironically, the task that Laura gave the girls was to write down a goal they wanted to accomplish in life, how they could accomplish it, and who in their lives could encourage/support them to achieve this goal. Hmmmm..yeah, I am thinking that these girls did not put this teacher down as as being apart of their support system. It was nice to spend so much time with another volunteer(between one week at her site and her at my site for one week)because on a normal basis on any given month I only see volunteers for a couple days when I head up to the the capital. To keep busy I have been reading a lot these last couple of months. When I head back from the capital, I try to bring back as many books as I can with me on transport. However, with books, food, my travel clothes, and soap making materials for my women's group(bane of my existence because the materials weigh a ton and then some), I don't bring as many books as I would like back to village. I maybe bring back 15 books(and that's on a good day); however, when I can read a 500 page book in one day, these books go fast and then I am like, "Doo, doo, doo...what to do? There's always the reliable wall that I have been known to talk to." Don't get me wrong, I leave the house and walk around the village, hang out at the local boutique, and help my friend and her family cultivate, it is just that my village turns into a ghost town since everyone is in the fields. Right before coming to Ouaga, I assisted with a four day Polio vaccination campaign. Now that it is rainy season, it wasn't a door to door campaign like normal, it was a door to door and field to field campaign. We searched high and low for children under the age of the five. At times, biking way out en brousse. On the last day as my partner and I had just finished our satellite village and were heading to another village's market to help another team, I got a flat. Being way out en brousse, there were no mechanics around to help me fix my bike, so I told my partner to go onto Fourbe and I would walk on back to the hospital. Lucky for me, the hospital was a two hour walk away. Did I mention it started to rain at the same time? So..doo, doo, doo...I am walking in the rain first to Yorko--another satellite village--and then onto to my village. Being en brousse I did not know a direct route to my village. Anyhow, I come across a flowing river that was made worse by the rain. My only option is to cross so I take my bike and start to walk across. I notice the river is now past my knees with no indication of stopping. I was like, "oh, no. I may not always have common sense, but I have more common sense than this." I am also thinking, "Note to self: I am probably contracting shistosis as we speak so Googling symptoms of shisto when I get to Ouaga would be a good idea." Shistosis is a parasite that enters the body through skin pores--aided by running water. I started to walk back out of the river to find another spot to cross. A man stops me and asks me where I am going, so I tell him. He then proceeds to tell me that this spot was the only safe spot to cross and instructs me to give him my bike so he can carry it over his head. I do so and follow him into the flowing river. The river is now past my waist with my skirt rising to the top of the water and I hear a little girl laughing from one side of the river. I think to myself, "Laugh while you can, shithead. You're going to have to cross it next." Fun. Fun times. Let's see...what else??? I just painted my house yellow...well more like an off white/pukey yellow. So I originally bought bright yellow and white as the base and was like, "I am going to paint my walls egg shell(maybe a little brighter) yellow. I am such the domestic, interior designer." Well, there was not enough yellow for the white and the yellow did not exactly take to the white so now my house is kinda white with just ugly streaks of a shade I assume that passes as yellow. It was a two day long ordeal but I painted my house all by myself. When I told people, including the my dad the chief of the village, was taking on this endeavor, they were like, "That is not possible to do it yourself. Why subject yourself to that? Just have Ganga find you a boy to do it." Some of you may not know about my stubborness but I have quite a lot of it and when I run out of it, I always have plenty on reserve. Needless to say, I was determined to prove everyone wrong by doing the paint job myself. Not going to lie, really hard. Especially when your walls are high and your minus a ladder. What did I use, you ask? I balanced on my water bucket. As fun as this experience was, you will not see me with a paint brush in my hand.... I am thinking ever. When I get back stateside, I am hiring people to do this. I will be simply be the supervisor and there for moral support. When I head back to village I am going to stop by Laura's village for a couple of days to attend her village's festival that happens every three years. Really excited for that. And that's my life in a nutshell. Voila.