Got back home in London in the early hours of this morning. The plane was late to leave Banjul airport in the Gambia yesterday afternoon and late to arrive at Gatwick. I went to sleep at 4am after staying up chatting with my mum. Had a good catch up.
It's very very cold here and I've decided to keep on wearing African dress (and a headscarf) rather than start wearing Western clothes again. I'm toying with the idea of getting a haircut. My mum has made an appointment at the hairdresser's for me tomorrow but I think I'll cancel. It's a lot of money - the multiplication effect as Ray puts it! What costs £30 here would go a long way in CFA over there. If I keep my hair out of sight under a headscarf I won't need a hair cut and can let it grow long for fun. I haven't had long hair in a long time.
So I did a lot of crying yesterday, and the day before. It was very sad to leave people I had spent a lot of time with and leave a society I had adapted to living in for one that is so different. I wanted to stay in Senegal, not leave for London.
I've got a lot of stuff to do in London now though. The first thing is to finish the report of the participatory needs assessment, and find a short course in business skills and teaching adult literacy to supplement my experience and prepare myself for the year ahead when the projects start in October. I need to finish off the report (which is already about3-4,000 words long, to be able to give it to donors for in-depth information.
My mum has just come in the living room with a glass of champagne, to celebrate my homecoming as she puts it. It's such a contrast having carpet, a good mattress to sleep on, glass in the windows, green trees, toilet roll and a flushing toilet... and champagne. I'll try to enjoy it while I'm here as I won't have these luxuries when I'm back in Senegal. I'll enjoy it rather than feel freaked out by the culture shock. That's what I say now... I haven't left the house yet, so we'll see.
Very tired this morning when I woke up this morning. And it was strange to wake up here. As I woke up I woke out of the daze of a dream - I was back in Dianna, all the people in the compound around as usual, lots of noise. Waking up was a shock.
I'm missing it. But the champagne tastes good.
I worked really hard on making a good bid for my Uncle Fred to present to Rotary Club International, which was due to happen today. But unfortunately there was a problem so it hasn't happened today. It was really disappointing after the work I put into it to get it to Fred in time, and before I flew back. But I think it was good to have done it there because she the little kids running in and out of my room, kids with such little chances in life, torn, dirty clothes, living in poverty really spurred me on. I might not have felt like that when writing from a nice room in London. That memory will live me.
It has been a really intense period over these past 3 months which have now come to an end, at 3 months +1 now. So much has happened, including stuff I couldn't write about here. So much. I wouldn't change any of it and I'd go there again in a flash. It has been fantastic to learn an African language - Mandinka -and try to improve y french. At least I got a bit more conversational.
I didn't use the French study books more than once. But I did speak to people in French. I learnt a bit more vocabulary, but that's it. Mandinka is great, but I'll need time to crack it by studying properly and not having too much other distraction. Lamin Diatta in Albadar has offered to teach me when I get back. I tried to find some books in Mandinka in Brikama the day before yesterday but all I got was a book for native speakers to learn to write in the language. Not so good for a learner of Mandinka as a foreign language. But it will provide texts to use in lessons at least.
I got a good price for it by using new skills I'd learnt in bartering - yes, that is a very good price... hopefully I won't forget.
Now time to relax and enjoy the champagne and pizza. My mum asked me which I'd prefer for dinner, pizza or take-away curry. A tough choice. I've been dreaming of both for a while. Now I'll dream of chocopain chocolate and peanut spread. Ray says he bets I'll be able to find it in London if I look for it.
Saturday, 20 June 2009
Monday, 15 June 2009
Monday 15 June - Day 83
It's very hot and sticky now. It was raining quite a bit this morning. It was actually quite a shock in such a sunny country! I'm used to summer (in the UK) being the one saeson you have less rain, not more. It's topsy-turvy! Hopefully they will have good rain here this year as poor rainfall leads to hardship and a struggle for survival. These communities are dependant on farming, and without water there isn't enough food to eat or produce to sell to earn a living.
I've been doing my packing today, preparing stuff to take and what to leave behind for when I come back in October, Inshallah, God willing. It's a funny time, saying goodbyes and preparing myself mentally for the change of culture, pace, weather, food, you name it, it's going to be different back in the UK. I'm looking forward to seeing my mum after 3 months away and having a reliable, and fast internet connection. What a difference that will make. I'll finally be able to update the website (abenekarantaa.org), as it's been rather neglected while I've been here. Not enough time for everything. The blog and a few emails have taken priority.
We had a successful last meeting on Sunday. The assessment team (local people, Kabiro Coly and Momadou Dabang) presented the Action Plan and results of the Participatory Needs Assessment to representations of the Chiefs of each of the three villages, Abene, Albadar and Dianna involved in the project. They have given their full support, one saying 'When someone comes to help you, you must run to go and answer them'.
The Action Plan is as follows below, in draft form. I am very pleased to have the support of the local community.
Draft Action Plan (version 1)
To provide two projects from October 2009 to June 2010 – English for Children and Adult Literacy/English.
English for Children
A 6-week pilot project of classes in English for Children was provided at Dianna English Language School and delivered by British school teacher Hawa Touré. We propose to continue funding the project in Dianna, increasing the number of classes from three to four, thus expanding the ages of the intake from 10 – 18 years to include 8 and 9 year olds. We also propose to roll the project out to Abené and Albadar; which will be delivered by British EFL teacher Christina Ballard. The project will benefit 180 children and run for a full academic year from October 2009 to June 2010.
Adult Literacy/English
We propose to pilot a literacy project in English for adults in all three villages – Abené, Albadar and Dianna. Classes will be provided for women in the three villages and for men in Abené and Albadar. Classes in Dianna will be delivered by British literacy teacher Hawa Touré, and in Abené and Albadar by EFL teacher Christina Ballard. The project will benefit 100 adults, including 60 women. The pilot will run for 6 months from January to June 2010.
Programme implementation
Programme co-ordination
We propose for Christina Ballard to co-ordinate the programme of educational projects, local committees and the planning and running of local sustainable funding mechanisms.
Tuition in the local language
To enable effective communication with local people involved in the programme we propose for the provision of language tuition in Mandinka for the two project facilitators from the UK.
Timetable:
October 2009 – June 2010
Oct – Dec:
Tuition in local language – Hawa Touré & Christina Ballard
Teacher training in adult literacy (Hawa Touré) – Christina Ballard
Evaluate feasibility of other project proposals in collaboration with Programme Management Committee with a view to making plans for implementation
Oct – Jun:
Programme co-ordination including planning of sustainable funding mechanisms (community businesses) with a view to businesses starting trading in March
English for Children project – Hawa Touré & Christina Ballard
Jan – Jun:
Adult Literacy/English pilot project – Hawa Touré & Christina Ballard
May – Jun:
Project evaluation to be led by Programme Management Committee in collaboration with Programme Co-ordinator
October 2010 – June 2011
Oct – Dec:
Evaluation of feasibility of sustainable funding mechanisms (community businesses) and plan to
reduce funding from the charity.
Continue English for Children and Adult Literacy/English projects based on results of evaluation carried out in June.
Management
Project Committees
Each individual project - such as the After-School Study Group project for example - will have a committee. Those committees will be responsible for running the projects including monitoring, evaluation and budgeting.
Village Committees
Each village will have a committee which oversees all of the projects in their village. Those committees will be formed of two representatives from each of the Project Committees within their village. The village committees will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating funding streams including village businesses.
Programme Management Committee
One committee will oversee the projects in all three villages. Three members of the Management Committee will be named account holders for the Programme bank account. The Management Committee will be responsible for Programme expenditure, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation of the Programme and funding streams including community businesses.
I've been doing my packing today, preparing stuff to take and what to leave behind for when I come back in October, Inshallah, God willing. It's a funny time, saying goodbyes and preparing myself mentally for the change of culture, pace, weather, food, you name it, it's going to be different back in the UK. I'm looking forward to seeing my mum after 3 months away and having a reliable, and fast internet connection. What a difference that will make. I'll finally be able to update the website (abenekarantaa.org), as it's been rather neglected while I've been here. Not enough time for everything. The blog and a few emails have taken priority.
We had a successful last meeting on Sunday. The assessment team (local people, Kabiro Coly and Momadou Dabang) presented the Action Plan and results of the Participatory Needs Assessment to representations of the Chiefs of each of the three villages, Abene, Albadar and Dianna involved in the project. They have given their full support, one saying 'When someone comes to help you, you must run to go and answer them'.
The Action Plan is as follows below, in draft form. I am very pleased to have the support of the local community.
Draft Action Plan (version 1)
To provide two projects from October 2009 to June 2010 – English for Children and Adult Literacy/English.
English for Children
A 6-week pilot project of classes in English for Children was provided at Dianna English Language School and delivered by British school teacher Hawa Touré. We propose to continue funding the project in Dianna, increasing the number of classes from three to four, thus expanding the ages of the intake from 10 – 18 years to include 8 and 9 year olds. We also propose to roll the project out to Abené and Albadar; which will be delivered by British EFL teacher Christina Ballard. The project will benefit 180 children and run for a full academic year from October 2009 to June 2010.
Adult Literacy/English
We propose to pilot a literacy project in English for adults in all three villages – Abené, Albadar and Dianna. Classes will be provided for women in the three villages and for men in Abené and Albadar. Classes in Dianna will be delivered by British literacy teacher Hawa Touré, and in Abené and Albadar by EFL teacher Christina Ballard. The project will benefit 100 adults, including 60 women. The pilot will run for 6 months from January to June 2010.
Programme implementation
Programme co-ordination
We propose for Christina Ballard to co-ordinate the programme of educational projects, local committees and the planning and running of local sustainable funding mechanisms.
Tuition in the local language
To enable effective communication with local people involved in the programme we propose for the provision of language tuition in Mandinka for the two project facilitators from the UK.
Timetable:
October 2009 – June 2010
Oct – Dec:
Tuition in local language – Hawa Touré & Christina Ballard
Teacher training in adult literacy (Hawa Touré) – Christina Ballard
Evaluate feasibility of other project proposals in collaboration with Programme Management Committee with a view to making plans for implementation
Oct – Jun:
Programme co-ordination including planning of sustainable funding mechanisms (community businesses) with a view to businesses starting trading in March
English for Children project – Hawa Touré & Christina Ballard
Jan – Jun:
Adult Literacy/English pilot project – Hawa Touré & Christina Ballard
May – Jun:
Project evaluation to be led by Programme Management Committee in collaboration with Programme Co-ordinator
October 2010 – June 2011
Oct – Dec:
Evaluation of feasibility of sustainable funding mechanisms (community businesses) and plan to
reduce funding from the charity.
Continue English for Children and Adult Literacy/English projects based on results of evaluation carried out in June.
Management
Project Committees
Each individual project - such as the After-School Study Group project for example - will have a committee. Those committees will be responsible for running the projects including monitoring, evaluation and budgeting.
Village Committees
Each village will have a committee which oversees all of the projects in their village. Those committees will be formed of two representatives from each of the Project Committees within their village. The village committees will be responsible for monitoring and evaluating funding streams including village businesses.
Programme Management Committee
One committee will oversee the projects in all three villages. Three members of the Management Committee will be named account holders for the Programme bank account. The Management Committee will be responsible for Programme expenditure, budgeting, and monitoring and evaluation of the Programme and funding streams including community businesses.
Saturday, 13 June 2009
Friday 12 June – Day 80
I’ve been brought to tears this afternoon. Admittedly I am starting to get emotional about leaving Africa a week today, though I am looking forward to getting back to the UK for a while, and then returning here in the autumn Inshallah. But that wasn’t why I was so upset.
Yesterday I was happily taking some pictures of kids in the yard of the compound I’m staying in. Especially photogenic was a pretty little girl cuddling a teddy tight to her chest. Her face portrays her as a disconnected child, older than her years; one who has seen much suffering before her time. I thought she made a great picture, but didn’t really notice all that her face had to show until later when I was looking through the digital images on the screen on my camera in the evening. I really felt for her and wished there was something I could do to help.
When I ask a friend why she is looks so sad, he concluded that she probably comes from an unhappy home - getting beaten. I’d heard a harrowing personal account from an adult before, of having been beaten regularly at home as a child. I wouldn’t like to guess at the prevalence, but from what I have heard it is not that uncommon.
This afternoon I heard a little child crying, one of the girls, no more than 5 or 6, that comes to the felt-tip drawing and writing sessions I’ve been doing this week. I went up to her to see what was wrong and try to comfort her, and I saw she had a line of broken skin on her shoulder and a little trickle of blood going down her back.
She went off still crying, desolate, into a room. I followed thinking I might be able to do something to help her and either bring iodine and a tissue to her, or get her to come to my room for me to clean up her back. As I turned back to my room hoping she’d follow, her mother came out with a long strip of something, shouting. Now I knew where she had got the wounds from, as she was getting a few more.
They say it’s a small step from hitting an animal to hitting a child. I have seen both here. I don’t know which came first, but if you experience being beaten yourself you are less likely to think twice about doing the same to another. So the cycle continues. Cruelty to children is not peculiar to Africa by any means. I really want to do something to give these kids a better chance in life than the one they are likely to have.
Later… My friend had a chat with the girl’s mother and she said she had been naughty. The friend doesn’t like that kind of ‘system’ and the mother says she doesn’t either, so won’t do it. I later saw the girl again and she fell asleep on my lap. I laid her down on the bed as she stayed there conked out for a couple of hours until I thought she wouldn’t sleep well at night if she didn’t wake up soon.
We saw that she has lots of wounds all over her legs, which the flies love, making them infected. She’s not the first child I’ve seen with lots of wounds. The young kids here are always running around, climbing up trees and sitting in the sand. But if you try to put a plaster on them it falls off after a few minutes because they’re moving about so much.
We all had fun after that, making animal noises, cat, dog, chicken and goat, and playing at being animals. They liked the dog best – sticking their tongues out and waggling their bums! They’re great fun. And want to lend a hand all the time – bringing umpteen mangos again, helping with the washing and throwing the water out and so on. They’re good kids.
Even later still… How frustrating! I finally got the report I’m working on for the assessment at a stage where I could email it as a draft to Rachel, Great Uncle Fred and my mum to their information as a work in progress. And I wrote a few emails ready to copy and paste into my hotmail account and send.
But… as we get near to the centre of Dianna, the garrasoto, market and school, all at the crossroads where the road to Abene meets Dianna, the man from the Internet café tells us that there’s no network connection, no internet now. He says it’s off in Abene too and as far as Kafountine and Diolulu, the nearest towns in each direction.
But on the walk back in the dark I learnt how to say hello to shop keepers. I had been saying kasumei, but that’s Jola language. Most shop keepers are from the Fula tribe and speak the Fula language. They don’t speak much Mandinka, even though they live here in a predominantly Mandinka area. When I speak to some shop keepers in Mandinka they don’t understand and stay silent. So I’ve learnt tanala – hello in Fula. They then reply jantuum.
I found tanala difficult to remember. But I’ve come up with a mnemonic to help me. The vowel sounds are all the same (aa), and the consonants are the same as the English word tunnel, t-n-l. Easy to then remember tanala! Why are most shop keepers Fula? Are they really more business minded than the Mandinkas?
My friend’s neighbour in Gambia is visiting friends and family in Dianna. She’s here chatting now. She’s tired after walking all the way from Kartoum in Gambia today. It’s not that long a distance, but there’s also no bush taxi service from there to here. There’s a religious event taking place this weekend in each village. The Imam’s eldest son is going to read the Korán to his father in front of the whole village and lots of others by the sound of it. Apparently people have travelled from Bignona, Dakar and Gambia especially.
I saw a few of them on my walk through the village this evening to go to the internet café. I wished I had changed from my African print dress, matching tikoo (headscarf) and vest top into something more Islamic, a full compileto, full African dress with a top that would cover my shoulders. But I still had good chats with several African women, in Mandinka.
I’ve got a meeting first thing in the morning at my house. A last chance to prepare the team for presenting the action plan and results of the assessment to the Chiefs of the three villages when we meet with them on Sunday afternoon to ask for their support. We’ll go through the detail we didn’t have time for at the end of the last team meeting on Wednesday as it was getting dark.
It’s difficult as the night is a lot darker here. There are very few street lights. It’s easier to see when the moon is full. I really don’t like the nights here too much. I am at a disadvantage as local people have much better eye sight in the dark than me. I prefer to stay at home. It’s fine if you have good lighting in your rooms. If you haven’t you are reliant on torches and candles. Not very comfortable night after night, but you get used to it. Electric lighting is so much more reassuring.
We’re really cramming the assessment team meetings in now as this is my last week effectively. I really don’t want to make any plans for meetings for next week if I can help it. I need the time to take any last photos I need to, say goodbye to people and head up to Gambia for the last few days before flying out from the capital of the Gambia, Banjul. It’s the nearest airport, being in the south of Senegal here, very far from the capital, Dakar.
I wanted to visit it while I was here, but I’ve concentrated on the nearer area. Next time. There’s a lot to be done next time!
Cockroaches! I really can’t stand them. Revolting. They come out at night. Another reason not to like the nights here! I won’t use the African toilet in the night as you can see them crawling up and down the walls inside the pit that is under the ‘roof’ of the hole you stand on. The crawl about inside, around the hole you stand on either side of, all over the place. Yuck. Not for me. I much prefer a bucket! I lived with cockroaches in my old basement flat in Toledo, Spain, and trod on a few by accident in the night or early morning.
Yesterday I was happily taking some pictures of kids in the yard of the compound I’m staying in. Especially photogenic was a pretty little girl cuddling a teddy tight to her chest. Her face portrays her as a disconnected child, older than her years; one who has seen much suffering before her time. I thought she made a great picture, but didn’t really notice all that her face had to show until later when I was looking through the digital images on the screen on my camera in the evening. I really felt for her and wished there was something I could do to help.
When I ask a friend why she is looks so sad, he concluded that she probably comes from an unhappy home - getting beaten. I’d heard a harrowing personal account from an adult before, of having been beaten regularly at home as a child. I wouldn’t like to guess at the prevalence, but from what I have heard it is not that uncommon.
This afternoon I heard a little child crying, one of the girls, no more than 5 or 6, that comes to the felt-tip drawing and writing sessions I’ve been doing this week. I went up to her to see what was wrong and try to comfort her, and I saw she had a line of broken skin on her shoulder and a little trickle of blood going down her back.
She went off still crying, desolate, into a room. I followed thinking I might be able to do something to help her and either bring iodine and a tissue to her, or get her to come to my room for me to clean up her back. As I turned back to my room hoping she’d follow, her mother came out with a long strip of something, shouting. Now I knew where she had got the wounds from, as she was getting a few more.
They say it’s a small step from hitting an animal to hitting a child. I have seen both here. I don’t know which came first, but if you experience being beaten yourself you are less likely to think twice about doing the same to another. So the cycle continues. Cruelty to children is not peculiar to Africa by any means. I really want to do something to give these kids a better chance in life than the one they are likely to have.
Later… My friend had a chat with the girl’s mother and she said she had been naughty. The friend doesn’t like that kind of ‘system’ and the mother says she doesn’t either, so won’t do it. I later saw the girl again and she fell asleep on my lap. I laid her down on the bed as she stayed there conked out for a couple of hours until I thought she wouldn’t sleep well at night if she didn’t wake up soon.
We saw that she has lots of wounds all over her legs, which the flies love, making them infected. She’s not the first child I’ve seen with lots of wounds. The young kids here are always running around, climbing up trees and sitting in the sand. But if you try to put a plaster on them it falls off after a few minutes because they’re moving about so much.
We all had fun after that, making animal noises, cat, dog, chicken and goat, and playing at being animals. They liked the dog best – sticking their tongues out and waggling their bums! They’re great fun. And want to lend a hand all the time – bringing umpteen mangos again, helping with the washing and throwing the water out and so on. They’re good kids.
Even later still… How frustrating! I finally got the report I’m working on for the assessment at a stage where I could email it as a draft to Rachel, Great Uncle Fred and my mum to their information as a work in progress. And I wrote a few emails ready to copy and paste into my hotmail account and send.
But… as we get near to the centre of Dianna, the garrasoto, market and school, all at the crossroads where the road to Abene meets Dianna, the man from the Internet café tells us that there’s no network connection, no internet now. He says it’s off in Abene too and as far as Kafountine and Diolulu, the nearest towns in each direction.
But on the walk back in the dark I learnt how to say hello to shop keepers. I had been saying kasumei, but that’s Jola language. Most shop keepers are from the Fula tribe and speak the Fula language. They don’t speak much Mandinka, even though they live here in a predominantly Mandinka area. When I speak to some shop keepers in Mandinka they don’t understand and stay silent. So I’ve learnt tanala – hello in Fula. They then reply jantuum.
I found tanala difficult to remember. But I’ve come up with a mnemonic to help me. The vowel sounds are all the same (aa), and the consonants are the same as the English word tunnel, t-n-l. Easy to then remember tanala! Why are most shop keepers Fula? Are they really more business minded than the Mandinkas?
My friend’s neighbour in Gambia is visiting friends and family in Dianna. She’s here chatting now. She’s tired after walking all the way from Kartoum in Gambia today. It’s not that long a distance, but there’s also no bush taxi service from there to here. There’s a religious event taking place this weekend in each village. The Imam’s eldest son is going to read the Korán to his father in front of the whole village and lots of others by the sound of it. Apparently people have travelled from Bignona, Dakar and Gambia especially.
I saw a few of them on my walk through the village this evening to go to the internet café. I wished I had changed from my African print dress, matching tikoo (headscarf) and vest top into something more Islamic, a full compileto, full African dress with a top that would cover my shoulders. But I still had good chats with several African women, in Mandinka.
I’ve got a meeting first thing in the morning at my house. A last chance to prepare the team for presenting the action plan and results of the assessment to the Chiefs of the three villages when we meet with them on Sunday afternoon to ask for their support. We’ll go through the detail we didn’t have time for at the end of the last team meeting on Wednesday as it was getting dark.
It’s difficult as the night is a lot darker here. There are very few street lights. It’s easier to see when the moon is full. I really don’t like the nights here too much. I am at a disadvantage as local people have much better eye sight in the dark than me. I prefer to stay at home. It’s fine if you have good lighting in your rooms. If you haven’t you are reliant on torches and candles. Not very comfortable night after night, but you get used to it. Electric lighting is so much more reassuring.
We’re really cramming the assessment team meetings in now as this is my last week effectively. I really don’t want to make any plans for meetings for next week if I can help it. I need the time to take any last photos I need to, say goodbye to people and head up to Gambia for the last few days before flying out from the capital of the Gambia, Banjul. It’s the nearest airport, being in the south of Senegal here, very far from the capital, Dakar.
I wanted to visit it while I was here, but I’ve concentrated on the nearer area. Next time. There’s a lot to be done next time!
Cockroaches! I really can’t stand them. Revolting. They come out at night. Another reason not to like the nights here! I won’t use the African toilet in the night as you can see them crawling up and down the walls inside the pit that is under the ‘roof’ of the hole you stand on. The crawl about inside, around the hole you stand on either side of, all over the place. Yuck. Not for me. I much prefer a bucket! I lived with cockroaches in my old basement flat in Toledo, Spain, and trod on a few by accident in the night or early morning.
Thursday 11 June – Day 79
I could start a shop with the number of mangos I have been given by children since yesterday. This morning alone they must have brought me 15 or more mangos, at different intervals. They keep coming in with several they’ve carried in their t-shirts. It’s unrelentless!
If they liked me before because I was a novelty being bright shiny white, they must love me now they know I have felt-tips. Arabi (aged 8 at a guess) says she wants to cover all the walls of my living room with their pictures and writing.
They have so much enthusiasm, energy and interest in writing and drawing. They spur me on to keep working at the assessment and planning. It is such a shame to see such potential go undeveloped. I look at them and think what their future might be like.
It strikes me that so many local people have so little power over their own lives. I really think that literacy is a key stage in development and not enough emphasis is put on it by some local people we have consulted in the assessment. The ability to read and write not only opens up the possibility of using your mind and not only your hands to generate income, thus broadening the employment opportunities available to you, but also gives you access to information and knowledge that is otherwise likely to be distant and inaccessible, resulting in disempowerment.
It is exciting working with local people who have so much drive and commitment to developing their communities. Attendance at the team meeting has been good, despite the heat of the sun for those walking a distance, and all the other commitments and responsibilities they have. They have made the time to be a part of a project they believe will make a difference to their lives.
There are so many mangos about at the moment that the sickly sweet smell of mangos lying on the ground in the sun is hard to escape. It is a good example of a local resource that could be put to good use. Local people talk about selling them, but they lack transport to take them to Gambia or to Dakar. We have followed up this business idea as a means of sustainable funding of educational projects.
If they liked me before because I was a novelty being bright shiny white, they must love me now they know I have felt-tips. Arabi (aged 8 at a guess) says she wants to cover all the walls of my living room with their pictures and writing.
They have so much enthusiasm, energy and interest in writing and drawing. They spur me on to keep working at the assessment and planning. It is such a shame to see such potential go undeveloped. I look at them and think what their future might be like.
It strikes me that so many local people have so little power over their own lives. I really think that literacy is a key stage in development and not enough emphasis is put on it by some local people we have consulted in the assessment. The ability to read and write not only opens up the possibility of using your mind and not only your hands to generate income, thus broadening the employment opportunities available to you, but also gives you access to information and knowledge that is otherwise likely to be distant and inaccessible, resulting in disempowerment.
It is exciting working with local people who have so much drive and commitment to developing their communities. Attendance at the team meeting has been good, despite the heat of the sun for those walking a distance, and all the other commitments and responsibilities they have. They have made the time to be a part of a project they believe will make a difference to their lives.
There are so many mangos about at the moment that the sickly sweet smell of mangos lying on the ground in the sun is hard to escape. It is a good example of a local resource that could be put to good use. Local people talk about selling them, but they lack transport to take them to Gambia or to Dakar. We have followed up this business idea as a means of sustainable funding of educational projects.
Tuesday 9 June – Day 77
Day at home today, apart from briefly cycling to Sanna’s house at the other end of Dianna to get Oussainou and Sanaa to come over and have lunch. It was getting late and we hadn’t seen them yet. I had Mafee made for me. Delicious – peanut butter, without the sugar, cooked with vegetables. Nice with potato, aubergine, onion and okra. I really like okra. It has a sticky consistency when you cut it. The vegetable sellers at the market at the main cross-roads in the village, for the turn off to Abené always break the end off the okra before they give it to you, to check it isn’t a bad one. The market is under the shade of big trees – they use planks of wood that they must store somewhere and bring out every day, laid on top of supports stuck in the ground. They prefer to use this spot under the trees, opposite the taxi garage to the specially made market on the opposite side of the road. I think the development committee in the village may have better luck next time after consultation with the market traders, otherwise their efforts at building a fine market place go under-appreciated.
The team meeting was a success again yesterday. Oussaino got his bush taxi from the Gambia ok, had lunch and made it down to Abené in time to chair the meeting again and go through each of the proposals we had put together for projects to try to meet their educational needs. The team discussed the feasibility of each one and were encouraging, putting forward their own ideas and sharing the benefit of their local knowledge. Oussainou worked with them to put the proposals in order of priority.
We recognised the need to have a printed translation in French of the action planning proposals to enable the literate members of the team to refer to a written document to share the ideas with other members of the communities and get their feedback at a later stage. But for the moment some were making notes in the meeting to refer to later. And one even passed my house in the evening (after I had gone to bed early exhausted from concentrating on the language during the 2 and a half hour meeting, and with a sore tummy) to check over the proposals again. He’s keen! It’s great to see local people in the team putting so much effort in to the assessment.
We also noted the need to collate the information we have gathered and use that also as a basis for guiding the team in action planning. I am busy writing up a report, both for the team meeting tomorrow (as we’ve only got this one week left now, we have to cram it all in) and also to email to Uncle Fred before he makes his pitch for funding. It’s nearly 8pm now, luckily there hasn’t been a power cut yet today (touch wood!). So far I’ve written about 3,000 words and haven’t even scratched the surface yet. I’ll continue tomorrow.
I stepped out of the meeting briefly to pick up 4 of the short and fat local bananas for 200F CFA (about 33p) as I was really hungry. As I was chatting with the banana seller – she says I’m her best customer, or at least I like to think that was she means – my Great Uncle Fred called on my mobile phone to say he wanted to make a bid for funding to the Rotary Club International next week and needed me to send him information. His motivation and energy in fundraising are impressive.
Since I spoke to him about my plans to go to Africa to do this assessment and try to work with local people to improve education, he has been hatching plans to raise funds for the projects. He got me what he describes as the best date in the calendar for making a funding pitch to his local Rotary Club which he is involved with, as a long-term member of the committee. And now he says if they accept the bid, the International section of the Club may also accept a bid for matched funding. So I have lots of work to do now to prepare the bid for him to present next week. If the date is correct, it’s the day after my flight back to London.
I spent a second afternoon session today with thirteen 4-10 year olds in my living room. Together we have filled the wall with pictures and multi-coloured squiggles on lots of pieces of paper. This is also the second time I have used the blu-tack my mum half-jokingly said she wouldn’t go to Africa without if it was her. They loved the felt-tip pens I brought over with me, and had been nagging me for them to play again. We had a good time together, making cat and dog noises and some of them learnt to say the words too. We also practiced drawing circles and squares. I drew a sci-fi car cum rocket! And we got a few variations on the theme stuck to the wall. One girl wrote out the ABC and numbers up to 60 in lots of different colours. Another child wrote a few words in Arabic. He probably attends an Arabic school where he would learn the Koran. I was exhausted by their energy and interest in everything, calling to me Aminata (my African name) to show me what they had done at regular intervals.
I made a deal with them - they get to use the felt tips if they do not disturb me when I’m in the ‘African shower’! The palm leaf fence has lots of gaps and is almost like washing in the open if you’ve got people walking past or sitting on the step opposite like some of the kids were doing yesterday, having a giggle!
The team meeting was a success again yesterday. Oussaino got his bush taxi from the Gambia ok, had lunch and made it down to Abené in time to chair the meeting again and go through each of the proposals we had put together for projects to try to meet their educational needs. The team discussed the feasibility of each one and were encouraging, putting forward their own ideas and sharing the benefit of their local knowledge. Oussainou worked with them to put the proposals in order of priority.
We recognised the need to have a printed translation in French of the action planning proposals to enable the literate members of the team to refer to a written document to share the ideas with other members of the communities and get their feedback at a later stage. But for the moment some were making notes in the meeting to refer to later. And one even passed my house in the evening (after I had gone to bed early exhausted from concentrating on the language during the 2 and a half hour meeting, and with a sore tummy) to check over the proposals again. He’s keen! It’s great to see local people in the team putting so much effort in to the assessment.
We also noted the need to collate the information we have gathered and use that also as a basis for guiding the team in action planning. I am busy writing up a report, both for the team meeting tomorrow (as we’ve only got this one week left now, we have to cram it all in) and also to email to Uncle Fred before he makes his pitch for funding. It’s nearly 8pm now, luckily there hasn’t been a power cut yet today (touch wood!). So far I’ve written about 3,000 words and haven’t even scratched the surface yet. I’ll continue tomorrow.
I stepped out of the meeting briefly to pick up 4 of the short and fat local bananas for 200F CFA (about 33p) as I was really hungry. As I was chatting with the banana seller – she says I’m her best customer, or at least I like to think that was she means – my Great Uncle Fred called on my mobile phone to say he wanted to make a bid for funding to the Rotary Club International next week and needed me to send him information. His motivation and energy in fundraising are impressive.
Since I spoke to him about my plans to go to Africa to do this assessment and try to work with local people to improve education, he has been hatching plans to raise funds for the projects. He got me what he describes as the best date in the calendar for making a funding pitch to his local Rotary Club which he is involved with, as a long-term member of the committee. And now he says if they accept the bid, the International section of the Club may also accept a bid for matched funding. So I have lots of work to do now to prepare the bid for him to present next week. If the date is correct, it’s the day after my flight back to London.
I spent a second afternoon session today with thirteen 4-10 year olds in my living room. Together we have filled the wall with pictures and multi-coloured squiggles on lots of pieces of paper. This is also the second time I have used the blu-tack my mum half-jokingly said she wouldn’t go to Africa without if it was her. They loved the felt-tip pens I brought over with me, and had been nagging me for them to play again. We had a good time together, making cat and dog noises and some of them learnt to say the words too. We also practiced drawing circles and squares. I drew a sci-fi car cum rocket! And we got a few variations on the theme stuck to the wall. One girl wrote out the ABC and numbers up to 60 in lots of different colours. Another child wrote a few words in Arabic. He probably attends an Arabic school where he would learn the Koran. I was exhausted by their energy and interest in everything, calling to me Aminata (my African name) to show me what they had done at regular intervals.
I made a deal with them - they get to use the felt tips if they do not disturb me when I’m in the ‘African shower’! The palm leaf fence has lots of gaps and is almost like washing in the open if you’ve got people walking past or sitting on the step opposite like some of the kids were doing yesterday, having a giggle!
Monday 8 June – Day 76
Poor Oussainou, trying to come to the team meeting and give us the benefit of his experience at this action planning stage of the assessment was stuck at the taxi garage in Brikama, Gambia, for hours yesterday. When he called me at 2.30pm he said he’d been waiting ages for the bush taxi to be full and still there were only seven people out of 13 seats.
I don’t enjoy travelling by bush taxi at all. It’s a painful experience waiting for the car to be full of passengers, often over an hour and being squeezed in with 6 other passengers plus the driver squished in to a car that’s had its seats moved forward to fit in another row in the boot area. You’ve got to experience it to believe it!
So Oussainou turned around and went back home. We postponed the team meeting in the afternoon yesterday, until this afternoon. Hopefully he won’t have too much trouble in getting the first taxi out of Brikama in the morning.
Meanwhile I’ve been working very hard preparing for the team meeting, putting together the proposal he and I thrashed out at the start of the week after the previous meeting last Sunday. I’m also starting to put together a report on the assessment, but if you see the fat wodge of papers I have accumulated of information gathered in the assessment process you will understand it’s going to take me a while.
I’m dreaming of vast warehouses of every kind of stationery item in existence. Without a ring binder, hole punch or even dividers the papers are lacking organisation. But in Africa you learn by example to be resourceful and make the most of what you have got. With the left over parcel tape from packing up my bike - having it with me as I thought I might need it again at the airport on the way over – and cut up bits of folded over paper, I have stuck sticky out bits to the sides of several sheets of paper and have brought order to a chaotic pile of paper.
I moved to Dianna a few days ago and am now well settled in. I was in a nice house in Abené, away from the poorer area, in a walled compound. A house with tiled floors, plywood ceiling material, wooden doors, shelving, a kitchen and an inside toilet and sink. Quite a contrast with how most local people live. I’ve now in 2 4 square metre rooms with lino flooring, corrugated iron doors, sand and what looks like woven palm ceiling material (the difference here is that sporadically throughout the day and night little bits of sand fall through on to the floor, or your bed, or clothes, you get the picture), an outside ‘African toilet’ out of the compound (I think it must be, because it is so far from the buildings, almost in the street), but a washing area closed off with palm leaves and sticks stuck in the ground nearer the rooms. The compound is not walled, or even fenced off, it’s hard to tell where one compound ends and another starts. This is the authentic experience living as a local. Except for my having a laptop, two bikes, plenty of food and generally far more stuff in my rooms than I’ve seen anyone else have. Although I haven’t got an income now, having given up my job in London to come here and do this, I am rich here compared to local people.
It’s hot. It’s too hot to do very much. Just sweeping up brings you out in a massive sweat, needing yet another shower. Now it’s not so easy to get water. Before I got it from a tap at the end of the compound and carried in a bucket to the bathroom inside the house. Now it’s a trip to a shared well, a longer walk and this well is deeper and for some reason requires a lot more muscle than what I’ve been used to. The young girls, no more than ten years old have no problem at all and watch me huffing and puffing (deliberately a little theatrically). I think they want to do it for me, but they do enough work as it is already. Later on I hear them talking, making heavy breathing noises as they tell the story of the toobab at the well without enough muscle.
I’ve talked about juju before, but not told you about the kankurang. That’s another story… men in head-to-toe fluffy orange fancy-dress going up and down the street intimidating people and scaring children (if rumour is true even to death) clashing machetes together. The kankurang is peculiar to Mandinka culture. The idea is to stop people picking fruit from the trees in the street before it is deemed the time to do so. I’m not so keen on those two aspects of the culture, but there are lots of other things about African that I am now more accepting of – let’s start with the showering area. So I can’t yet bring myself to clamber over the rubbish that’s been thrown out at the back of the compound, which happens to be between the bedroom and the far off African toilet, in the night, even with a full moon and a wind-up torch. But I am much less fazed now by the gaps in the palm that leave me rather exposed to people passing by when I take a wash.
I was on my own in my room working on my home-made paper dividers, sitting on a mat on the floor one day over this last weekend and felt happy. I was reflecting on how lucky I am to be here. To have this opportunity to experience a very different culture from the inside, learn an African language and do this work. It dawned on me that I am where I want to be. And that I’m doing what I want to be doing. It’s very hard at times and I cry at times (though I have gone quite a few days without doing so now). It’s difficult being in a different culture, different place, different language, etc. But it’s really worth it.
I don’t enjoy travelling by bush taxi at all. It’s a painful experience waiting for the car to be full of passengers, often over an hour and being squeezed in with 6 other passengers plus the driver squished in to a car that’s had its seats moved forward to fit in another row in the boot area. You’ve got to experience it to believe it!
So Oussainou turned around and went back home. We postponed the team meeting in the afternoon yesterday, until this afternoon. Hopefully he won’t have too much trouble in getting the first taxi out of Brikama in the morning.
Meanwhile I’ve been working very hard preparing for the team meeting, putting together the proposal he and I thrashed out at the start of the week after the previous meeting last Sunday. I’m also starting to put together a report on the assessment, but if you see the fat wodge of papers I have accumulated of information gathered in the assessment process you will understand it’s going to take me a while.
I’m dreaming of vast warehouses of every kind of stationery item in existence. Without a ring binder, hole punch or even dividers the papers are lacking organisation. But in Africa you learn by example to be resourceful and make the most of what you have got. With the left over parcel tape from packing up my bike - having it with me as I thought I might need it again at the airport on the way over – and cut up bits of folded over paper, I have stuck sticky out bits to the sides of several sheets of paper and have brought order to a chaotic pile of paper.
I moved to Dianna a few days ago and am now well settled in. I was in a nice house in Abené, away from the poorer area, in a walled compound. A house with tiled floors, plywood ceiling material, wooden doors, shelving, a kitchen and an inside toilet and sink. Quite a contrast with how most local people live. I’ve now in 2 4 square metre rooms with lino flooring, corrugated iron doors, sand and what looks like woven palm ceiling material (the difference here is that sporadically throughout the day and night little bits of sand fall through on to the floor, or your bed, or clothes, you get the picture), an outside ‘African toilet’ out of the compound (I think it must be, because it is so far from the buildings, almost in the street), but a washing area closed off with palm leaves and sticks stuck in the ground nearer the rooms. The compound is not walled, or even fenced off, it’s hard to tell where one compound ends and another starts. This is the authentic experience living as a local. Except for my having a laptop, two bikes, plenty of food and generally far more stuff in my rooms than I’ve seen anyone else have. Although I haven’t got an income now, having given up my job in London to come here and do this, I am rich here compared to local people.
It’s hot. It’s too hot to do very much. Just sweeping up brings you out in a massive sweat, needing yet another shower. Now it’s not so easy to get water. Before I got it from a tap at the end of the compound and carried in a bucket to the bathroom inside the house. Now it’s a trip to a shared well, a longer walk and this well is deeper and for some reason requires a lot more muscle than what I’ve been used to. The young girls, no more than ten years old have no problem at all and watch me huffing and puffing (deliberately a little theatrically). I think they want to do it for me, but they do enough work as it is already. Later on I hear them talking, making heavy breathing noises as they tell the story of the toobab at the well without enough muscle.
I’ve talked about juju before, but not told you about the kankurang. That’s another story… men in head-to-toe fluffy orange fancy-dress going up and down the street intimidating people and scaring children (if rumour is true even to death) clashing machetes together. The kankurang is peculiar to Mandinka culture. The idea is to stop people picking fruit from the trees in the street before it is deemed the time to do so. I’m not so keen on those two aspects of the culture, but there are lots of other things about African that I am now more accepting of – let’s start with the showering area. So I can’t yet bring myself to clamber over the rubbish that’s been thrown out at the back of the compound, which happens to be between the bedroom and the far off African toilet, in the night, even with a full moon and a wind-up torch. But I am much less fazed now by the gaps in the palm that leave me rather exposed to people passing by when I take a wash.
I was on my own in my room working on my home-made paper dividers, sitting on a mat on the floor one day over this last weekend and felt happy. I was reflecting on how lucky I am to be here. To have this opportunity to experience a very different culture from the inside, learn an African language and do this work. It dawned on me that I am where I want to be. And that I’m doing what I want to be doing. It’s very hard at times and I cry at times (though I have gone quite a few days without doing so now). It’s difficult being in a different culture, different place, different language, etc. But it’s really worth it.
Sunday 7 June – Day 75
I only know the number of days I’m on now because it’s getting close to the day of my flight, so I’ve counted backwards rather than forwards as before. The count down has begun.
The last post was so short as the power cut out and all but ten minutes of life has been drained from the battery in my laptop.
My uncle Fred in Worcester phoned the other day. I had forgotten to reply to his email. That’s the problem when you maybe only have time to read emails before the power or the connection goes, or your money runs out. It is joyous now to be staying at a place with power – to be able to plug in the computer and type away, without having to lug the laptop on my bike. Both my laptop and my bike have been indispensible here. I wouldn’t have been able to write nearly as much in my blogs (although infrequent) if I only had the time in the internet café, and I wouldn´t have been able to move about the villages, or make so many meetings if I hadn’t boxed up my mum’s bike and flown it over with me. Thanks mum! And thanks to Brixton Cycles for giving me a free box and helping to show me how to take apart and put it back together again.
Uncle Fred has been working hard to secure an opportunity for me to make a pitch for funding to the Rotary Club International in Worcester. He’s confident they will be keen to support Abené Karantaa providing education in West Africa. He’s invited me to see the Rotary Club committee. I’ve never done a pitch for funding like this before, but my mum has and is in fact getting training on it right now, so I’m hoping she will have the time to help me prepare for it in my first week back, before the meeting on 29th June.
The last post was so short as the power cut out and all but ten minutes of life has been drained from the battery in my laptop.
My uncle Fred in Worcester phoned the other day. I had forgotten to reply to his email. That’s the problem when you maybe only have time to read emails before the power or the connection goes, or your money runs out. It is joyous now to be staying at a place with power – to be able to plug in the computer and type away, without having to lug the laptop on my bike. Both my laptop and my bike have been indispensible here. I wouldn’t have been able to write nearly as much in my blogs (although infrequent) if I only had the time in the internet café, and I wouldn´t have been able to move about the villages, or make so many meetings if I hadn’t boxed up my mum’s bike and flown it over with me. Thanks mum! And thanks to Brixton Cycles for giving me a free box and helping to show me how to take apart and put it back together again.
Uncle Fred has been working hard to secure an opportunity for me to make a pitch for funding to the Rotary Club International in Worcester. He’s confident they will be keen to support Abené Karantaa providing education in West Africa. He’s invited me to see the Rotary Club committee. I’ve never done a pitch for funding like this before, but my mum has and is in fact getting training on it right now, so I’m hoping she will have the time to help me prepare for it in my first week back, before the meeting on 29th June.
Thursday 4 June - Day ? (nearly 3 months now)
Just got the page to load in the internet cafe and the power has gone, so I'm working from the 9 mins battery I have on my laptop (it's an old battery now) and the battery in the satellite internet connection kit. It's hot now and I'm feeling lethargic... good job I got the bulk of the work, with lots of cycling between villages out of the way and am now at the stage of starting to write up my report to conclude the assessment and have begun action planning.
Oussainou Badji kindly came down to Abene from Brikama in the Gambia and attended the last Team Meeting with many new faces from the consultative meetings across the 3 villages. We have been progressing very well and have lots of ideas and plans for carrying out educational programmes to meet the needs of the community and match their priorities. Plans include running a pilot adult literacy programme, of two groups in each of the three villages, men and women in separate groups. And now at the end of the pilot children's English programme we would like to continue it into the next academic year.
The communities are keen to build on their experience working together on community businesses to fund local educational projects, and have had several ideas for sustainable funding. They include a community general store, investment in the existing palm oil businesses in each village, fishing business.
The next Team Meeting is to be held on Sunday and we will consult with the communities on action planning to continue work on the project in October after the rainy season which is starting now.
Oussainou Badji kindly came down to Abene from Brikama in the Gambia and attended the last Team Meeting with many new faces from the consultative meetings across the 3 villages. We have been progressing very well and have lots of ideas and plans for carrying out educational programmes to meet the needs of the community and match their priorities. Plans include running a pilot adult literacy programme, of two groups in each of the three villages, men and women in separate groups. And now at the end of the pilot children's English programme we would like to continue it into the next academic year.
The communities are keen to build on their experience working together on community businesses to fund local educational projects, and have had several ideas for sustainable funding. They include a community general store, investment in the existing palm oil businesses in each village, fishing business.
The next Team Meeting is to be held on Sunday and we will consult with the communities on action planning to continue work on the project in October after the rainy season which is starting now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
