I just finished my Food Security conference in Bamako and my two villagers enjoyed a day in town before heading home to Sebanso on Sunday. I am staying in San until Monday so I can go to market day here due to my inability to go to my own market because our road floods each time the rain comes.
The conference was in Bambara entirely and thus the few volunteers there attended some alternative sessions and in our down time enjoyed the wire access we so rarely get to enjoy. A woman working for the CDC in Atlanta, Dr. Mary Alleman, came to speak to us on some of the most common preventable diseases present in Mali with particular emphasis on Polio. A large part of my job as a volunteer is to share my experiences with family and friends while in country in an attempt to raise awareness of our country of service, thus, I’m writing this email primarily to inform you all about some issues present in Mali.
Just a few years ago there were no cases of Polio in West Africa and today there are many spreading north/west from Nigeria. Several years ago rumors of female infertility caused by receiving the polio vaccine circulated through Nigeria, so today a significant proportion of the worlds cases of polio are found there (India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan are the other endemic countries). The first case of reported polio in Senegal in many years occurred in January 2010 and Mali has had 2 new cases reported in both 2009 and 2010 and expected to grow quickly without immediate prevention and treatment intervention. Small Pox is the only disease to be completely eradicated in the world and polio was very close until recently. With these new cases surfacing the World Health Organization, Center for Disease Control, and Ministries of Health are all working hard to eliminate the disease and hoping to utilize PC volunteers to help spread the information and help ensure all the children are vaccinated. There are specific weekends were the local CSCOM (bruce doctors office) relays (kind of like a nurse) go door to door and vaccinate the children 5 and under in each house in their respective communes and use a permanent marker to color the child’s pinky nail as an identifier that they’ve received the vaccine. This is where we as volunteers can be particularly effective. We have developed a relationship with our communities and can find the kids without the marked pinky and have their parent’s get them vaccinated. These campaigns occur every few months since the first occurrence of polio in Mali in 2008 and during these campaigns the children receive the vaccine for free.
As our conference pertained to Food Security and the starting of committees and associations we have learned some interesting stats during our sessions. For starters, there are 1 billion hungry people in the world and in Sub-Saharan Africa one in every three people is chronically hungry. I’m hard pressed to find a more important issue facing Mali than Food Security. I can truly not imagine having to reduce my meals to one a day in an attempt to make it through hungry season or being in fear that I’m not going to have enough money to buy food for the week.
Food Security is a global problem and defined by a community’s accessibility of food in a community and for those people in the community to have adequate access to it. This includes quality of food and the nutritious value of that food. Nutritious food is difficult to come by even during cold season which is when most of the garden produce is available in market not to mention the other 10 months of the year when produce is exponentially more expensive and harder to find. When millet is the staple of your diet and the only regular sources of protein are in dried fish (one of the most horrid smells in market) you can imagine the difficulties in eating a balanced diet…scratch that, the impossibility of eating a balanced diet. I heard an interesting theory on one of the many reasons Mali and other West African countries continue to be unable to develop which essentially comes to the conclusion that sorghum is the only indigenous crop in Mali and all the millet, corn, beans, etc that are grown have been brought in from outside.
This is just the tip of the ice berg relating to Food Security and the possibilities and also the dangers of not addressing the problem. In theory, upon my return to site my villagers will have some ideas on how to protect the village in saving food and increasing production, etc. Hopefully I’ll have some positive updates for you in a few weeks.
Love,
Cait
June 22, 2010
June has proven to be exceptionally busy! I started the month going to what I like to refer to as an oasis in the desert aka a little village on the Bani River that served as a going away party of sorts for the 6 volunteers in the STAGE before mine. The village, Teriabougu (house of friends), was about 30 kilometers off the main road between San and Bla (a most unfortunate city name). It was more a little resort than a village as it was gated off and the hotel was the primary location of guests. There was a pool that was legitimately clean and lounge chairs that we took full advantage of. As a reward to surviving hot season we spent a great deal of time just sitting in the pool, getting out and jumping right back in. The village in and of itself is pretty fascinating. There is a tree nursery with thousands of trees being grown as well as an established beekeeping practice and they have a Jatropha seed press to make bio-diesel fuel. We splurged on the last night and all ate at the restaurant the hotel that was perhaps one of the best meals I’ve had in country (not saying too much when my diet is toh or on good days, rice and sauce).
I returned to sight for just a few days before heading north to Bandiagara for the start of the 2010 World Cup! It’s such an experience living in Africa for the first World Cup ever to be held in Africa. There is such pride through this continent as the African teams are being cheered on. While realistic expectations are not high for any of the African teams to make it to the second round, you wouldn’t know that based on the enthusiasm of the fans. I met up with Justin in Sevare and then went up farther north to Bandiagara. Bandiagara is a frequent starting point for the tours of Dogon country so there is a lot of western influenced food there and nice hotels for us to watch the games in. To celebrate my year in country coming up on July 10, 2010 I ordered a Dogon Bracelet to be made. They are region specific and the designer melts down coins then hammers them into shape. I’m getting my Malian name, Aramata, carved into the bracelet and so excited to see how it turns out. I’m getting to go back to Bandiagara briefly for my actual 1 year anniversary so I’ll get my bracelet then.
I again returned briefly to site for a busy two days. I met my newest host sister who is just 3 weeks old, she is yet to be named as Malian tradition goes there is a naming ceremony a week after the birth where the name is announced but being in a Christian village we do things a bit differently and they wait until the Dad decides on the appropriate name. I was taken to the fields and helped plant millet…kind of. Mostly I just watched as the fields were plowed then planted not even a full row of millet because the Malians were laughing hysterically at my pathetic attempt to be agile in my planting. I failed. It was a great experience none the less and really helped me experience a huge part of their lives that until know I’d just heard rumors of.
Currently I am back at Tubaniso, the training area where I was brought when I first arrived for PST and again in December for IST. Two members from my village are here, Tabita Demebly and Dabassy Coulibaly, for a food security conference. I technically do not need to be here but I think it meant a lot to my villagers that I came even though just a few other volunteers are here. Its working out well though as this morning I was able to meet with my boss, Macki Cisso, and discuss some project plans and generally just catch up. It can be really hard being so far from Bamako and easy to feel like you’re slipping between the cracks so it was nice to be greeted and asked about specific people in my village he had met months earlier. I suspect the rest of the week will pass quickly and I’m looking forward to Peace Corps transport back to San. I have to admit though; I have reached a whole new level of confidence when I managed to get from San to the Bamako bureau by myself. Never before had I had to negotiate with taxi drivers and navigate the insanity of Bamako traffic so I was really proud of myself when I actually reached my destination with minimal trouble.
Hopefully, I’ll be back to site on Sunday and spend at least a week there before heading up to Bandiagara. My friend Holly is flying home to Washington for a month and leaves on the 7th and there is a possibility that I could join her on her trip to Bamako for a day then head north with some friends who are coming from the other side of the country (Kayes) where they will be celebrating the 4th of July…but I detest transport and don’t know if I want to spend 9 hours on a hot bus just to turn around for 13 hours more the next day.
In papa’s words, “That’s all I’ve got to say”
Love,
Cait
I returned to sight for just a few days before heading north to Bandiagara for the start of the 2010 World Cup! It’s such an experience living in Africa for the first World Cup ever to be held in Africa. There is such pride through this continent as the African teams are being cheered on. While realistic expectations are not high for any of the African teams to make it to the second round, you wouldn’t know that based on the enthusiasm of the fans. I met up with Justin in Sevare and then went up farther north to Bandiagara. Bandiagara is a frequent starting point for the tours of Dogon country so there is a lot of western influenced food there and nice hotels for us to watch the games in. To celebrate my year in country coming up on July 10, 2010 I ordered a Dogon Bracelet to be made. They are region specific and the designer melts down coins then hammers them into shape. I’m getting my Malian name, Aramata, carved into the bracelet and so excited to see how it turns out. I’m getting to go back to Bandiagara briefly for my actual 1 year anniversary so I’ll get my bracelet then.
I again returned briefly to site for a busy two days. I met my newest host sister who is just 3 weeks old, she is yet to be named as Malian tradition goes there is a naming ceremony a week after the birth where the name is announced but being in a Christian village we do things a bit differently and they wait until the Dad decides on the appropriate name. I was taken to the fields and helped plant millet…kind of. Mostly I just watched as the fields were plowed then planted not even a full row of millet because the Malians were laughing hysterically at my pathetic attempt to be agile in my planting. I failed. It was a great experience none the less and really helped me experience a huge part of their lives that until know I’d just heard rumors of.
Currently I am back at Tubaniso, the training area where I was brought when I first arrived for PST and again in December for IST. Two members from my village are here, Tabita Demebly and Dabassy Coulibaly, for a food security conference. I technically do not need to be here but I think it meant a lot to my villagers that I came even though just a few other volunteers are here. Its working out well though as this morning I was able to meet with my boss, Macki Cisso, and discuss some project plans and generally just catch up. It can be really hard being so far from Bamako and easy to feel like you’re slipping between the cracks so it was nice to be greeted and asked about specific people in my village he had met months earlier. I suspect the rest of the week will pass quickly and I’m looking forward to Peace Corps transport back to San. I have to admit though; I have reached a whole new level of confidence when I managed to get from San to the Bamako bureau by myself. Never before had I had to negotiate with taxi drivers and navigate the insanity of Bamako traffic so I was really proud of myself when I actually reached my destination with minimal trouble.
Hopefully, I’ll be back to site on Sunday and spend at least a week there before heading up to Bandiagara. My friend Holly is flying home to Washington for a month and leaves on the 7th and there is a possibility that I could join her on her trip to Bamako for a day then head north with some friends who are coming from the other side of the country (Kayes) where they will be celebrating the 4th of July…but I detest transport and don’t know if I want to spend 9 hours on a hot bus just to turn around for 13 hours more the next day.
In papa’s words, “That’s all I’ve got to say”
Love,
Cait
June 3, 2010
Sorry for the lack of correspondence, I’ve been away at site for almost a month!! The STAGE before me is getting ready for their Close of Service Conference in Bamako in a few days so I’ve come into San for the day in preparation for our trip to Teriabougu…basically a village with a pool and a hotel that is up to American standards (well, there is a fan in the room and the pool water isn’t green…I’m not sure it qualifies for American standards but it’s a welcome sight for Peace Corps volunteers). It’s our good party for the 6 getting ready to go home in just a few months! I’m sad to see them go and cannot believe this will be in a year…God willing I survive another hot season.
The end of hot season is very near on the horizon, twice now, the rains have come and with them a welcome breeze. Thunder and lightning have been all but forgotten until this past week when I was almost mesmerized by the long lost sound. Though I have to admit, I had forgotten how much more challenging riding my bike on bruce roads is when you have to either create an alternative route through the trees and bushes (which have malicious thorns) or go swimming.
I ate my first bug last night. My host dad brought me a bowl of what looked like a combination of a dragon fly without wings (they burnt off when the bug was toasted) and a little caterpillar. I didn’t vomit as I threatened I would but it’s not something I want to repeat in my near future. Fortunately these bugs aren’t around long thus the novelty of them. Speaking of mutant creatures I learned there is such a thing as a scorpion tarantula mix bread of scariness! I knew I killed one a few months ago but nobody believed me until others have been spotted wandering around…I’m glad to be vindicated in being right but I’m torn because I would have been totally fine convincing myself it was a figment of my imagination.
In other news, I attended a funeral in a neighboring village on Sunday. It must have been a really wealthy family because the woman was buried in a casket!! All funerals I’ve been too before the deceased have been wrapped in fabric only. The service was nice but a little long and I’m guessing about 600-700 people were there. It made for a long day but someone did give me a chicken!
My host mom just had a baby girl two nights ago. I’ve yet to see her but when I go back to village on Monday I’ll see her and take lots of pictures for the next email. Most women have their children in the morning and are back cooking dinner and watering the garden in the afternoon…these women are amazing. However, my village is pretty sophisticated and the women can stay at the Maternity for a few days to recover.
I spent a day at a friend’s site just 9 kilometers from me and we did a world map mural painting on the side of her millet cereal bank which was a welcome break and a lot of fun. During that trip we also did a Neeme cream formation. The Neeme tree is a most interesting tree whose leaves have a natural mosquito repellent, so we presented to the women’s association in Zana (the village) how to make the cream. They can either sell the cream at market or use for personal use as the rainy season approaches.
My men in my animal raising association are really working hard to get all their paper work together for the cooperation they are trying to start. I was excited because of the eight required people that have to have birth certificates five already have them. I wasn’t expecting any of them to have them and was worried about how we would find the money to pay for all of them, but now we only have to save for three which is much more feasible (15,000 cfa which is approximately $30…much better than the 40,000 cfa I was anticipating).
I’ll try to give another update soon when I return from Teriabugou or perhaps when I’m in Sevare the following week I can get an email out. I will be traveling a lot in the month of June eventually ending up in Bamako for a few days for a Food Security meeting at Tubaniso for a few days so expect better correspondence during this month!
Love,
Cait
The end of hot season is very near on the horizon, twice now, the rains have come and with them a welcome breeze. Thunder and lightning have been all but forgotten until this past week when I was almost mesmerized by the long lost sound. Though I have to admit, I had forgotten how much more challenging riding my bike on bruce roads is when you have to either create an alternative route through the trees and bushes (which have malicious thorns) or go swimming.
I ate my first bug last night. My host dad brought me a bowl of what looked like a combination of a dragon fly without wings (they burnt off when the bug was toasted) and a little caterpillar. I didn’t vomit as I threatened I would but it’s not something I want to repeat in my near future. Fortunately these bugs aren’t around long thus the novelty of them. Speaking of mutant creatures I learned there is such a thing as a scorpion tarantula mix bread of scariness! I knew I killed one a few months ago but nobody believed me until others have been spotted wandering around…I’m glad to be vindicated in being right but I’m torn because I would have been totally fine convincing myself it was a figment of my imagination.
In other news, I attended a funeral in a neighboring village on Sunday. It must have been a really wealthy family because the woman was buried in a casket!! All funerals I’ve been too before the deceased have been wrapped in fabric only. The service was nice but a little long and I’m guessing about 600-700 people were there. It made for a long day but someone did give me a chicken!
My host mom just had a baby girl two nights ago. I’ve yet to see her but when I go back to village on Monday I’ll see her and take lots of pictures for the next email. Most women have their children in the morning and are back cooking dinner and watering the garden in the afternoon…these women are amazing. However, my village is pretty sophisticated and the women can stay at the Maternity for a few days to recover.
I spent a day at a friend’s site just 9 kilometers from me and we did a world map mural painting on the side of her millet cereal bank which was a welcome break and a lot of fun. During that trip we also did a Neeme cream formation. The Neeme tree is a most interesting tree whose leaves have a natural mosquito repellent, so we presented to the women’s association in Zana (the village) how to make the cream. They can either sell the cream at market or use for personal use as the rainy season approaches.
My men in my animal raising association are really working hard to get all their paper work together for the cooperation they are trying to start. I was excited because of the eight required people that have to have birth certificates five already have them. I wasn’t expecting any of them to have them and was worried about how we would find the money to pay for all of them, but now we only have to save for three which is much more feasible (15,000 cfa which is approximately $30…much better than the 40,000 cfa I was anticipating).
I’ll try to give another update soon when I return from Teriabugou or perhaps when I’m in Sevare the following week I can get an email out. I will be traveling a lot in the month of June eventually ending up in Bamako for a few days for a Food Security meeting at Tubaniso for a few days so expect better correspondence during this month!
Love,
Cait
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