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Pascal's Birthday
Cutting the cake. Heya everyone
Be prepared. This blog is sure to be a big one. Get a coffee and a comfy chair if you need one. Take a pee break. You won't want to get up in the middle of this.
So the trip to the field was crazy and wonderful all at the same time. This was my first outreach program into the communities where we operate where we met with locals and they described to us what their needs are in both the short and long term, and how we can keep good relations with these villages.
First, to recap: the party Saturday night was a huge success. Everyone had a great time and we succeeded in surprising Pascal. The locals love to dance, and also love sangria! It made for a great night. I ended up tending to a very sick driller, though, and played nursemaid until the wee hours of the morning (not drinking related- he caught some bug like me) which made it very hard to make my 6am departure for the field. The driver showed up at 6am and I was still asleep. So I changed and packed in SEVEN minutes!!!! Pretty good I think,
Me and Rufine
Me and Rufine, our buyer here in Ouaga. She's a riot! although I did forget my med kit and my sanitizing wipes. Both crucial elements for field living. Anyway, I clearly survived without them.
So the trip up was uneventful. It's about 3 hours, and the roads aren't too bad by Burkinabe standards. Obviously not paved or anything, but still better than some. Anyway, we get to camp and they've got a little tin can for me to sleep in. It's got a mattress on the floor with a sheet over it, but it's airconditioned so not too bad. I asked about the bathroom (this is where it gets scary), and it is just a hole in the ground outside. No roof. Just a hole with four walls. But there was toilet paper! I have to say, it took some practice to get the physics of the situation worked out without making a mess, but I did it. After that was the shower, which is actually just a room (inside though) with a drain in the bottom of it. What you do is fill a bucket with water from a rain barrell, then use that water to wash yourself. There is no soap or shampoo. For those of you who
Dancing locals
They love to party. What can I say. know my sensibilities when it comes to the bathroom, you must know this is pretty much my idea of hell. Nevertheless, I survived it and actually got used to having greasy hair. Not sure how I'd handle it in the long term, but for 3 days it was ok.
So we headed off bright and early to the first village. There we met with the local village chiefs and men, then the ladies, then the school teachers, then the staff of the clinic they have there. This clinic services 13 villages in the region, and you won't believe the state it's in. The pics tell all. To sum up: they have no electricity and no running water. Their ambulance is a moped with a stretcher strapped to it.
The meetings with the locals went super well. They were all really glad to be consulted and feel like they were part of the process. It was very time consuming because we had to translate from French to another language to the native Mossi language, but it worked out. The chief made a really beautiful expression of good will, basically saying that they are so happy we've come to help
Broken Desks
There is a desperate need for desks in this school, as you can see. and that if we keep our promises we can count on the full support of the village behind us. I don't mind saying, my eyes welled up when I heard those words. That's what I'm here for, you know? I feel more strongly than ever now that we're going to do some meaningful work here and everyone will benefit.
So the next day we headed out to the next village, and the meetings were all held outside. It was hot, but nice. I'm glad I have my field hat! This place had a lot of need for repairs to the school roof since it leaks like crazy in the rainy season. One of the chiefs asked me during the meeting if I was a Mademoiselle (Miss) or Madame (Mrs). I didn't answer, cuz I was afraid of being set up with a local! Luckily he just assumed I didn't understand and let it go. The trip to the second village was punctuated by me getting sick again. Arg! I had some corn flakes for breakfast which seemed pretty safe, but I got a horrible stomach ache and cramps and stuff around 10:30. I worked through it until around noon
Crowded classroom
These kids are all very happy to have their picture taken! Yup, all in one classroom... when we came back to camp, and I tried to sleep it off. No dice. The geos were pretty worried (I must have looked green) and insisted on taking me to get some medicine. We got to the pharmacy in the main village, where I prompty had a huge puking session. Lovely. Luckily for me, I came prepared with a bowl which happened to be the exact size of the contents of my stomach. After that I felt quite a bit better, but still with some stomach cramps so I went to bed early and slept as long as possible.
Today, the third day, I was still feeling quite unwell and mostly very weak from not eating. The meetings were pretty routine by this point since most of the villages had the same concerns, so we ran through the song and dance a little quicker so I could get back to the city. The meetings overall were really great, and I made a point of staying to shake the hand of every person who came out to speak with us. I learned how to say "thank you" in Mossi ("Barka") much to the amusement of the locals. I'm gonna
Clinic room
This is a patient room in the clinic. have to get my language skills in gear and learn some more of that.
Anyway, that's the word for now. Have a look at the pics and really think about them. It is so humbling to be sitting in a village with a chief surrounded by livestock and they're offering you the one chair they own to sit on. It's pretty amazing. People seem really happy though, although life is really hard. The things people were asking us for were really basic stuff. Mainly:
-materials for the schools
-water points for drinking and for agriculture
-maternity facilities
-tools for working the fields
-fixing roads that are impassable during the rainy season, etc
Some specific things were a proper ambulance for the clinic (which is going to be a priority for me) and a new roof for one of the schools. All the schools needed latrines, and first aid kits; since there are no fences the kids often get snake bites during the rainy season when the snakes come out. One school is desperately in need of new desks, and you'll see in the pics how crowded the classrooms are. It's incredible. Canadian teachers shouldn't complain! These classrooms
Moto-Ambulance
If you are in desperate need of a hospital, this is what you ride on. regularly have upwards of 60 or 80 kids!!!
Anyway, that's enough ranting from me. I look forward to your comments.
-Brownie
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Jackie Oh!
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Wowzers!
Oh my goodness, Linds. This looks so amazing. They (and we) are so lucky to have you! Big hugs. Jackie Oh!