My biggest project at the moment is called the Master Farmer program. It’s a Senegalese-wide program involving local farmers, and Peace Corps volunteers and trainers. My Master Farmer was just selected this spring so we have been scrambling to get everything in place during rainy season. Though my Master Farmer has been working diligently, it has been a bit difficult. The goal is to develop a one hectare display garden that uses experimentation to determine and showcase successful gardening techniques. I know approximately nothing about gardening and Amadou Gano, my Master Farmer is equally knowledgeable regarding the scientific method. So what it comes down to is the two of us standing in the Master Farmer Plot looking confused. No…actually we are getting a lot done. Gano has taught me more about farming than I will ever need to know and I have been able to start explaining how to run an experiment with proper controls. Although our millet demonstration can be considered nothing but an epic fail, our corn and rice plots are kind of on schedule and our bean field has the potential to be officially on schedule. The garden construction is almost complete, we have started a live fence (closely planted, often thorny trees for when the new chain link fence wears out), and will be outplanting 24 fruit trees in addition to the ones he already has. This project is still in its terrible twos, and there is a lot left to do, but it’s looking good so far!
I am also working on a garden with the two women’s groups in my village. Picture your least technologically gifted and least rational minded grandmother…now multiply her by 30 and imagine building a garden from scratch with her and her 30 clones. That’s kind of what this is like. Truth is, these women are amazing, they get up at the crack-o-dawn, make breakfast, take care of their ten children, wash clothes, go to work in the rice fields, come back, make lunch, go back to the rice fields, then back home, make dinner, clean the kids, and go to bed. For the past month they have been doing all of that WHILE fasting for Ramadan and they still somehow managed to come out and finish their garden, aka dig 400 holes, mix and pour cement, put up the actual fencing, weed A LOT and start planting 5 kilos of beans BY HAND. They are just lacking a bit in the logical reasoning department. I’ve mentioned before that reasoning was always something I considered rather innate…well now I’m fairly certain its mostly not, we just learn it from an early age in school. Actually going to the garden can also be a bit of the challenge but ever since I gave one of the presidents a whistle things have gotten a little better. This darling elderly woman goes harrumphing around the village, whistle ablaze, business face on, and the women miraculously listen! I really do enjoy working with the women even though I go through more emotions during one afternoon with them than I did during a whole month in the U.S. I realized just how much my rowing coach had influenced me when the site of my women sitting and doing nothing instead of working made me a wee bit crazy. I was instantly reminded of all those fun afternoons loading up the boat trailer – holy Hannah Montana we were efficient.
My third big project, which I consider all my random bits of work at the health post has also been going well. In a week, we will hold our second big training for the health workers. The first training went well. I did a condom demonstration and for some mysterious reason my demo condoms kept disappearing. I felt like a fifth grade teacher. Ok, I am going to walk out of the room now, when I come back I expect the condoms to be on my desk…although in fifth grade the problem is probably related to smelly magic markers, not condoms. Anyway, back to the health post, the new doctor is, as far as Senegalese healthcare workers go, AMAZING. He is interested in all my projects, while being critical and involved. He is constantly taking notes, assuming responsibility, and addressing the areas need for dynamic well-thought out healthcare. My only complaint…that big beautiful nutrition mural I painted for a week last December…obliterated. They decided to do some remodeling, though apparently the only wall that needed to go was also the only wall I had painted a mural on. They felt bad but that didn’t quite appease me.
Next up, a scholarship for middle school girls! Myself and one of the new volunteers interviewed and visited the homes of nine girls selected for an annual scholarship, called the Michele Sylvester Scholarship. In the end, three winners were selected. Volunteers all over the country can do this, and at each school they choose to participate with, they can select nine applicants. We will hopefully be doing some kind of leadership camp with all the girls later this fall. The scholarship pays for the school fees for all nine candidates and pays for books and materials for the three winners. It is really cool to go talk to the families and tell them in person how proud we are of their daughters. It makes the families realize how important education is, especially when two toubabs are willing to bike deep into the African bush just to congratulate their daughter.
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