The Project Rock

So some how I have made it through the long three weeks that was IST, or In-Service Training. As you know, I spent one week working on language here in Ouahigouya, a second week in the capital, and a third week back in Ouahigouya again. It was an exhausting training and I am glad to be back in village (even if I don't know exactly how to start).

The problem is like this. We are of course in the hot season where temperatures reach in the triple digits. This will last for about another month or two. And then the rainy season comes. And during this time, everybody is working in the fields with their crops. It is their livelihood here, so you can imagine how busy people are during this time. Thus, it is very very difficult to do any grandiose projects because nobody will come and everyone is too tired. So basically the best time to start these larger projects is after the rains and thus in the fall. So basically I have until June-ish to do any projects that I want to do before rainy season. Also I am going on a much needed vacation at the end of this month to Ghana for a week, which understandably cuts into my time but also is drastically needed. So where does that leave me?

It leaves me confused with little time to figure out what I need to do. But I do have ideas about what I want the next few months to look like, my ¨plan d'action¨ so to speak.

• I want to go on Monday and talk to the director of my primary school in village about setting up some times when I can come in and talk a little about health topics that relate to the students. I think this si easiest for me because the older kids should understand French enough that I don't need to bring someone to translate. Perhaps if I can get a twice-monthly health class going, that should give me several discussions before school gets out for summer.
• I want to find and interview the several women's groups that supposedly exist in Aorema to discover what their greatest needs are. I have become very interested in the formation of small savings and credit clubs, which teach groups to save and loan money among themselves. Because right now people have very little money (foods supplies are running short and their harvests don't come until the fall), it would make sense to wait until they have more money to start this, but I would like to at least get to know these groups and discuss their options for after the rains.
• The one good thing to do during the rains, obviously, is gardening because you don't need to water anything (though most people are actually too busy in the fields to take advantage of this). So my plan is when I get back from vacation to start hardcore growing of moringa seedlings. For those of you that do not know, moringa (known as ¨arzen tiiga¨ or paradise tree in Mooré) is an amazing plant that has highly nutritious leaves and is ideal for hot climates such as in Burkina. It is great to add to sauces and children's meals to add extra nutrients, since malnutrition is a huge problem here. So I want to start growing a lot of morninga and possibly start my own vegetable garden in my courtyard when the rains come.

Those are the main things I want to work on in the next few months. I also hope to work with my CSPS staff during their vaccination campaigns , baby weighing, and the other regular activities at the clinic. I think once things get going, it will be alot easier to keep the momentum going, but right now it feels like I am try to push a boulder that won't budge, an enormous rock that has never moved an inch.

Anyway, I'm here in Ouahigouya for the weekend, hopefully celebrating Easter with my major, one of the handful of people from my village who celebrate it. Hopefully, I can figure out how to get this boulder rolling when I get back. Happy Easter and Passover to all! Until next time!