I hear that in at least one Spanish-speaking country the Peace Corps is call the "Trip Corps." In other words, the Peace Corps is seen as somewhat of a two-year vacation.
In the interest of accountability I would like to share just a couple of the projects that I worked on in my 27 months.
In the adjacent photo you see, from left to right, a well technician, the Secretary of the County Development Committee, and a local chief.
A concerned individual came to me on behalf of his small village. His message was that there is no potable water in his small village and that worse, during the dry season there is a critical shortage of even non-potable water.
After that initial contact we worked with the county development committee, the village chiefs and inhabitants, and a local NGO to submit a project plan to build wells in two villages that have a critical need.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Cuerpo de paseo?
I hear that in at least one Spanish-speaking country the Peace Corps is call the "Trip Corps." In other words, the Peace Corps is seen as somewhat of a two-year vacation.
In the interest of accountability I would like to share just a couple of the projects that I worked on in my 27 months.
In the adjacent photo you see a man proud of his nursery of high-yield palm trees. In Togo a plantation ensures a stable long-term income to farmers. Having a couple acres of cashew trees, grafted mango trees, or high-yield palm trees can provide piece of mind to an aging farmer.
This man asked me to find him a provider of high-yield palm seedlings and plastic tree seedling sacks so that he could establish his own plantation and sell seedlings to other farmers who wish to establish plantations. We studied some failed attempts to do the same and believe that our attempt will be successful.
In the interest of accountability I would like to share just a couple of the projects that I worked on in my 27 months.
In the adjacent photo you see a man proud of his nursery of high-yield palm trees. In Togo a plantation ensures a stable long-term income to farmers. Having a couple acres of cashew trees, grafted mango trees, or high-yield palm trees can provide piece of mind to an aging farmer.
This man asked me to find him a provider of high-yield palm seedlings and plastic tree seedling sacks so that he could establish his own plantation and sell seedlings to other farmers who wish to establish plantations. We studied some failed attempts to do the same and believe that our attempt will be successful.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
My kind of hut.
Had I known about all the styles of hut that were available, I would have chosen the style you see in this photo. I would call it the low-round Fulani model of hut with bubble porch. It would be a simple, practical home. I've never seen a hut like this in danger of caving in due to rain nor have I seen, on these round huts, the anti-erosion foundation reinforcement often necessary on rectangular houses. Coming from a culture of rectangular homes, I enjoy the curved form of the hut and porch.
Other ethnicities in the area used to build round huts but have adopted "modern" rectangular styles in the past 30 years. Today, only the Fulani or Peul ethnic group builds huts of this sort in my area. Maybe that is a reason more to like the style. Most Fulani are foreigners in Togo and it is easy for me, as a foreigner, to identify with their cultural estrangement and its resultant watchful attention-deflecting behavior.
Just behind and to the right of the round house is a series of boards planted vertically in the ground to form an enclosure. The enclosure is a shower. The large earthenware jar in the courtyard contains drinking water. The green plastic kettle sitting on the stool is used for performing ablutions before Muslim prayer.
Other ethnicities in the area used to build round huts but have adopted "modern" rectangular styles in the past 30 years. Today, only the Fulani or Peul ethnic group builds huts of this sort in my area. Maybe that is a reason more to like the style. Most Fulani are foreigners in Togo and it is easy for me, as a foreigner, to identify with their cultural estrangement and its resultant watchful attention-deflecting behavior.
Just behind and to the right of the round house is a series of boards planted vertically in the ground to form an enclosure. The enclosure is a shower. The large earthenware jar in the courtyard contains drinking water. The green plastic kettle sitting on the stool is used for performing ablutions before Muslim prayer.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Two great senses of humor.
The chief's secretary is a social straight-shooter, worked at a Chinese-run sugar factory in Togo, speaks 5 languages, has 20 plus children, is an expert in yam cultivation and smokes cigarettes. Douna, the man on the right, is a farmer and liaison between NGOs, including PLAN, and the village inhabitants. His son has a Master's in Accounting and wants to launch an NGO to help students in his home village. Unfortunately he hasn't been able to land a job, a common problem for graduates.
Don't know if i've ever felt as laid-back, light-hearted, and schmoozy, as when I spent time with these two. Don't know when I'll be seeing them again. They do have cell phones. Hopefully those cell phones will allow us a few moments more...
Don't know if i've ever felt as laid-back, light-hearted, and schmoozy, as when I spent time with these two. Don't know when I'll be seeing them again. They do have cell phones. Hopefully those cell phones will allow us a few moments more...
The road...home?
The motorcycle taxi driver, whose head and shoulder you see here, is nicknamed Senghor after Leopold Sedar Senghor the former President of Senegal. The other mototaxi drivers say they gave him the name Senghor because his hair has the same texture as President Senghor's.
You can see the dryness of the dry season in this shot and the Nere trees of the savana...
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