27 years ago

Happy Birthday to my daughter Stephanie whose birthday was March 15th. Time does go by quickly at times and for the first time I was not there with her to celebrate (Sniff! Sniff! – I’m allowed).


Bonne Fête à toi aussi Catherine – et on se voit peut-être au mois d’août.

I started working directly with the VSO office here in Ouagadougou – and what a difference air conditioning makes. I can actually work a full day without passing out from heat exhaustion – and I’m hungry for lunch and supper.

My first week has been rather easy – quite a few translations from English to French as most VSO documentation is in English and translators are not easily found here. But the material is very interesting so I am learning at the same time. Next week I have to assist in giving a seminar and possibly even give a presentation to about 40 people (VSO volunteers and Partners) – should be interesting and I hope I don’t blush too much. Then I am to assist in an ICT (In Country Training) were I get to be the expert on Organisational Development. Two of the new volunteers will be working with me for the next few months as we tour the partners to do their baseline diagnostic – that is when the real fun will begin as that is when I will be learning the most about the challenges organisations face in trying to provide sustainable development projects to their respective beneficiaries.

A little note on a conversation I had with some very educated people here – My question to them being on how they thought the country could get out of its misery – the answer “revolution” in order to get rid of the corrupt practices of government and give people back the right to determine their own future by actually electing their government representatives. The elections here have a “democratic look and feel” about them but it is far from the truth. Another issue they have is a lack of quality control of everything from computers (you really don’t know what is inside) to medication (you really don’t know what is inside). No quality control (or it seems any controls) on what comes in from the borders (the border officials are so corrupt they are close to being as wealthy as high ranking government officials) – it seems that even the Chinese Embassy acts as a gateway to getting things into the country that otherwise would be refused (i.e. rice laced with melamine ...). Even their good intentions of decentralising government is full of challenges because the rural government bodies are often illiterate (illiteracy rate in 78% in the country and higher in rural areas than in urban areas) and they cannot read government policies or write council meeting minutes and once they have a little bit of power and finances they become corrupt to survive etc..... Once you dig into things you realize how many layers there are that need to get resolved before they can have a chance to develop.

This week my night watchman (Issouf) got his new/refurbished motorcycle and he is really happy and proud

 – so he invited me to meet his mother who gave me a really big hug and thanked me profusely for helping her son out. She does not speak a word of French so Issouf had to translate. It was really nice but also really sad to see in what despair his family is living in. They live in an area that is not walled in which is apparently an indication of their poverty status, they have running water but no electricity – and Issouf’s little house made of banco (kind of clay with mud) crumbled in September when they had severe rainfall so he has been living with friends here and there until now since now he is basically sleeping outside my place as my vigil. He does not have enough money to rebuild yet but eventually – right now he is making his own bricks (as he is a mason). His mother and his brother with wife and 3 children live in a small house – his mother was ill recently and not yet able to work and his brother does not have a stable income (illiterate so it makes it more difficult) – so they live on what I do not know....

For now Issouf gets to take me to work on his motorcycle every morning since work is quite far from where I live and I get a lift back home with the VSO driver. The arrangement with VSO is that they give me 25 000F CFA allowance/month which I in turn give to Issouf for driving me (which takes him 1 hour a day + not quite 1 litre of gas a day) – it works out for everyone concerned. The only inconvenience is the dust – and the Harmatan winds have been blowing quite hard – so you get to work feeling filthy. I was also told that this is the season for meningitis – because of the winds - as bacteria are literally flying about in the air (not to worry I have been vaccinated).

A little update on the donkey cart (pousse-pousse) – the carpenter has recently become a new dad and he was busy with the baptismal so reason for not making his deadline – so we gave him an extra 2 weeks (for now) – it seems this pousse-pousse is very important to him as it is his delivery truck. They put everything in this cart and donkey pulls it anywhere. As a matter of fact that is how I got my closet delivered to me this morning – but not awake enough to take a picture.

Now that Issouf can take me places it gives me a new freedom – I actually went out last night for supper and a play and both were excellent – although no electricity for most of the evening. The Maquis served one of the best fish (on charcoal) and fries I have ever tasted and the service was by far the most enjoyable we have had here in Ouaga (not usually one of their forte). The play was actually really good – subject matter was a comedy about the two faces of politics and people – one being honest and forthright and the other being corrupt and promiscuous. The talent of the acting cast was also quite impressive and it was a most entertaining evening. When I got out of the open air theatre (another nice touch) Issouf was there waiting for me and off we went back home. I feel pretty safe because he knows the city, he knows how to manoeuvre around potholes and other motorists and he does not go excessively fast.

Sorry for the delay in posting this blog but my internet connection was interrupted due to non payment on my part. We do not get invoices here so it happens that due dates get forgotten or you run out of electricity because you did not pre-purchase units in time.

I hear spring has just about sprung in Quebec – should make for an early start to golf season.

Again – if there is anything in particular you want to write about just let me know.