Yesterday I went into one of the sectors of Sikoroni with three of the members of the Community Health Action Group (CHAG). They were going to collect names of pregnant women and unvaccinated children for our clinic treatment/mosquito net project, and invited me along! It was a really hot afternoon, even at 5 PM as we met up and started to walk to the houses. The system works remarkably well. All the compounds have numbers on the outside specifically placed by Sigida Keneyali, 15 total in this sectors, so that the CHAG members can keep track of where the “houses” are and record which ones they visited. Though I have been in Mali before, I was really surprised by some of the places that people were living. The sheer numbers of people living in what might be a city block in the United States was also astonishing. Kids just come out of everywhere, although I did begin to recognize some of the same kids at different houses, following us around as we visited homes. I was pretty useless for the business matters since my Bambara goes about as far as greetings, but loved that I came along to see the people we are working for! The next time I go out, although this may not be for a while, I will bring my camera so that you can all get more of an idea of what this community is like! Lots of friendly people, and not a lot of space, and, as we found out, a scarcity of mosquito nets! Almost everyone mentioned that their kids were vaccinated, but didn’t have nets that were in usable shape. We can really only help pregnant women and unvaccinated kids under the age of 5 with this project, but hopefully even that will help get more nets into families. We finished just before sunset, and I came home feeling a new burst of energy for our work here!

Things have been going at a very Malian pace on the project lately! This can be frustrating from an American perspective, but I think we are all working on our patience. You can’t change the world in a week, right? Last Friday I met with Modibo Kouyate, who is the health guy at the mayor’s office. In order to get the clinic built, we need funding to come from the government, and it looks like we are going to be able to get that help! Of course we still need to get it in writing, but it was exciting to hear nonetheless. Basically, if the community can fund at least 10% of the cost, Sigida Keneyali and any grants we receive can build the maternity portion of the clinic, and the government will then be obligated to build the rest of the clinic! Our next biggest steps are collecting the necessary 10% from the community—not an easy task in an area where people can’t always feed their families.

Later in the day today I will be going out with a member of the community health action group as he completes a survey of the number of pregnant women and unvaccinated children in his sector of the community. These numbers will be useful when we try to schedule appointments at the clinic so that these people can all receive mosquito nets.

Personally the last week has been a little more difficult due to the persistent, but escalating mal au ventre, stomach troubles! Niang, our director here, has told me that he is going to make sure I get better because he is my mother, my father, my grandfather, and my grandmother in Mali. So don’t worry, I’m well taken care of!

We had a new arrival on Sunday morning! Gowri will be working on the women’s occupational training program for the next month. It has been really nice to have another English speaker in the neighborhood!

I miss you all very much and send lots of love your way!

Today on the way to the internet cafe, I had to walk around a donkey rolling on its back in the dirt. Think about that.

To Nature Valley Oats’n’Honey: An Ode

Oh! succulent oaty goodness, free of slime and goo,
The color of wheat, containing protein and complex carbs,
Sugared together with marvelous cereal flavor,
Proportioned to serve only ME!
How superior art thou to lumpy, grey bouille,
That millet “oatmeal” covered in flies,
Sloshed over by the communal spoon.
How superb when placed next to bland fried mystery dough
Dipped in greasy fish sauce.
Oh breakfast of champions, I laud you and Mike Poe
As every third day I ration you out!


Hi! This morning I experienced a real rain! Several hours of water and the street from my house to the pavement is literally rivers of mud. I had to hike up the pagne and try to ignore the trashy water as I waded down to the internet cafe. I get to meet another village chief tonight and I have my first rendezvous with the clinic committee, so that should be interesting! I miss you all. Also, I hope you take a moment today and appreciate your quilted TP, indoor plumbing, regularity, and air fresheners. Much love from Mali!

Last night we met with the dugutigi, chief, of the village of Sorakabougou. It was really a trip to meet with this older man and exchange Bambara greetings under the stars. This morning my host brother, one of his friends, and I discussed polygamous marriages. Their main argument for polygamy? What does the man do when his wife gets pregnant? Wait, my response. Impossible! their rebuttle. Interesting, anyways.
Today was a few hours meeting about the project with our Director, Modibo Niang. There are two main things for me to focus on right now. One is working with a committee, a grant from the embassy, the community, and the mayors office to get funding to build a clinic. I feel like I finally understand the need for this, as we visited the existing clinic on the edge of Sikoroni, then walked many kilometers of rough roads into the rest of Sikoroni. Women sometimes give birth on the side of the road on the way to the existing clinic, and the distance truly prevents the best care. It is going to be hard to get the appropriate funding, especially the portion the community needs to raise, since no one wants to give to something that isnt started! We cant start, however, until we have funding from the community to show their support and interest in the work. As our American founder put it, this is not the toubabou, white person, clinic, it is THEIR clinic. Little bit of a catch 22.
The other project is more manageable and has been planned by the health committee that exists here. We fund clinic fees...about a dollar and fifty cents each...for unvaccinated kids under 5 years and consultations for pregnant women. We organize a day to bring each section of the community to the clinic. Once they receive this care, these at risk people get free mosquito nets from the clinic to protect them from malaria. Neat project, eh?!
Miss you all, and share your stories with me, too!
Love!

Hi from Bamako!
I arrived safely and Fanta, my host mom from before, was at the airport at 4 am to pick me up! It was so great to see her and I even got to meet all of her children this time since they arrived the next day. They are of course, very nice. I loved seeing my friends Papou and Bintou again as well. Unfortunately, it is not plantain season here! So I do not get to eat my favorite food here for a few more months. Very sad!
Mike, the other volunteer and I, have been in Sikoroni for about three days now and we are just getting settled. Today was the first day we talked about the project with our director here, and it was really exciting! Main goals are the creation of a maternity ward and clinic in a highly underserved and growing population to the north of us and Mike is working on starting up a microfinance program to give people loans to start up new businesses!
I like my family, although I have hardly been home enough to get to know them. I have an extremely hot little room and two fans do not really cut it. Mike said his room registered at 88 degrees last night and that felt relatively cool! Do not worry though, we are drinking lots of water.
I miss you and hope you are enjoying summer!