I am still working in Karfiguela, Burkina Faso. Things are going well. I am getting comfortable with french and am focusing on learning the local languages now. There are two, Karaboro and Jula. Karaboro is the primary language of my community, but Jula is also spoken there and it is more wide-spread. Both languages are very difficult relative to french because the sounds are completely foreign. My projects have been possible because I work with someone who translates everything from french to Karaboro for me. But I would still like to try to give trainings in the local language directly. I can buy my vegetables in Jula, which is no easy task, because the numbers don't correspond directly to the monetary units. The smallest coin is a 5 CFA piece, so the number "one" in the local language actually means 5 CFA if you are talking about money; "two" means 10 CFA; "three" means 15 CFA, and so on. It adds a little extra challenge. If you are curious, 1-10 in Karaboro and Jula (respectively) are:
1 - nohn, kelen
2 - sheen, fila
3 - tar, saaba
4 - tiseeg, naani
5 - boh, duru
6 - hlun, woro
7 - hlunsheen, wolonfila
8 - kwatar, seegi
9 - wudufu, kononton
10 - cinquil, tan
In August, I received grant funding from the American Embassy for a three day formation for the two women's groups that I work with. The formation focused on building their capacity to make, use and sell soap. They learned four different soap recipes, they had sessions on hygiene and they had sessions on micro-enterprise. The hand washing session was particularly successful. I explained how microbes are exchanged and that microbes thrive in dirt. I also explained how soap works scientifically and then I actually demonstrated the proper technique for washing one's hands. It sounds basic, but it was information that they had been missing and they were excited about the material covered. It is also important because it is estimated that there are 1,400,000 children under the age of 5 that die each year from illnesses that would be easily preventable if people washed their hands with soap and running water. We then tried to calculate the cost of goods manufactured and estimated revenue for the soap we had made. This was a little more difficult, as they don't read or write. But we eventually did it using the expertise of the four girls who were studying in primary school. Maybe those 40 women still can't use a calculator or know whether or not they are operating at a loss, but they learned why, practically, it is important for their daughters to go to school. I have been told that because of that session there are women in Karfiguela who are going to send their daughters to school this year. So I was happy.
Some of you may remember me writing about getting funding for Coaching for Hope, an organization that promotes HIV/AIDS education through soccer training. The Peace Corps and Coaching for Hope collaboration came to fruition in July. Two young men from Karfiguela and I participated in the workshop in Ouagagdougou (Burkina's capital city). The workshop focused on their capacity as soccer coaches, their knowledge of HIV/AIDS, and their ability to incorporate the two for workshops administered by them in their villages. Back in Karfiguela, we successfully completed a girls camp that used Coaching for Hope as the main curriculum. The two young men and I led an 8 day camp. I taught games and hygiene for the first two hours, and they went through he 8 HIV/AIDS sessions and had soccer practice for the last two hours. We also had the girls incorporate traditional songs in the local language between sessions. Yesterday, 54 girls between the ages of 10 and 17 successfully completed the entire workshop! We celebrated by having a soccer match in the early evening followed by a hygiene and HIV/AIDS sensibilization led by the girls themselves for entire village. The boutique owner also donated a coke as a gift for the girl who scored the winning goal during the match. I also gave out 20 toothbrushes, 40 bars of soap, and each girl received a Coaching for Hope certificate. After the girls demonstrated how to wash their hands and brush their teeth, we sang traditional songs and danced until two in the morning. Hygiene has never been so exciting!
I am having a rich and rewarding experience, but I miss you all very much and can't wait to get back home in December 2010!
