Settling in...

Hey everyone!

It's officially been two weeks since I got to site and already things are going really well...

I've met with the women's association who was already making soap and anti-mosquito cream and we talked about selling the soap to pay for things that the women want, like to repair the old women's center and to fix the broken water pumps in the village. I think that allowing the women to have their own central place would be a step in the right direction in my village, where already I've witnessed the women be kicked out of the central meeting room by the market because the men needed to have a meeting. The water situation is also a problem, since many of the pumps are broken and the women have to walk very long distances for water. The women are really motivated and I think we can secure a grant for the initial start-up costs so that they can start selling!

I've also started a girls club with the CM2 girls (ages 10-14) from the two primary schools which will be meeting once a week to talk about HIV/AIDS, early pregnancy, the importance of continuing your education, and women's rights. Many of the girls in my village get married at a very young age and therefore never get the chance to go to high school. This age group is really important because it's the year they take the exam to continue on to high school. I think that awareness of gender roles is an area where I can really make a contribution in my community, since the difference between the workload of men and the workload of women is so drastic.

Since I observed a lot of malnutrition in my village, I've been talking with the midwife at the health center to do sensibilisations on nutrition for the mothers once a week while they're waiting to have their babies weighed. We already planted four moringa trees at the health center to be used during these presentations, since adding the leaves to porridge and sauces adds many vitamins and minerals lacking in their diets.

Other than that, I've been speaking a lot of Jula and Gouin and even got a tutor. Every night, I have tea with my neighbors who are kind of like my adopted family. I'm quickly becoming good friends with the president of the women's association as well. The chief gave me a village name, Wihaba, which means "what God has given". It's nice to have some independence and create my own schedule. I even had time to start my garden of tomatoes, lettuce, and cucumbers with a sunflower border. I got to go to the fields with my neighbor and see how they grow corn, sesame, and cotton.

I've been eating really well since my market is filled with delicious vegetables. I've been able to perfect my pesto thanks to my basil bush and even made foccacia bread. This morning I biked 20k into Banfora to check my email and plan the session for my girls group on Thursday. I'm still adjusting to life as a volunteer since training was so different, but it's slowly starting to feel like home.

I hope everyone is doing well, thank you for the letters and the support! They make my day. I have a lot of free time to respond now so keep them coming! My signal is not very good at site, but if you send me a text saying when you'd like to skype I can get into Banfora and make it happen. Miss and love all of you!

Peace,
Marlow