We traveled 10K to Bansmnore' school for a talk with the 100 students about dental hygiene and healthy diet. They were expecting us and the director welcomed us warmly. The children were eager and attentive for new information. Six students volunteered to demonstrate teeth brushing using the Niim stick or toothbrush, and powder or paste. We gave them sports and school supplies and the PTA gave us three chickens in appreciation. The wind to our backs aided our return trip to Thyou bakery and market that morning.
The chicken donation made a wonderful meal the next evening as we sat together in Georges courtyard with family and friends and shared rice and sauce, chicken in sauce, tomato and cuke, my biscuits, and rice-eggplant dish Jonathan brought. He also brought his guitar and suddenly there was drumming, singing and dancing as more people came. It was great fun!
Minata had helped me make millet porridge enriched with Moringa powder to use in my final gathering with the women at the maternity. I had the help of (midwife) Albertine. We brought a chart and Moringa branch to illustrate our talk and the easy process of pulling the leaves off for use. We talked about the benefits to their diet especially for malnourished infants and nursing mothers. I reviewed the recipe and demonstrated how to make the porridge, then we passed out samples for everyone to taste. I showed the women how to add Moringa leaves, fresh or dried to their sauces. All the while Albertine was emphasizing the key points to her patients. The Moringa project with 150 trees we planted in Sala will aid everyone.
That afternoon Angela gave the medical staff 2 suitcases of equipment and supplies her hospital (Southwest Washington Medical Center) donated to the CSPS clinic in Sala, BF. The staff inventoried all and the Major said “Merci Infiniment!” They were so appreciative. In fact they brought dinner to my house that evening. As a group we ate and talked about poverty in Burkina and the generosity of Americans. It was time for Angela to say goodbye to the people particularly in our compound. They were sad to see her go. We made the trip to Ouaga and toured the Artisan Village for gifts before she flew out Friday evening.
When I returned to village Jonathan and Sabrina came to get my exercise ball and a mattress that I had. Another director from the Salou school came by for school and sports supplies I had. Sunday morning after Mass, Father Jack blessed the harvest donations the families brought for the needy. The priests will distribute in the district. Afterwards at the market we visited with many people, some I gave printed photos to. At home I continued passing out clothes and various things people back home had given me to donate to the Burkinabe'. I was baking every morning and enjoying my dutch oven. My neighbors liked tasting those fresh treats.
By weeks end I visited with the Major and thanked him for my time in Burkina especially working with his health clinic. A joyous occasion came to me that night when Albertine called about an imminent birth. She predicted it would happen in 4 hours. She woke Adama the pharmacist, and asked him to come and unlock medication she needed for the woman as she neared delivery. The midwife monitored her blood pressure and other vital signs. The laboring mother would occasionally moan with contractions, and close to 5am I heard her bear down.
Suddenly the baby's head crowned and with another contraction she delivered the head, and skillfully Albertine turned it's head to the side and the infant cried. On the next contraction the shoulders arrived, followed by the rest of it's body. She laid the infant on his mother. Albertine pressed on mom's abdomen and delivered the placenta with a brief tug on the cord. She saved it in a pan, later examining it carefully and rinsing it before giving it to the family for traditional burial ritual. The new mother stayed overnight for observation. In the morning I took them a new homemade baby quilt from Sally, and gave congratulations.
Second Week in December 2009
The CREN (Center for Recuperation of Enfants with mal-Nutrition) worked months on the plans for the inauguration today of the facility in nearby Sabou. It contains a center for malnourished infants and their mothers as well as an emergency room and short term hospital with laboratory, pharmacy and ambulance services. The morning Mass was sung in French, Moore' and Latin for the occasion. Italian priests arrived to honor the work of the Order of Mary. The Monseigneur and the Health Minister were in town for the event as well as many other national and local dignitaries. Entertainment was put on by dancers, drummers, masques, and theater groups, etc. After many speeches, lunch was served in the main hall of the CREN.
Dominique, a local functionnaire, drove two villagers and Albertine and I to Sabou to the event. Many NGOs worked together to bring this project to fruition.
Midweek we brought photos to the schools in Thyou and regretfully said goodbye. Many of the children and teachers asked for pen pals in America. Then we took the moto to Dana and Zao to say farewell and donate school supplies, including a soccer ball. The teachers were so happy because they had just asked the parents to organize enough money for a soccer ball for the school. We said goodbye to the ASC Bili in Zao and another good friend, Atia.
Back in my compound later I gave Salame a pair of slip on shoes, and bartered with two boys to water our Niim tree and Hamadou's Moringa tree in exchange for the soccer shoes I gave them. These boys, Yakuba and Seni both wanted a headlamp for studying at night. In the evening all my neighbor kids came to play with Luke's transformer toys he had bagged up for kids in gramma's village.
During these last days I baked every morning in my dutch oven to use up pkg mixes Chris sent. I also made biscuits and cookies from scratch. Thursday I took a batch to Bibata, a nurse at the clinic. I found the midwife weighing the babies alone, and we worked together all morning logging the weights and immunizing the infants. Towards noon the new mother and baby come too, and I was so happy to see them doing well. In the mid-afternoon the Major and the midwife sat down with me and Georges to talk about the instructions for the sterilizer that Connie had given the clinic. We translated into French how to use it, much the same way as their old one.
Issaka came to visit and talked a long time about poverty in West Africa. He said that most days the children don't eat breakfast or lunch, only dinner, because of no money and no food. He wants help buying a machine for farming. Minata also came and asked me to buy her a charrette, cart for hauling things back to and from their field. She showed me 7 bags of peanuts she set aside to help pay for her kids schooling next fall.
That evening I made beans and rice for the neighbors, sending over dinner to the adults, but eating with all the children myself. We made burritos with all the Mexican accompaniments that Chris had sent. The next morning I hung sweaters out on the ledge on my veranda and the women and girls tried them on until one fit and away they went happily. I had boxes from American donors to distribute before I left in a week. Zongo Tanga came by for an American-French dictionary, one of many I would give away.
At the conclusion of Sunday morning service I said goodbye and thanked the members who welcomed me there two years earlier. Jean Baptiste told the congregation that I had rode my bike all the way every time to church and that I was part of their family. I shared that they will go home with me in my heart. They clapped.
It was market day, so I had a chance to share simple things and farewells with some of my friends there, i.e. Florence and Marie got a whisk and peeler. Amidou, the ASC from Bouyou village bought us a calabasse of melange. It was fun to chat with everyone. We proceeded on to Henry and Veronique's place to take some family photos. Then to Koala Jean's new hangar where his wife was serving her homemade dolo.
On Monday I gathered up the surplus food items for the PCVs at the Transit House. I also had clothes for them to peruse, i.e. cocktail dress. Now I began my three days of medical and dental tests before going home. I had exit interviews, bank account to close out and some documents to write up. It was a packed schedule. One morning I had coffee and granola mix with Marte, the director's wife and a fine person. Other fellow volunteers, Becky treated me to lunch Tuesday and Kait took me to dinner in the evening.
Wednesday evening Sanfo's wife, Awa took me and two other PCVs going home for the holidays to the airport. I went there to greet my daughter, Heather. We hugged and hugged. This is her first world trip beyond North America. We had an omelet sandwich in the morning before I went to get the results of all the testing, which was good news. In the afternoon I finished some written reports before going to the director's office for the staff's gathering to say goodbye to me. They clearly are proud to have a senior PCV come to Burkina Faso and persevere through many obstacles. They commented on my love for the Burkinabe'. Finally Doug Teschner gave me his Peace Corps cap. (Heather taped the event.) My last day as a Peace Corps Volunteer was very emotional for me.
As I returned to my village to show Heather around, I asked Bouba, the bush taxi driver, if he would transport a charrette (donkey cart) back to village. So on Saturday evening he did that and the kids and I went down to the road to get it and surprise Minata with this new aid for the family farming. With tears in our eyes Minata and I hugged. It was truly a pleasure to help them.
We packed up our tools and a dozen Moringa trees to make one last effort at the garden by the school. The guys and Heather dug holes and replaced a number of trees. Then Achille and Madi were painting a new sign for both gardens. Issaka, the president of the soccer group and Karim, my village counterpart, each brought a friend who needed soccer shoes.
Sunday after the village chef and the two family chefs came over for coffee, Heather and I biked to church for my last service in Thyou at St. Irene's parish. Heather taped the beautiful singing and I was so proud. I took her by the bakery and the market, where we enjoyed pork sandwiches. We gave out two mosquito nets to Irene and Pascal that Heather brought from America. They were humbled by the donation. That afternoon Heather and my neighbor kids played ball outside, laughing all the while. She put music on Abdoul's new MP3 player and showed him how to operate it.
We quickly got into the task of giving away most things in my house to my neighbors and friends. I let most of the women choose a garment and something from my cooking supplies and staples. The kids all got shirts or games or hair adornments. Word spread fast and we had a long line of folks at the door.
Later in the afternoon the medical staff from the clinic arrived bearing a gift for me and I was in tears as I opened the sack with a two foot tall leather giraffe, perfectly formed with all the prominences of bones and muscles. Wow!
The head nurse, Philippe and Abdoulaye, a medical board member, thanked me for all my work and talks with villagers in this Sala health district. And I thanked them for being patient with me and my limited language. I will have no problem remembering Sala and all villagers I met during my stay.We continued packing some things and giving away most, then suddenly the yard was full of people, the village chef, the two family chefs, the COGES member, soccer president, teachers from the school, the pharmacist, Minata, and Madi to translate for me. The chef thanked me for my service to Sala, that I had touched many lives. Salame thanked me for working hard and treating everyone well. All the people are thanking you he said.
Hamadou said as second family chef in line behind Salame he wanted to thank me for my work and generosity with all the neighbors. He was so moved. Minata talked lovingly a long time about my time there. Next came a photo shoot. Finally we shared the big meal they all brought for the occasion. It was long after dark when we finished packing.
The next morning by 6am three days before Christmas we got ready to leave and there were dozens of neighbors outside to say goodbye. It was a bittersweet moment for all. The bush taxi kindly met us at the foot of my hill to load our bags. Jonathan, my nearest PCV (24yrs old) was waiting at Thyou when we got there to pick up passengers. He said “I am so inspired by you and how you put your heart into Peace Corps working with the people of all ages. Whatever obstacles you feel were in your way, you did a tremendous service and on behalf of HUMANITY, I want to thank you for that.” He left me in tears, to go teach his students who were waiting.
In Ouaga we caught a green taxi with all our luggage and bikes etc for the Peace Corps Bureau. The driver said his clutch was out, so we lurched ahead continually after each stop. Oh the memories!
The next day we flew to Kenya for a week on safari in East Africa.
On New Year's Day three of us went by bus to OHG to bid my host family during training goodbye. The driver let us off by the sign to Somyaga and soon Amade' came on his moto to pick us up. What a welcome, Ramata and Minata, grandma Awa, Alizetta and other gramma were there. All the kids ran to meet us, and had grown so much in the year since I had seen them. Of course they fed us right away and then in the afternoon Orokia came home—oh what a feast for my soul. Amade' butchered a chicken in honor of the visit. The women prepared it and potatoes for dinner. We had lollipops for the kids and gave my Cutco knife she always admired to Orokia. At 10 that evening 30 of the women from around came to the courtyard to chant and dance together, just like when I lived there. Oh la la! I heard my name in the chant. It was so much fun to be in their midst again.
The early morning of departure, 6 family members walked us out to the highway to catch the bus back to Ouaga. The morning walk in the moonlight was outstanding and memorable.
On the evening of January 3, 2010 Sanfo drove us to the airport and we said goodbye to our friends and flew overnight to Paris. I looked down on my beloved Burkina Faso with love, thanking God for bringing me here.
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