The month to come...

I just returned to Ségou after my quick jaunt into Bamako. I had a brief, yet productive trip, accomplishing what I had hoped to. I will be heading back to site this afternoon (Wednesday).

On Monday, I made a trip to the local bank in Bamako and picked up my SPA funds for the 'Pump Replacement' project. I then delivered that money to SETRA, the pump manufacturer/installer, and scheduled the work to begin on March 20th. On that date, the SETRA crew will arrive in my village, and they will begin their work, which includes both the installation of the two pumps, as well as the training of three members of the Water and Sanitation Committee on the proper operation, maintenance, and repair of these pumps. These two tasks will be performed together and should last approximately one week.

I also had discussions with the Environment sector head, Yacouba, while I was in Bamako. We discussed which vegetables should be planted in a pepiniere, and how to properly construct the planting beds for both vegetables that require pepinieres and those which do not. Over the next month, I plan on holding a meeting with the women's committee to distribute seeds, and will try my hand at providing instruction to them regarding planting technique.

Lassana, my homologue, also mentioned that he would like for us to establish a Women's Garden Committee. This committee would be responsible for collecting regular dues that women would be required to pay in order for the right to use the women's garden. This money would then be saved to be used for maintenance, repair, and/or supply purchases in the future. I was thrilled with the idea, which should develop a sense of responsibility and independence within the community for the women's garden, promoting sustainability throughout the future. We hope to begin this process in the coming month as well.

In addition to the pump and garden projects, I will continue to facilitate PHAST activities with the Water and Sanitation Committee, as we continue to move closer to selecting future projects which the committee would like to tackle within the village. As always, the testing and coordination of the fish pond will also proceed.