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| Members of the 'Ji ni Saniya Tɔn Sigi' (Water and Sanitation Committee) shocking a well after women found red worms living in the water. Left to right: Dramani ('ɲɛmɔgɔ,' or president), Daouda ('warimarala,' or treasurer), and Bayani (our recent addition). |
My primary initiative during my Peace Corps service has been to establish a 'Ji ani Saniya Tɔn Sigi' (Water and Sanitation Committee), and to ensure that it is fully-functioning and will last into the future once I am gone. These past couple months have not been particularly busy for the committee, but several significant events have taken place which have me very optimistic for it's future:
Planning for the Building Season
Back when we first began the committee, I completed a formation with the group to assist them in selecting future construction projects, in addition to behavioral change initiatives. We planned to tackle two of these projects, well construction and trash collection areas, in the upcoming 'tilɛma' (hot season), which is the standard construction season due to the absence of agricultural work in the fields.
I have been working with the committee over the past few months to plan the well construction project. I helped Aliwata, our 'sɛbɛnɛkɛla' (secretary), Daouda, our 'warimarala' (treasurer), and Dramani, our 'ɲɛmɔgɔ' (president) to think through all of the costs involved in well construction, from renting the 'bisi mulu' (concrete ring mold) and the 'bisi jigi masinɛ' (concrete ring-lowering machine), to buying cement, gravel, sand, tie-wire, and rebar. We sought assistance from a villager who has significant experience in well construction throughout the process. I then guided Aliwata, Daouda, and Dramani in obtaining cost estimates for the required materials.
I sat down with Aliwata to show him how to set up a budget sheet for the project, which includes columns for item, unit of measurement, unit cost, quantity, and total cost. I then guided him through determining the total cost of one well, and finally the amount each 'du' (household) would have to contribute in order to pay for the project.
During our December 4th meeting, Aliwata presented his findings to the rest of the committee. I then advised them that in order to be successful this coming 'tilɛma,' we need to deceminate this information now.
Since people are currently involved in harvesting their agricultural fields, people are now beginning to sell millet, peanuts, and rice for income. Therefore, people need to know now that they must set aside money to contribute to the well project in the next couple of months.
The trash collection areas we plan to encourage are effectively four-walled, non-roofed structures in order to simply contain trash from being carried off through the village by the wind. Once the bin is full and composted, the compost will be placed in 'wɔtɔrɔw' (donkey/cattle carts) and taken out to the fields.
Within the next 3-4 weeks, people will finish harvesting their fields. At that time, men will begin making mud bricks in order to build new houses, walls, latrines, etc. Therefore, we need to inform people now so that they can plan to make additional bricks accordingly.
The committee members were weary of holding a village-wide meeting during 'ɲɔ gɔsi waati' (millet-beating time), as attendance would be suspect since both men and women spend most of their days in the fields. Their work won't ease for another month. However, people are beginning to make their money now by selling grains as they are harvested.
So I told them that I understand if we meet now, many people might not be able to show up. But we can give the information to those that do, who can then spread the word around to the rest of the village. Next month, when I return from my vacation in America, we can hold an additional meeting with the entire village to decide upon the specifics of these projects.
The villagers decided to hold this initial meeting on Thursday, December 8th. The day before, I met with Dramani, Aliwata, and Daouda in order to make sure they were prepared to run the meeting. We were discussing how best to talk about the well project. I told them that the moment we begin talking about money, the villagers will ask what is Maliki, or America, going to pay. I asked them how they will handle it. It was at this inconspicuous moment that I had possibly my proudest moment thus-far as a Peace Corps volunteer.
Aliwata gave us all a determined look, and delivered a passionate, 5-minute long speech in his own words. He effectively said:
'This is how I think we should begin. We should say that Maliki is the third volunteer. Kaja preceeded him, and Fadibi came here first. After him, there is no one else. So his work, as the last volunteer, is different. His role is to teach us how to work on our own, without American money. The other volunteers sought money from America, but since no one will replace Maliki, he needs to make sure that we know how to work on our own. Because if he leaves, and we don't know how to plan work and are used to American money, we will never do any projects, and we will never work on our own. So he is teaching us now to plan a project, how work is done, and he is verifying that we can raise money on our own, so that when he is gone, he knows we can do so. If he doesn't, no work will be done after him.'
Dramani and Daouda both adamently agreed with him, and added to his speech. They mentioned how the entire village has benefited from wells built with American money in the past, so regardless of how many wells we can build and where, the entire village should contribute to the cause.
I had a grin from ear-to-ear. Aliwata's convincing delivery was strong evidence that they have actually bought into my development philosophy. For over a year now, I have been trying to convince them, through words and actions, that only development driven by the community itself is fully sustainable and can result in true improvement to their way of life. I see this as a huge milestone - the mentality of dependency has seemed to turn, at least within our small committee.
Unfortunately, the meeting on Thursday never happened, as the dugutigi's men forgot to call people to the meeting. So instead, we held the meeting this past Monday morning.
After our committee members spoke about the well project, the men and women in attendance had their say. As was to be expected, there was some heated debate. One man said that until a pump is built in his 'kin' (neighborhood), they will not contribute money to another project. Luckily, this statement was strongly rebutted by everyone in attendance. Others suggested working on different projects, like a solar power station.
But in the end, the village as a whole was convinced by our committee members to move forward with the project, and they promised to raise the money on their own. Aliwata read off the cost estimate he had assembled, and the 7,500 CFA (approximately $15) contribution that would be required for each well. He explained that since one cannot buy a small quantity of sand and gravel, we would have to buy enough for a few wells, so the more wells we build, the less each well will cost.
They began debating the number and the location of wells - some argued for wells within the village, women argued for wells in the women's garden, and the school headmaster suggested a well by the school. I redirected them, saying that we don't need to select specifics at this point. 'We wanted to call this meeting in order to give you all the information only. You all can talk about it amongst yourselves, talk to others. Next month, when work in the fields is less and I have returned from America, we will have another meeting with the entire village in attendance. We will then make the necessary decisions. We wanted to call a meeting now so that you can prepare by setting aside money now to contribute later.'
Nonetheless, they agreed to build only one well this year, and stockpile the extra materials to be used for additional wells in the following year. They mentioned the possibility of 3-4 wells next year, after this initial experience is under their belt.
Everyone agreed to save their money to pay for the project, and regarding the second project, they agreed to make additional bricks in order to construct trash collection areas within their individual concessions.
Pump Rules Enforcement
Back in October, we added Bayani as the 11th member of our committee. This was because in Diarrakɛla, the 'kin' (neighborhood) where one of the two pumps is located, the three members of our committee, Lassana, Korɛ, and Umu, are unable to watch over the pump and enforce the rules effectively. Lassana often leaves the village, and the latter two, being women, have too much work to do during the day. So Bayani was chosen to watch over the pump.
On November 18th, Bayani caught two women fighting at the pump. This violates one of the rules that the village chose back when we installed the pumps. They decided that if anyone fights, each combatant must pay a 5,000 CFA fine (or about $10). This is an absolutely exorbitant amount of money here. As a comparision, people here complain about having to give 100 CFA (or about $0.20) per 'du' (or household), which often includes more than 50 people, for monthly pump dues.
As was previously decided, after the rules violation, both of the village pumps were locked, only to be unlocked once the fine is paid. Dramani decided that if only one of the pumps were locked, people from Diarrakɛla would simply walk over to Katilɛla to fetch water at the other pump. There would be no major incentive to pay the fine.
On November 21st, the village elders held a meeting to discuss the issue. People were not happy that both pumps were locked and thus clean water was not accessible. Yet, the fees had not yet been paid. The elders decided that the committee's decision was correct. The pumps should be locked until the fine is paid. They argued that if this rule is not enforced, all of the rules will be rendered ineffective and the pumps will break early. A couple days without water is preferable to the pumps breaking in a year due to not enforcing the rules.
Sorti, the acting 'dugutigi,' went to collect the money later that afternoon, but was told that it wouldn't be paid. So he went a step further than I expected. He threatened that he would ride his 'moto' out to the nearest gendarme post to send the police to arrest the women. The fines were paid later that night.
When I returned to village after Thanksgiving, Sorti asked that we set aside a small portion of the collected fees for enforcement purposes. This will ensure that in the future, money will be available for his fuel and expenses in calling the police. The village elders agreed to do this.
They are getting serious about rules enforcement. Of course, this is regarding the big-money rule. The key is now to get them to enforce the smaller, yet more damaging, rules such as slamming the pump handle. These are broken way too often, and I am still the only person who has enforced the fines. I plan on making sure our committee members change that starting next month, when work in the fields diminishes.
Well Treatment
Since August, we have been treating all of the village drinking-water wells with bleach. I bought the first case of bleach in order to teach them how to perform the treatment. But after that case was finished, it was on the committee to begin to get accustomed to stocking it themselves, using the committee's 'kesu' (money account) funded by the monthly pump dues. Aliwata made a trip into Ségou late November and purchased another case.
This past Saturday, women went to Dramani and Daouda complaining that 'ntumu bilɛnman' (red worms) were living in the water fetched from one of the village wells. They went to me to ask for advice on how to proceed. I then taught them how to 'shock' a well, which involves adding a high concentration of bleach to the well to kill any and all contaminants and disinfect the walls of the well. The following morning, all of the water is then pulled and discarded from the well. The new water which seeps in through the walls is then safe to drink.
I was encouraged to see that the village is learning to rely and place its trust in its own resources, its own water and sanitation committee, to address all of their water supply issues. And I am also pleased with Dramani, Daouda, Aliwata, and Bayani, who have shown themselves to be dedicated to the committee and to ensuring a quality water supply for the village.
I had a grin from ear-to-ear. Aliwata's convincing delivery was strong evidence that they have actually bought into my development philosophy. For over a year now, I have been trying to convince them, through words and actions, that only development driven by the community itself is fully sustainable and can result in true improvement to their way of life. I see this as a huge milestone - the mentality of dependency has seemed to turn, at least within our small committee.
Unfortunately, the meeting on Thursday never happened, as the dugutigi's men forgot to call people to the meeting. So instead, we held the meeting this past Monday morning.
After our committee members spoke about the well project, the men and women in attendance had their say. As was to be expected, there was some heated debate. One man said that until a pump is built in his 'kin' (neighborhood), they will not contribute money to another project. Luckily, this statement was strongly rebutted by everyone in attendance. Others suggested working on different projects, like a solar power station.
But in the end, the village as a whole was convinced by our committee members to move forward with the project, and they promised to raise the money on their own. Aliwata read off the cost estimate he had assembled, and the 7,500 CFA (approximately $15) contribution that would be required for each well. He explained that since one cannot buy a small quantity of sand and gravel, we would have to buy enough for a few wells, so the more wells we build, the less each well will cost.
They began debating the number and the location of wells - some argued for wells within the village, women argued for wells in the women's garden, and the school headmaster suggested a well by the school. I redirected them, saying that we don't need to select specifics at this point. 'We wanted to call this meeting in order to give you all the information only. You all can talk about it amongst yourselves, talk to others. Next month, when work in the fields is less and I have returned from America, we will have another meeting with the entire village in attendance. We will then make the necessary decisions. We wanted to call a meeting now so that you can prepare by setting aside money now to contribute later.'
Nonetheless, they agreed to build only one well this year, and stockpile the extra materials to be used for additional wells in the following year. They mentioned the possibility of 3-4 wells next year, after this initial experience is under their belt.
Everyone agreed to save their money to pay for the project, and regarding the second project, they agreed to make additional bricks in order to construct trash collection areas within their individual concessions.
Pump Rules Enforcement
Back in October, we added Bayani as the 11th member of our committee. This was because in Diarrakɛla, the 'kin' (neighborhood) where one of the two pumps is located, the three members of our committee, Lassana, Korɛ, and Umu, are unable to watch over the pump and enforce the rules effectively. Lassana often leaves the village, and the latter two, being women, have too much work to do during the day. So Bayani was chosen to watch over the pump.
On November 18th, Bayani caught two women fighting at the pump. This violates one of the rules that the village chose back when we installed the pumps. They decided that if anyone fights, each combatant must pay a 5,000 CFA fine (or about $10). This is an absolutely exorbitant amount of money here. As a comparision, people here complain about having to give 100 CFA (or about $0.20) per 'du' (or household), which often includes more than 50 people, for monthly pump dues.
As was previously decided, after the rules violation, both of the village pumps were locked, only to be unlocked once the fine is paid. Dramani decided that if only one of the pumps were locked, people from Diarrakɛla would simply walk over to Katilɛla to fetch water at the other pump. There would be no major incentive to pay the fine.
On November 21st, the village elders held a meeting to discuss the issue. People were not happy that both pumps were locked and thus clean water was not accessible. Yet, the fees had not yet been paid. The elders decided that the committee's decision was correct. The pumps should be locked until the fine is paid. They argued that if this rule is not enforced, all of the rules will be rendered ineffective and the pumps will break early. A couple days without water is preferable to the pumps breaking in a year due to not enforcing the rules.
Sorti, the acting 'dugutigi,' went to collect the money later that afternoon, but was told that it wouldn't be paid. So he went a step further than I expected. He threatened that he would ride his 'moto' out to the nearest gendarme post to send the police to arrest the women. The fines were paid later that night.
When I returned to village after Thanksgiving, Sorti asked that we set aside a small portion of the collected fees for enforcement purposes. This will ensure that in the future, money will be available for his fuel and expenses in calling the police. The village elders agreed to do this.
They are getting serious about rules enforcement. Of course, this is regarding the big-money rule. The key is now to get them to enforce the smaller, yet more damaging, rules such as slamming the pump handle. These are broken way too often, and I am still the only person who has enforced the fines. I plan on making sure our committee members change that starting next month, when work in the fields diminishes.
Well Treatment
Since August, we have been treating all of the village drinking-water wells with bleach. I bought the first case of bleach in order to teach them how to perform the treatment. But after that case was finished, it was on the committee to begin to get accustomed to stocking it themselves, using the committee's 'kesu' (money account) funded by the monthly pump dues. Aliwata made a trip into Ségou late November and purchased another case.
This past Saturday, women went to Dramani and Daouda complaining that 'ntumu bilɛnman' (red worms) were living in the water fetched from one of the village wells. They went to me to ask for advice on how to proceed. I then taught them how to 'shock' a well, which involves adding a high concentration of bleach to the well to kill any and all contaminants and disinfect the walls of the well. The following morning, all of the water is then pulled and discarded from the well. The new water which seeps in through the walls is then safe to drink.
I was encouraged to see that the village is learning to rely and place its trust in its own resources, its own water and sanitation committee, to address all of their water supply issues. And I am also pleased with Dramani, Daouda, Aliwata, and Bayani, who have shown themselves to be dedicated to the committee and to ensuring a quality water supply for the village.
Hey, So I an RPCV from the Segou region too. I was in Yangasso in between Bla and San. I am guessing you have left out the name of your site on purpose, but I would be super interested to find out if there are volunteers up along the road where I was.
ReplyDeleteHope things are well out there.