A decade after a civil war
Five
years ago, I asked one of my hosts why are the children always sound happy? He
said “when their bellies are full children are happy”. This was a region of West
Africa that had experienced two civil wars. Most of the people had left and
lived in refugee camps subsisting on donated rations. Others hid in the jungle
and survived on cassava root. They could did not work to buy food, plant crops
or even fish. They only survived. Today, their children are the most important
part of life. Now each day the first three hours is invested in getting the
children up, dressed, fed and off to school. The adult work day then starts at
9:30. I met several walking to their fields passing our Farmer to Farmer project.
In five years there has been improvements. Funds available for small
investments, modest construction and new fields or groves. One man discussed
our USAID sponsored project, sharing he had purchased seedlings for his grove
from the famer I had helped five years before. It is gratifying to hear credit given
our work
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| Doris with grandson Her café was a 20 min. walk provided breakfast |
Resilience is the best word to describe many of the people
in developing countries I have visited. When describing their life without
electricity or running water, the dirt roads and lack of employment, wearing
donated clothing, making meals over open charcoal fires, and gasoline sold from
glass jars; most comments are: “I cannot imagine living that way”. Any yet for
most this is a way of life for years. How is it these people persevere?
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| Every Saturday she would hire a trail bike Travel to Guinea crossing border in a dugout canoe to buy food not produced locally |
Rainy Season and Feeder Roads
Feeder roads turn into quagmires during monsoon.
Season of rolling empty fuel barrels
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| Grass Jar Fuel Stations As raining season progress fuel runs low Supply w 55 gal drums moved by 4-wheel drive
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| Farmer to Farmer project sponsor USAID |
Mayor Farmer Association Farm
Nursery is sown once rain flood valley. In 2-3 wk. rice is then hand transplanted into the 146 production sites. Diversion of runoff to provides water. The water is managed with canals, gates and ditches. In dry season swamp dries up.Due to the Ebola crises the 100 members dropped to current 60. Weeding still looks good.
Project is to develop irrigation scheme to enable a second rice crop. Developed farm business plan to use river. Analysis can make profit.
Walking on main street taking goat to market day
Children, Family and Religion
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| First Day of School Everyone helps with cleaning. Turquoise building on hill Lutheran church sponsor, the sanctuary provides pews for over flow of the 700 prospective students. |
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| Choir Director |
Another constant I believe fosters resilience is religion. Where
I stayed the work of missionaries can be seen in the several churches with
active congregations. Each morning a church bell rings at 5 and 5:30, then
Muslim prayers were broadcast from a mosque at 6:00. The core value shared was
working to improve communities. Religion had an impact. It was just amazing to
see so many churches! Granted the sanctuaries were open air buildings, power if
any was from portable generators and bulletins written on blackboards. Worship
was important part of life. The daily greeting on the street as you walked to
breakfast, was a thankfulness to God. The Lutheran pastor had trained in Guinea
during his refugee years. Now the missionary in Totota Town is training new lay
pastors. Their sermons provide guidance and hope. Church leadership supplements
children education with schools. The choirs were joyous. The faith created by
the religious activity is part of the resilience equation.
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Portable genitor provides power for the Lutheran Self with Robert Host, Minister and Deacons at Assembly of God
Church lights and mic. over 150 attending
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| Transparency - who is contributing and watching the count. |
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| Singing Traditional Gospel and a Youth Choir |
Making joyous music
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| Traditional Dialect Salsa Choir |
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| Brian Palmer, Missionary, repairs his truck used to serve parish back on poor dirt road |
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| Ezekiel Saas, Minister, to serve congregation purchased own vehicle suited for distance and poor roads. |
Today, after three damaging hurricanes and Mexico’s’
earthquake there is cause to be concern for other people. Will they have the
resilience to rebuild? Individually if we have the ability to help it is
important to show compassion. Leaders need to prepare for the next challenge. Better
organized, reinforced structures, and also invest in the institutions that are the
fabric that builds people’s resilience.
