RADD Graduation

On this past Wednesday 17 students graduated from my Riders Against Drunk Driving program. It was a very successful event. I was incredibly happy to have so many participants and to have all of them do so well. 

The program covered the effects of alcohol, ranging from its effects on driving to risky behaviors like unsafe sex and violence. The number of riders who reported never drinking after driving went up 20% after completing the program. Similarly, the number of riders who reported never carrying passengers after drinking also increased. 100% of riders stated it was unsafe to drink after driving. The amount of participants who reported using contraception increased. In fact, there was a 20% increase in people who reported always using condoms, with 0% reporting never using them (compared to 18% before the program). Additionally, a total of 69% of participants reported using a condom the last time they engaged in sexual activities, an increase of 22%. Previously, over half of the participants reported not using a condom the last time they had had sex; this number dropped to only four people after the class. Upon completing the course, the riders received certificates and bumper stickers to put on their bikes signifying that they were graduates of the safe driving program. I’m incredibly grateful to the riders who attended the program for being so engaged and making it such a success! 

Akid This Week

The engineer for the water project has returned to Cameroon after a month break and things are back in motion. We went up to Akid and stayed there from Friday to Monday to do work. Unfortunately, the water project has suffered several setbacks recently. The main problem is that the river from which we are supposed to collect water is incredibly strong as it is now rainy season here. It pours every singe day. This makes it very hard to create the stone dam necessary to divert the river water to the filtration system. The people of Akid have created the dam several times, only to have the river break it apart in the following days. The engineer worked with them to correct the dam and altered the building technique slightly so that it won’t fall again. We were only able to start the corrections, but the community should be working on it for the next week or so to complete it. We also discovered a problem with the constructed water filter. Our local technician slightly misinterpreted the plans, and put a pipe in the filter where it is not supposed to be. He will have to patch it and put the pipe in the proper location. Not exactly what we wanted, but at least it’s easily remedied. Other than those alterations, we were able to map out a new part of the pipeline near the dam site and were able to design a path that saves materials. The community will also continue to dig and modify the existing pipeline. Hopefully the work won’t take too long and the engineer will be able to come back soon so we can connect everything and finish up!

Truth be told, however, my favorite part of visiting Akid is not the project, but rather the level of hospitality shown to me and the knowledge I learn while there. I walk up there almost everyday of the week, but the people are always especially excited to have me stay the night. They never disappoint. This time, a child killed a viper on Friday, I saw a chameleon on Saturday, and I had my hair braided by a group of girls on Sunday. 

Whenever I stay the night, I stay with the family of the Chief’s brother. They have a traditional outdoor kitchen, a plank house, and an open-air latrine. The village is without water and without electricity. I normally sit in the kitchen with the children and the mother and “help” prepare meals. Mostly I just sit and stay warm, as they don’t want me to work, and, let’s be honest, am not very good at pounding fufu. At night, I share a bed with the mother. They heat water for my bucket bath, which I take behind the house in order to bathe. They are some of the most welcoming people I have ever met. They are unbelievably kind and friendly and attentive. They always try to prepare my favorite dishes and collect my favorite fruits from their farm. The father is always willing to discuss local traditions with me, which is a good thing because I’m always fascinated and ask a thousand questions. This time, he told me about the ancestors.

People here believe in the spiritual powers of their family’s ancestors. They pray to them and ask them for guidance. We had been discussing a traditional remedy for being poisoned, which included some sort of terrible sounding step in which you created a system of dots in your skin with a razor and then filled them with the venom of a stinging caterpillar. I joked that if I were ever poisoned I did not want that treatment and he should just take me to the hospital instead. He said that that type of poison witchcraft wouldn’t work on me anyway. This then led to the discussion of why I would be immune, which led us to the ancestors. He told me that I would not be poisoned because the ancestors would protect me. They would not allow it to happen. They would not permit the poison to work. I have my own ancestors, but while I am here, the ancestors of this village are also responsible for me. My own ancestors do not fully understand or cannot fully protect me, and so the ancestors of his own family or other families here team up with my own ancestors to aid me. Any time that someone is poisoned or harmed, it is because the ancestors allow it to happen. The ancestors here know that I am important to this village and won’t allow harm to happen to me. He communicates to his ancestors during dreams, and they have asked about me, and he has explained my role and what I am doing. He even had to ask their permission for the water project. Ultimately, they approve of me and my work and will take care of me while I am here. When I go back to the US, my own ancestors will take over again, and I will no longer be under the protection of his own ancestors. The way he explained it, it’s like they don’t have jurisdiction there. 

Best Day Ever!

I just had an awesome day and figured I’d let you know what constitutes “awesome” out here. I woke up and had a cup of hot chocolate. Power was on. I got to watch a TV show. I had sunflower seeds for breakfast. It stopped raining! I hiked out to my water project site, which is about and hour and a half away. It was all misty and beautiful and not hot, which makes for the best walking conditions. I met a bunch of people I knew on the way and even got two marriage proposals (along with the offer of a plot of land, should I accept).

            “What did you bring me?”

            “Nothing, what did you bring me?”

            “I have a plot of land for you! You can garden it.”

            “You know I don’t know how to farm.”

            “That’s why I’ve told you to marry me already. I will teach you how to farm your plot when you marry me!”

Then I reached the village and the entire community was doing labor for the project! Every single person was working! Then a boy killed a viper! They cut it up and cooked it and I got to eat it and it was so nice! Then, the Chief and a few other “big men” (very important people) showed up! I was given a glass of wine. They took me back in their car! I got to ride in a car! They gave me bread! And 5 cans of soda! Then I went to see my counterpart and she had prepared me my favorite local meal, ndole! It was fantastic.

Also, I can’t wait for the days when some bread and soda aren’t the basis for an awesome day. But for now, it’ll do!