Thursday, March 9, 2006

Dogoloya

Women of the CHC demonstrating what they have learned from CARE nutrition workshops.

I thought I was an early riser, but on the morning of our last day in Kabala, I awoke to the murmuring of 5:00 a.m. prayers followed by several visits to the well just an hour later. Perhaps even the existence of the phrase "early riser" is the luxury of the Westerner -- my Poland Spring required no arm-pumping. Anyway, I laced up my sneakers for a morning run. I had already taken a few during our time in Sierra Leone so I was prepared for the grins and amusement of the occasional trailing kids as I sweated profusely and pondered the absurdity of my American need for premeditated exercise. Breakfast followed, prepared for us by the village chief’s "women" who epitomized hospitality and generosity as they served us with sweet bananas and porridge.

The first item on the agenda was a health lesson run through the Community Health Club (CHC). Topics ranged from the importance of hand washing, to the transferal of disease via flies, the use of simple wooden drying racks for dishes, and the potential problems caused by stagnant water. The central focus, although not glamorous, is one of universal concern: the avoidance of diarrhea. For many Sierra Leoneans, this is a critical health problem, so the discussion of hydrating with salt-sugar solutions (an inexpensive, more sustainable method than medications) and the process of monitoring disease is critical. CARE's facilitation of this education and treatment process seems to exemplify the best of local empowerment.

Village boys help their families collect bundles of sticks.

The starkness of much of what we saw was startling, and yet the village of Dogoloya is in far better condition than surrounding villages. I wondered what the areas that have not been reached by development workers looked like.

After our usual harried departure in a flurry of boisterous goodbyes, pictures and "jarama bui!" we piled into the CARE vehicles and headed back to Kabala. Lunch with George, the director of CARE operations in Kabala, was great fun. After spending the morning observing another lifestyle, we laughed while George regaled us with stories of his first impressions of Americans.

After the end of an emotion-filled day, the impression that kept coming back was the teacher who directs the ex-combatant reintegration program we visited that afternoon, asking, begging for textbooks and supplies, for Americans to do something to help. And the inevitable uncertainty of our response: What do we say? Should we say, "Yes, we'll try?" And if so, what is it we can try to do?