Ku ku for Coconuts

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Since the last post a lot of work has done in Messamena and something in me clicked and I realized that I am not quite ready to leave Cameroon in November..  the light at the end of the tunnel was there… I saw it… then I decided to take a detour. I will be extending my service to continue up on my projects in Messamena. If you would have asked me 6 months ago, I would have laughed at the idea.  Some say that it was witchcraft that made me stay- which might be true haha. But, now I will be continuing my work to finalize the Coconut Farm NGO we've been working on- We named it in honor of my mother so I want to make sure its running well. So, just when I saw myself moving back to San Francisco, I have to put that aside for the time being. BUT, since I am extending, I get to do a home leave and be home for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years- something I haven’t done in 10 years.

A trip to Monaco

In August, in the middle of working on my projects, I came to Yaounde to see my friend Justine finish her service and leave the country. Long story short, she needed 2 bags sent to France and a round-trip flight was cheaper than sending the bags by mail… so I proposed to take her bags for her and it ended up being half the cost of shipping it and plus we got to hang out in Paris and South France together. It was 10 years of LUXURY- I’m telling you. We had a total blast and her parents went out of their way to be extremely hospitable while I was there. It was such a nice break from the jungle life I live. We got to walk around Paris, enjoy the beaches of South France, Travel to Monaco, go rock climbing, and enjoy copious amounts of cheese and wine. It was perfectly hedonistic.  On the way home I had a 24 hour layover in Casablanca where I was put up in a 4 star hotel and got to explore the city and drink an unhealthy amount of coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice..

Back in Cameroon I just attended our COS (COS) Conference with all the people that I arrived in Cameroon with in September 2011. It was the first time we have all been in the same room for a year and a half and it was the end of (most) of our time in Cameroon. We were taken to the US Embassy and shown how to prepare our resume and look for jobs- as well as introduced to the idea of working with the Government- something else I never thought I would be interested in, but am now curious. At the US Embassy it felt like we were back in the U.S.- especially when we got to eat in their cafeteria- I had enchiladas with a 2 pound side of sour cream and cheese haha.

Volunteers of the East Region at the COS conference

Land Rights Document for the Baka families in Koum

Housing construction on its way

Back in Messamena a few projects were recently completed. I’ve been working a lot with the Baka – a vulnerable group of hunter and gatherers in eastern Cameroon who are known for their rich culture of music and dancing. With the rainforest rapidly depleting, they are being chased out of their hunting grounds and into nearby villages. Historically the Baka and the Bantous (the surrounding local population) have always had conflict. The Baka are seen as “savage” because of their nomadic lifestyles.  The Baka in one of the villages I work in have never had land rights in the village but they were trying to get their children to attend public schooling. I was able to work with the Chef of the Village and the Sous-Prefet of Messamena to have land rights given to them and have the community work together to build housing for them. The goal of the project was not the end product of the housing- it was to have the Baka integrate into the community and for them to have something to own so others can be punished if they rob the Baka.  The house is now almost completed and there is now 2 Baka parents as committee members on the Parent/Teacher counsel.  I love working on this project… my degree in Cultural anthropology and Global Poverty and Practice is really being put into action. Unicef was really impressed by my work and I have been invited to give a conference on vulnerable populations and describe my work to future investors to Unicef in Douala this month  at a 5 star hotel- I’m stoked.

The day our Water Committee got legalized as an official Cooperative with a Bank account

In Koum we have also just got our Water Committee legalized and opened an account at the Post Office in Messamena. I’ve been doing trainings on water and sanitation, book keeping, leadership and management skills. I was so proud the day that they are now a legal cooperative- I think it can be a really sustainable project for them to learn and grow from. To complete the forage we had constructed, I told them that they had to pay $300, even though it was entirely funded by Unicef.  I explained the value of potable water and they agreed and understand now. I did not want the forage to just be a gift- I want them to own it. So I used $60 of that money as the balance needed to open an account and had it deposited into their account and after a community needs assessment, I used the other $240 to buy a large solar panel kit for community- I told them it was a gift for all their hard work on community development. If I put the entire $300 in the account, they would not continue collecting money monthly for the well and the committee would not run as well. The $300 came from them fundraising to outside counterpart- a skill they never would have motivated themselves to do beforehand. So now I taught them the technical aspects of the solar panel and we successfully installed it- in Messamena it costs roughly 40cents to charge your cell phone but I had them make a contract that the community can charge 20 cents to charge their phones in Koum. The money collect is being used to buy food to prepare lunch for the students at the school several days a week (using Soy bean grown in the school garden). They are ecstatic about all of it.

My Coconut Farming Crew

In Messamena Village we have been working so hard on the Coconut Farm- it has been a lot of manual labor to get it going and a lot of volunteerism. The clearing of the land had to be the communities contribution to the project so they have been working endless days on a project that can really change their village but means it is taking time out of going to their own farms to work on the Coconut Farm. I’ve been bringing food a few days out of the week to keep the parents feel appreciated for all their hard work. We’ve named the project “Karla’s Coconut Farm” after my mom and it has the potential to really change the community. Funds gained will pay for all students supplies once the coconuts start producing.

Preparing to plan the first Coconut Tree

Planting the first Coconut Tree

Karla's Coconut Farm

We had a grand opening of the coconut farm on Sept 9^th and the country director of Peace Corps Cameroon was able to come and visit my site with a few other members of the Peace Corps administration. She planted the first coconut tree with the students and the first moringa tree with one of the local chefs. It was a really big ceremony and everyone in the village came out to join. I had the country director announce to the village that I was approved to extend my time in Cameroon- something I had not yet told them. It was an awesome day where it felt like everything really came together in my service. There is still a lot of work to be done on the farm, and we are trying to get it all done by the end of October before the rainy season really starts up.

There are a lot of projects I have lined up for the next few months that I am excited to carry out- I’m glad Im extending for it, I think it was a good choice.  There are alt of opportunities I still want to explore here.

Almost lighting the PC house on fire with my birthday cake-28!

Being really 'American' on 4th of July

A mural I recently finished at the entrance of Messamena

This is me sharpening my machete, preparing for a days work in the field