TRAVELS w/P: Tales of Adventure Here & There

12/03.2013 – Tuesday at the office

Today’s task is to familiarize myself with a Global Sanitation Fund (GSF) project that’s just getting off the ground. I’ll be working on the communications plan and implementation. Here’s an abbreviated overview:

“With an estimated population of approximately 150 million, Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa. About 12.37million people in the country gained access to improved sanitation between 1990 and 2008. Notwithstanding, Nigeria is not likely to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) for sanitation by the year 2015, as nearly 100 million people have no access to improved sanitation, and a large portion of the population practice open defecation. Hygiene promotion is crucial if people are to use facilities properly and avoid water and sanitation related diseases. By adopting basic hygiene practices such as hand washing at critical times, families can reduce diarrhoeal diseases in children.

Nigeria’s infant mortality and under-five mortality rates are currently 75 and 157 per 1000 live births respectively. Unhygienic practices, lack of sanitation facilities and the use of contaminated water undoubtedly contribute to these elevated rates.

 Lack of toilets with hand-washing facilities in schools affects educational enrolment, retention and performance. Girls are particularly affected, and poor sanitation is a contributing factor to Nigeria’s low girl Net Attendance Ratio of 59.1% as compared to 64.9% for boys.

…village governance system will be utilised to dig latrine pits for the old, indigent and female headed households. The business development aspect will include facilitating local people to own businesses around sanitation, the training of local workers and the promotion of locally available and suitable materials.

Three main indicators have been identified to measure the key results of the GSF programme in Nigeria and indicative targets have been set by the PCM. These include i) people living in Open Defecation Free environments, ii) people washing their hands with soap and iii) people using improved toilets.”

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1:30 pm - On the 17^th I’m travelling with Ousman to attend a critical GSF planning session the 18^th and 19^th. Partners from Federal, State and Local Government Agencies as well as top media moguls will be in attendance. Our destination is Makurdi, the capital of Benue State which I believe is to the east of my home base in Cross Rivers. Early the 20^th I’m to take a four hour bus ride out of Makurdi and head north-ish back to VSO’s offices in Abuja for more in-country training. Come Friday, the 22^nd it’s back on the bus for a good 12+ hour return ride to Calabar. The comfort level on these journeys is hit and miss, I’m told. Sometimes the A/C works, often times not.

6:36 pm Damn! I was just about to write how dinner is cooking, the fan whirling furiously, all is cool in this world and ~ZaP~ power’s out and the living room is in near darkness. The sun sets between 6:40 and 7:00 around here, at least that’s reliable. Oh, surprise, all is up and running again; down for only a few moments. Good thing too, the carpenter just appeared at the door. He’s here to rig the bed with wooden braces from which my mosquito net will hang.

Mosquitoes. Christine tells me she sprays her home once a week with an insecticide called Mortein.  She aims the stuff into the air and corners, in the evening when the insects are most active and likely to be around.  She and family sit outdoors for a half hour or so to let the spray settle.  Seemingly it’s not too smelly. Helps to keep down the cockroaches too, she assures.

In an afternoon of camaraderie Christine shares her dry goods grocery list with prices. Each month she makes a call to her “man” in the market. He gathers together the items, packs them up, and when he receives her text that she’s nearby, he’s ready and waiting curb side to load her car.

How long things keep in this heat becomes kitchen lesson 101. It helps to know just how much to buy. Watermelon – one, maybe two days max, “that’s why it’s best to buy in pieces rather than whole. But I ask them to cut it in front of me, so I can see,” Christine advises. Mangoes and papaya, oranges and pineapple have a much better shelf life. “Best to buy small pineapples; you can cut into one and save the other until you’re ready to use it.” Cabbage?  “Just use the leaves – don’t cut into it or it spoils.” We’re able to have this amiable chat because the Internet system is down for a good few hours. So much for productivity.

Using her social connections, Christine summons a banker to our offices earlier in the day to open a savings account for me. Talk about personal service – they come as an entourage, complete with a photographer to take passport size pics. I have a hunch they’re thinking stereotypically: rich white person! Opening an account here is typically an exercise in futility for internationals like me. One needs a permanent resident visa, but these takes months to obtain, eight minimally according to VSO. We’ll see if the folks from First Bank actually come through.

During one of my jaunts from the office back to the house, to wash away sweat and grab some fresh drinking water, I run into my best friend Collins the grounds keeper. He tells me I need to keep on the light at the back of the house “to keep away snakes.”

“Keep away snakes? What has light got to do with that?”
“Last night,” he begins, “the guard walked into a snake in the back garden. Light keeps the snakes away. They don’t like light. It’s very important or they might find their way into your house.”
“What?! Into the house?”
“Yes, they come into the house. But we killed the snake from last night. I could have shown you. But we threw it away. The big birds came and took it to hang in their tree.”
“What do I do if I find a snake in my house?”
“You kill it. Very dangerous.”
“And if it bites?”  I didn’t hear his answer though, my mind still reeling with thoughts about snakes in my house. (your worst nightmare LeahM!)

I was quick to mention this conversation as soon as I returned to my desk. Christine and Stella (the program manager responsible for Gender and Human Rights) are alarmed.

“We need to tell our logistics people. The grounds were fumigated a few weeks ago as we were worried about rodents.”
“Rodents?”
“Yes, rodents. Snakes like rodents. This is not good. Collins needs to make a report. We will take this up immediately.”

Marvellous.

So here I sit, with as many lights on as I can, finishing my meal of chick peas, tomato, chunks of coconut and onion seasoned with fresh ginger and nutmeg. It’s not typical Nigerian fare, but fare that’s palatable to me.

(as an aside - dunno what's happening with the fonts - they seem to be leading a life of their own)