Dear Mom & Dad;
Greetings from Maci. Today is the first day of Ramadan, the holy month of fasting and atonement for all muslims. For the faithful who keep the fast, including everyone in Maci except small children and me, no food or drink is to be taken between sunrise and sunset. People here have a special wrinkle they throw in: they refrain as well from swallowing their spit. All day long people are spitting out long streams of saliva everywhere.
Besides small children, the Koran specifically excuses sick people from fasting, as well as pregnant women and nursing mothers. In principle, in fact, anyone who doesn't feel up to it is excused. But here in the Fouta, everybody fasts, period. Needless to say, it is not the healthiest thing for a woman in an advanced stage of pregnancy. I have been trying to introduce the idea that pregnant women shoul not fast, but no luck so far.We will start seeing the first miscarriages and premature births here at the health center in a few days.
Such frustrations aside, things in Maci might just possibly be looking up. We have a new sub-prefect, who seems to be a very dynamic and ambitious guy, in contrast to the last one, who was a complete cipher. He makes a big point about wanting all the officials and functionaries in the sub-prefecture (among whom he counts me) to work together in a transparent and open manner. It's a little hard to believe; a little too good to be true. Yet when I went up to his office yesterday to show him a couple of school projects I had started working on; he jumped right on them. I have to admit I was a little taken aback; I'm not used to working with Guinean authorities who actually give a damn about anything. I'm reserving judgement until I see how he actually follows through on things, but so far I am encouraged.
The co-op in Kambaco is still coming along, although not to the extent I had hoped. Sales are slow, even on the wholesale market; motivation of the members is flagging, and their training is progressing slowly. However, soon we hope to make our first series of purchases with the proceeds from the atelier; and as the members see, by and by, that they are benefitting materially from the work they are doing, I hope to see their motivation improve.
I am also working on an interesting projected with Dr. Maladho Bah of the prefectural health administration. We are designing a week-long seminar on AIDS for the health center staffs of the twelve sub-prefectures and other representatives of the communities. Peace Corps Guinea is in general trying to get less involved in building things and more involved in teaching and training, and we hope that this could be a pilot project. I already have had a very positive response from Conakry, and as soon as we have a firm budget established, I'll try to find some money to fund it. (The main expenses are in the form of transportation for the 40 participants, who have to travel in from the sub-prefectures; a per diem of $5/day since here in Guinea nobody will attend a seminar unless you pay them to do so; and the most expensive item-food and drink for the daily lunch break.)
That's about all that's new for the moment. As usual I have a million and one little things going on, but maybe I'll save them for my next letter. I hope you are all well, in good health, etc. Write soon and tell me what is new with you.
Love, Woody