Sunday, October 25, 2009

Big Project

So here is the biggest project I will do for my whole service. If you would like to donate please do! Here is a link to the website describing the project and how to contribute.

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=688-317

Thank you!!

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Update!

I am doing a lot of work now! We finally got moving on building a production center for the women. It is going to be a huge project, but I really believe the women in my village will be able to make it all come together. I have turned in a proposal for funding which will be on a website for people in the states to donate to. I am asking for a total of $6330. I will post the link to the site when I get it. It will explain the project a little more eloquently and explain how to donate.
I am also working with my friend Emily to make mango drying tables so that when we do mango drying training it will be more successful.
The last project is another big one, "Take Our Daughter's to Work" day. The basic idea behind it is to bring girls from the village to bigger cities to be paired with a professional women for a day. We will also have life skills workshops and trips to local higher level education facilities. Hunter and I are going to first plan and implement this for Kati, a large town, and Bamako, the capital. Then we will make a template for the rest of the regions in Mali so other volunteers can do them in their regional capitals as well.
So I am definitely keeping busy with proposals, meetings and planning!
Of course I'm also having fun too. In a couple of weeks I will be meeting up with other volunteers to celebrate Halloween and visit the most northern part of Mali that safety and security of the Peace Corps will let me.
Here are some pictures I took recently.
This first one is with my coworker's family during their ramadan celebration.

The boys were practicing their karate moves for the camera.
This my best friends daughter, ma, that used to be petrified of me and now she's one of my favorites.




The girls and I took a hike to the hill, mostly just to take pictures. We're doing donkey ears, not bunny ears by the way.



The rainy season makes for some awesome cloud formations.










These are my host family's kids, they're happy I swear.




And the new baby that was born a month before Seth so I think of Seth everytime I play with the littlest prince.






















This is Ma again, she now loves the camera. Here she's eating peanuts and hanging out.







This girl works at my coworker's house and is a really good friend. She about 5'8" and look how tall the grass is in the rainy season!













Just some normal images from Mali, they're drying out the matress because it's really humid.