Market Finds

Some great finds in the Kabou market recently:

1. BVB 09, Dortmund Football Club Hat (80 cents) From when they won the Champion's League!
2. Spiderman sheets for my bed ($2.50)
3. Authentic Hugo Boss Jeans ($3)
4. Random Communist Hammer and Sickle T-Shirt (80 cents)
5. Guitar Hero T-Shirt (80 cents)

Inaugural Kabou Podcast!

Kassie and I decided to start podcasts to share our lives, work, and Togolese culture. We would love any recommendations or questions. Please email anything to me or Kassie!

Podcast 1 - 1.4 MB

Work Update

I guess I've neglected information on my actual work here in Togo. Here's an update:

I'm still teaching English at the high school every Monday and Tuesday. The students are well-disciplined and eager to learn more. One actually asked me for an exam! Hopefully the course will make an impact on their performance taking the BAC in June.

ACM, the Microfinance, and I will be launching a grant proposal to fund our Girls' Student Enterprise Loan Fund. The project will include a week long training "camp", followed by the opportunity to receive a loan without prior savings to start their proposed small income generating activities.

At the bank we are also looking into adding a basic Student Loan service to help those who cannot pay their school fees at the beginning of the year. We will pay the school directly while students and their parents reimburse the bank.

ACM Kara, the PCV in Kara, and I are looking into a large loan to help solve the credit shortage at the bank. There are many clients who want loans, but there isn't always enough to lend. With the new solidarity group method, more capital is needed to fund credit without savings services.

Monthly meetings with those infected with HIV/AIDS in Kabou will continue. This month we will discuss family budgeting. Last month we discussed nutrition and adding Moringa leaves to sauces. Each person took home seeds to start their own Moringa nursery. My six trees are about 2 feet tall after about a month!

On Saturdays, I met with a group of about 10 students interested in learning business skills. After about 10 meetings it is still going strong. The kids are very motivated and are now writing a project plan to bring computers to their high school.

Those are the main things going on in Kabou. Every day is a little bit different so volunteer life is great. I might purchase a TV and antenna so I can watch Champions League matches, EURO 2008, and the upcoming Olympics!

????

Do you think an outdoor bucket bath with your significant other sounds romantic? That means one bucket and two cups. Let me know what you think. There does not seem to be a clear consensus among PCVs...

350 KM: My legs are tired

Sorry for the delay on the blog, but I was gone for "in-service" training and the All Volunteer Conference in Pagala last week. Before that, Peter and I went on a long journey via bicycle from Kabou to the northern capital of Dapaong.

After getting a little off track and some minor bike problems, we didn't make it to our goal of Mango (about 110 km from Kabou) so we stayed in a small village called Tababou. The chief was welcoming, giving us some yams and gari for dinner and allowing us to sleep at the local primary school. The catch was of course that they would like another potable water source. If anybody can install a pump somewhere, go to Tababou!

The next day we got back to the old German colonial road, beautifully lined with large Kapok trees outside of Koumongou. A little later we fjorded the local river and finished the ride to Mango. The next few days, we relaxed a bit and only did about 35 or 40 km each day so we could see the Mango hippos and visit our training-mate Amanda in Barkoisi.

From Dapaong, we took the Peace Corps bush taxi south to Atakpame and continued our bike journey another 90 km to Pagala for training. Training was fun, seeing some other volunteers for the first time since "swear-in" last August. Following the week in Pagala, I went to visit my host mother in Akpare where I feasted every meal for two days and saw the large hydroelectric dam in the neighboring village of Nangbeto. It provides electricity for southern Benin and Togo.

Now it's time to head back to Kabou and start working again! A nice break from life in Kabou.