Life and AIDS Work in NorthWest Cameroon

Traditional Wedding

Last Saturday I attended a traditional wedding, which takes place at night and lasts until the following dawn.  The groom picked me up at 8pm on his third trip of hauling firewood from his house to the bride’s house about 8 km away, or a half an hour's walk.   He was accompanied by about 8 friends carrying firewood, and we walked mostly in the dark with occasional illumination by flashlights, crossing what sounded like 4 waterfalls, but must have been just streams filled to the brink with the recent rains.

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Here in Cameroon it is the bridegroom’s responsibility to pay for most of the costs associated with the wedding.   The amount the groom is expected to give to the bride’s family varies.  If I understood correctly, it is determined by how much the bride’s mother’s family received when she got married.  But it also increases with a bride’s education level.  So, some men marry women with lower education levels and then have them continue education after marriage because they can not afford to marry a women with a university degree.

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For this particular wedding, Erik had to get together the following:

s         10 tins (250 liters or about 60 gallons) of palm oil

s         A barrel of meat

s         100,000 FCFA (about $2,000) in cash

s         As much firewood as the groom’s friends can bring

s         A "married woman's outfit" for the bride to wear after the wedding so people know she is no longer available

Another important aspect of a traditional wedding is the comedian who keeps the older females in the bride’s family entertained during the long evening of food preparations.  (The men sit in a separate hut where they talk and listen to music cassettes.) 

Here is the comedian greeting the bride's grandmother and beginning a long string of bawdy jokes to keep the elder ladies flattered and entertained.  The women on the right are cooking a big kettle of fufu corn to feed all the guests, about 200 hundred people.

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It is a tradition to slaughter a chicken at a wedding.  Before doing so the comedian put it on his head then asked it a lot of questions and interpreted its clucks.  The meat from this one chicken was then shared with the 50 people that were in the house of the women.

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Here Eric (the groom) and Elizabeth (the bride) share a bite of fufu and djamajama the traditional staple food around here.   Note they keep their head bowed during all of the ceremony.

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Here is Elizabeth (in the beads) and her bridesmaids posing for pictures after the ceremony was over and they could show their faces.  During the wedding itself there was a "roast" of each one of them as well as of the groomsmen.

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For the last couple of weeks, Erik has been excited about the wedding but also agitated and stressed about getting all this together while at the same time trying to finish up a small house that he was building in his parents compound for him to live in with his new bride. I supported him by buying one tin of palm oil. He was so happy he skipped around the shed we were working. (He is the one running the market outreach program in Belo.) Giving gifts to locals is always controversial, because you do not want to provoke envy and or floods of requests from others, but Eric's little happy dance made it all worth it.

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At the wedding, corn beer was served (sparingly) but who needs lots of alcohol, when you are allowed to doze off in the ceremony without embarrassment.   Here the appetizers of Kola nuts, popcorn, and yam are being served.

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Update on Joel and profiles of other orphans in Belo

Good news!!

Joel, the orphan described in the previousl post, has been sponsored and will have the cost of his education and medical care paid.  But there are other orphans needing help.  I have posted another profile below.  If you want more information or want to help, please contact Andrew Berger Seed at berudep@yahoo.com.   

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NAME: Glory Xxxxxxxxxx

AGE:  2

HISTORY: Glory and her baby sister Bernice were with their mother when the police arrested her. The mother was taken away by the police and the kids passed to a member of the crowd. The lady in crowd has been looking after the girls since January 2006 as no relatives can be traced. The mother is in prison serving a sentence for murder for having an abortion.

MEDICAL HISTORY/SPECIAL NEEDS: No major problems however is malnourished.

SCHOOL ATTENDED: N/A

CURRENT EDUCATION/PROGRESS: N/A

BROTHERS/ SISTERS:  Bernice (sister) age 1

COMMENTS:  As Gloryis is only 2 years old and her sister is still a baby it is a heavy burden on Prudencia Nange. Prudencia is a widow and has 4 children of her own. As her husband is dead she has no income to support 2 extra abandoned children. She has had to take her own children out of school to help pay for the 2 extra mouths to feed.
                                      
HOST FAMILY PROFILE                                           

HOST PARENT’S NAME :  Prudencia Nange                                                                            

AGE:  47

PROFFESSION:  Mother of 4 and has a small farm however has not been able to attend to the farm as she has been looking after the abandoned babies. Prudencia’s husband died a few years ago. Her and her children now live with her mother and her stepfather.

RELIGION: Christian

OTHER FAMILY MEMBERS:  2 sons, 21 and 9 years old; 2 daughters, 15 and 13 years old

ADDRESS: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

LOCATION: Njinikejem

TELPHONE NUMBER: None

DISTANCE FROM BELO: 40 mins walk

DISTANCE FROM SCHOOL: N/A

COMMENTS:

Sponsoring young Glory will secure her a future with Prudencia and allow Prudencia to afford the school fees for her own children again. As Glory is only two years old the sponsor will be able follow her through life as her God parent and really see the help they are giving. They will be able to follow the progress of Glory as a toddler, through primary school and graduate as a mature student

COST:

3 pounds 62 pence per week (excluding university fund)

4 pounds 23 pence per week (including university fund)

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I have attached one more profile as a word document.  Additional profiles as well as a detailed project description can be obstinaed by contacting Andy at berudep@yahoo.com.

Download orphan_profileb005blaise1.doc

The story of Joel and an orphan support project

In the nearby village of Belo, there is a volunteer who is writing profiles of orphans in the community.  I was impressed by the comprehensiveness of the needs assessment and the thoroughness of the project plan and wanted to share it with all of you.  Although it is difficult to hear the stories of such children, it is heartening to know that people are working hard to help them.

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The profile below was written by Andrew Berger Seed of BERUDEP, and he can be reached at berudep@yahoo.com.

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NAME: Joel Xxxxx

AGE: 9

HISTORY: Joel’s mother had four fatherless children out of wedlock. The mother and four children lived with Joel’s Grandfather and Grandmother. When the Grandfather (provider for the house) died the traditional succession process was followed. The grandfather’s brother had to take on the Grandmother as a wife and provide for her family. He moved into the compound with his two other wives and children. When he died the succession went to the third brother of the original Grandfather. The current Husband and provider lives in the S/W province and rarely visits. Two months ago Joel’s mother died. Joel’s Grandmother is the sole Guardian of the 4 children now and is in bad health. Also living in the compound are the three children of the second successor’s first wife who also died recently. The oldest child takes care of the two young ones and also has a four month old fatherless baby herself.  The last member living in the compound is the second wife of the second successor. Her child is almost grown up and living in another province.

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MEDICAL HISTORY/SPECIAL NEEDS: None

SCHOOL ATTENDED:  None

CURRENT EDUCATION/PROGRESS:  Has completed primary 2 but his Grandmother cannot afford future fees. Would like to do full education.

BROTHERS/ SISTERS

Emmaculate – 19 years old educated up to primary six – will be provider for family when Grandmother dies.

Kelvin - 15 years old and currently lives with an Aunt in the S/W province. He is healthy and has his education paid for him by his Aunt.                                         

Eugene- 11 years old and has completed primary 4. He has been staying in the care of his Aunt in the S/W province since his mother died. He will be returning at the end of the school holidays.

COMMENTS: This is a high priority case where a young child cannot go to school because he has no family members left who are able to pay the school fees. If he should become sick or need any medical treatment it could prove fatal.                                                                    

HOST FAMILY PROFILE                                                                                     

HOST PARENT’S NAME: Veronica Fichcai                                                                   

AGE: 65+

PROFFESSION: Works farm when able however can barely walk.

RELIGION: Christian

FAMILY STRUCTURE: 

GRANDFATHER (dead)                  

GRAND MOTHER

MOTHER (dead)

FATHER (absent)                  

GRANDFATHER's 2^nd SUCCESOR (dead)

GRANDFATHER's 3rd SUCCESOR (dead)                                                   

FATHER'S 1^st WIFE

FATHER's 2nd WIFE (dead)                                                                                                      

4 CHILDREN (no father)                            

3 CHILDREN of GRANDFATHER's 2nd wife

1 INFANT (child of eldest daughter – no father)

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ADDRESS: xxxxxxxxxx

DISTANCE FROM BELO: 10 mins walk

DISTANCE FROM SCHOOL: 15 mins walk

COMMENTS: We would like to sponsor all 3 children living with Grandma plus the other 3 children living on their own from the second successors first wife.

COST: 3 pounds 78 pence per week

Slip Sliding Away

It is now in the heart of the rainy season here, which  means that the mornings are usually sunny and warm, but at about 1 or 2 every afternoon it starts raining.   The downpour continues off and on for most of the afternoon and evening, leaving the road into town a slippery slope of red clay bumps.  I am getting better at walking in the mud, but last week I slipped and fell flat on my rear three days in a row.

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Mud in the market. 

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Loading up the taxi after market day.  The sacks are filled with used clothes.

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This picture can not capture the thundering roar of rain on a tin roof.  It is loud enough to drown out a hell and brimstone sermon in a Baptist church (which is where and when I took this picture.)

Street Scenes

This weekend I went to Kumbo, the second largest town in the North West Province, to meet with another Peace Corps volunteer who works on small business development.  I needed her help to review the book-keeping and inventory system for the tailor workshop for people living with HIV/AIDS.

The road to Kumbo passes through a large valley surrounded by a series of vertiginous volcanic ridges.  It was about a 4 hour drive along the bumpy dirt roads, but at least I did not have to get out and push the vehicle as they have to do in other parts of Cameroon.

Here are some scenes from the road.

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Kumbo has seen a fair amount of urban development as measured in multi-storied cement buildings, supermarkets, internet cafes, and a plethora of photocopy and international exchange places where you can wire/or receive money from relatives working in Europe or the US.  There are also two major hospitals and scores of expatriates working on everthing from health care to the eradication of child labor and child trafficking.

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Cab driver posing in front of an office complex with an internet cafe, a Western Union office, photocopy shop, hardware store, and other business offices.

Another important sign of development: a dumpster at the market

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Left: Cathedral in "Squares," the main gathering place in Kumbo.

Right: Chicken in drainage ditch.

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Even in the towns, there are still lots of areas for growing corn and bananas and herding coats.

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Scenes from the Mobil station in Bamenda where I can buy delicious passionfruit yogurt and catch a shared taxi back to Njinikom.

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"If you want to develop a village, invest in women"

On Sunday,  I hiked up to the village of a co-worker, F. Paul, to meet with a women's group there.  He spent his first 11 years in that small village before moving to a larger town to go to secondary school.  The village was about an hour long hike up into the hills off the paved road.  On the way, we passed four waterfalls and many cornfields with "jujus" in them to prevent theft and witchcraft.

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F. Paul en route.  Note waterfall on the left.

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Before we met with the women's group, we presented ourselves to the second class chief and offered him some wine as is customary when initiating work in a new village.  The second class chief used to be a school teacher and was interested to know if there were any indigenous languages in the US besides English.  (Cameroon has more than 200 indigenous languages.)

He was pleased that we were planning to work with the local women's group.  As he said, "If you want to develop a village, invest in women."  Ah,  how did he know that was a fast way to my heart?

In the photo below you can see F. Paul, the second class chief, his counselors, as well as some of the fabulous carvings that were in the house where the traditional council meets.  I wish I had also taken pictures of the outside of the council house, which had many more beautifully engraved pillars.  But on Sunday, I wanted to concentrate on meeting the people first.

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In the house of the traditional council: From left to right: F. Paul, the second class chief, and three quarter heads.  The man in the blue shirt is F. Paul's older brother, Linus.

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Here is the women's group greeting us with a song.  F.Paul is on the right, smiling because as a "son of the soil" he is eager to help the people of his village.

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Three members of the women's group.  The group has about 40 members, and they have been together for 11 years.  It  is a group that uses the traditional "njangi" system.  Every week, the women make a small contribution, say of one or two dollars.  Once a month, the group chooses one women and gives her all the money they have collected to buy her something she needs:  farm tools, a barrel of palm oil to sell in a home business, or ingredients for making soap.

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Me with F. Paul's niece and mother.  I am trying to get the little girl to smile.  As you can see, this is a culture where personal space is very small, and you quickly get used to sitting extremely close togher.

Fashion!

One of the great things about West Africa is the flair for fashion.  In this area, people wear a mixture of modern and traditional styles, mixed with creative abandon.  I fit right in with my bright colors and big, bold prints, or at least I think I do.

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McDonald, or as he likes to be known "Snoop McYang."  He runs the adherence clinic for HIV/AIDS patients on antiretrovirals.   

Here he is dressed in his Sunday best, having brunch with us after attending the Baptist service. 

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Urban lady in fancy outfit

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Urban cowboy, Cameroonian style.   Slip on cowboy boots, western shirt with zipper instead of buttons.  Cool!

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Young damsel in traditional outfit.  This is the niece of a co-worker, here in Njinikom for a summer holiday in the mountains.

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Here I am posing in my favorite outfit: a "wrapper" created out of fabric commemorating international women's day and hot pink slides.  The fabric has great illustrations of women in all sorts of professions: soldier, judge, police, computer worker as well as inspiring slogans such as "women fight corruption."

When the going gets rough...

As some of you already know, the last two weeks have been very stressful for me.   First I observed an abstinence only HIV/AIDS training for youth club leaders, which included false information about condoms and a fair amount of moralizing which implied that HIV/AIDS is linked to laziness and other sinful attitudes.  I am doing what I can to remedy the situation, but it is very draining and disturbing to witness this.

Then on Monday, I was suddenly and inexplicably moved from one house to a far more rustic one, which although it is much larger than my previous place, smells strongly of mold, has no toilet seat, no refrigerator, and almost no kitchen supplies.  Instead of a view of mountains in my backyard, I now look out onto 4 outhouses.

So what to do when the going gets rough?  Go shopping of course!

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Fabric shopping with Ingrid, a friend of Shannon's, here for a 4 week visit.

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I am babysitting the cats of the two Catholic missionaries who are now living in my former room.  Here is one posing on one of my new fabrics. 

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Here is the other kitten playing on the other fabric that I bought.

Scenes from Youth Training

Mapping the risky spots in Mughef, including the bars, coffee plantations, markets and other places where people meet to arrange extramarital sex.

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Talking about the dangers that youths fear to encounter on the road to adulthood

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Youths discussing about how to apply communication and decision-making skills to the problem of unplanned pregnancy.

Making Napkins

This Monday, there was a sewing workshop for one of the support groups for people living with HIV/AIDS.  The purpose of the workshop was to teach them some skills that would help them pay for their medications

One of the activities was learning to make napkins, which could be sold to the many foreign visitors and volunteers who come to Njinikom.  The first day, the participants struggled with the machines which seemed to eat the fabric alive, skipping stitches, bunching up in ugly puckers, only to dissolve in other places.  No way would a foreign visitor buy a set for $10 even if their bleeding heart was hemoraging.

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So, today, I tried a different approach, sewing by hand. 

Here is the facilitator of the support group, Jean Bernard, giving it a try.

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Everyone seemed to grasp it really quickly, which was encouraging.  But what was discouraging was the strong smell of cheap booze wafting from the official trainer (not pictured).  And it was not even 11am.   The person in charge will talk to the trainer to make sure it does not happen again, especially on Thursday, when we have visitors from UNICEF Andorra stopping by.

Goat-raising for family caregivers of AIDS orphans

Project Hope has a pilot project with Heifer International in which the family caregivers of AIDS orphans are given five goats and training in how to house, feed, and care for them.  Goats have about 3 litters a year, and the idea is that these caregivers sell them and use the money to pay for the food, clothes, school fees, and medical expenses of the AIDS orphans that they are taking care of.

The goats are fed banana leaves, which have a natural ingredient that prevents diarrhea.  One of the interesting parts of this program is the ethno-vet program....growing herbs that serve as natural antibiotics and other medicines.

This old man is one of the caregivers, and in the background is Augustin, who runs the project Hope's program for AIDS orphans and other vulnerable children.

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Hilda from Heifer International and Augustin in the process of doing a participatory evaluation of the goat raising project for the caregivers of AIDS orphans.  The group listed their goals from the past year and then used beans to vote on how they did on each objective. 

For each objective, (for example, improve family nutrition, improve income, raise more goats, etc.) each person in the caregiver support group voted whether the activity was in "seed" phase (a good idea that had not yet sprouted); seedling (small initial activity); tree; or fruiting tree (the activity was benefiting community members.

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Goat shed used to shelter the goats from the rain.