We finished our first project yesterday! Our health center has a water pump out front that has not worked for months. Its been inactive at least as long as I have been in village, and undoubtedly much longer. Apparently, it was fixed once, but then broke again soon after. My village has three pumps, but the only one working properly was at the mayor's office. The health center is near the mayor's office, but it is still quite a walk and when you need water, you need water. So we decided it should be repaired.
We had a meeting on Sunday, the ASACO members (ASACO is the board of community members that oversee happenings at the CSCOM), the CSCOM workers (the CSCOM is my health center), my homologue, Alima and I, and came up with a plan. On Monday, the ASACO president, Sidi, called into San, and by Wednesday, the engineers were in Niasso.
The two engineers, with the help of all male staff of our CSCOM, pulled the pump apart, including the about 80 feet of pipe that they pulled out of the ground. The offensive parts were identified and a price was named. To my surprise, the CSCOM paid for the fixing of the pump with money from the pharmacy. It was a surprise because a lot of times I hear about a village relying on volunteers for money or help with financing. Because we are outsiders, Americans, and seen as aid workers, we must have money that we are just itching to throw out. But this time, Ba, my pharmacist, suggested that the funds be provided by the pharmacy, which everyone else agreed on.
By the time the men were putting the pump back together, new parts and all, a small crowd had gathered. Boys from the middle school had come to watch the activity, and stood grouped around the pump, transfixed by the parts and tools and action. When the pump was finally finished, the kids were filling up any bucket they could find just to have a chance to try the "new" pump.
A day later, I am still excited about the project and how smoothly it all went. It was uncharacteristic for Malians to take such initiative. As a true procrastinator, even I had thought we'd be waiting around on the project for weeks. But now it is done, and everyone is so proud of their work. I am proud them, too.
We had a meeting on Sunday, the ASACO members (ASACO is the board of community members that oversee happenings at the CSCOM), the CSCOM workers (the CSCOM is my health center), my homologue, Alima and I, and came up with a plan. On Monday, the ASACO president, Sidi, called into San, and by Wednesday, the engineers were in Niasso.
The two engineers, with the help of all male staff of our CSCOM, pulled the pump apart, including the about 80 feet of pipe that they pulled out of the ground. The offensive parts were identified and a price was named. To my surprise, the CSCOM paid for the fixing of the pump with money from the pharmacy. It was a surprise because a lot of times I hear about a village relying on volunteers for money or help with financing. Because we are outsiders, Americans, and seen as aid workers, we must have money that we are just itching to throw out. But this time, Ba, my pharmacist, suggested that the funds be provided by the pharmacy, which everyone else agreed on.
By the time the men were putting the pump back together, new parts and all, a small crowd had gathered. Boys from the middle school had come to watch the activity, and stood grouped around the pump, transfixed by the parts and tools and action. When the pump was finally finished, the kids were filling up any bucket they could find just to have a chance to try the "new" pump.
A day later, I am still excited about the project and how smoothly it all went. It was uncharacteristic for Malians to take such initiative. As a true procrastinator, even I had thought we'd be waiting around on the project for weeks. But now it is done, and everyone is so proud of their work. I am proud them, too.
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