New Blog!

Hey everybody, as I'm sure you've heard, blogger will be no more in a few months time.  I will be continuing to document my Peace Corps adventure on the following blog:

http://priniandthepeacecorps.wordpress.com/

Thanks guys!

Community Needs Assessment: Belel

Introduction:

The purpose of the Community Needs Assessment (CNA) is to help inform the Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV) working in their particular village, along with other individuals, organizations, committees, and etc. of general information about the village, resources available, perceived needs of the village, and possible projects that could benefit the village.  The CNA will help the PCV to better understand their village and be a more effective volunteer. 

The information presented in this CNA was collected by interviews with various Villagers and village elders. Two main methods were utilized to collect information about the community, house to house interviews and formal and informal meetings.  Meetings were held with the village leaders – the headmaster of the primary school and High School and the director of the Health Center.

The CNA will be shared with Sous Prefect, the mayor, the traditional authority, the divisional delegate of youth, the school’s principal and vice principal.

Community Profile

General Information: the village of Belel is located within the Vina District in the Eastern Adamawa.  The story that most villagers tell about the founding and naming of Belel is this; 78 years ago, a Shepherd named Yaya AbuBakar was walking around with his cattle when he came across a lake.  He named this lake Mbellah.  After this day, he came back often with his cattle and soon began to build the Grande Mosque.

Transportation/Communication/Basic Services: Available methods of transportation in and around Belel are Bush taxis, Motorcycles and two Bus agencies; the National Voyages and Narral Voyages that have busses leave Belel, traveling to Ngaoundere every morning.  There are also trucks available for the villagers to ride that pass daily but times are at random.As of now electricity is not present within Belel.  For the wealthier residents, Generators are used between 6:00PM and 10:00PM.  There are no landlines in Belel but MTN cell phone service is available throughout most of the village.  

Population: Total Population of Belel as of 2012: estimated at 3700

 Table 1: Population of Belel Based on Data from the Health Center

0-1 years old	0-5 years old	<15 years old	Adolescent Women
164	739	1790	944

Education

Currently there is a Primary School and a Kindergarten located within Belel and a High School 3KM from Belel.    Based on the meeting with the Vice Principal there are four main reasons students stop attending school early pregnancy, the little awareness of the importance of education, the responsibilities of the child at home, various illnesses and lack of money.  There are no other opportunities for early school leavers to learn technical skills. 

Economic and Agricultural Assessment

The main forms of income generating work in Belel are Agriculture and raising livestock.  There are no large employers within Belel.  There are multiple small boutiques opened daily.  There are no restaurants or bars, however, on market day there are a few Mamas that sell few food items.  Most farmers sell their produce on Wednesday, which is market day in Belel, The crops farmed in Belel are okra, maize, Pistachio, yeast, beans, sweet potatoes, and millet.  The animals raised are goats, cows, sheep and chickens.  Families farm more than one crop but generally sell one or two at the market, the rest the family uses for consumption. 

The family members involved in farming are the teenagers and adults (mainly men), the children also participate in farm work.

Environmental Assessment

                The environment within and surrounding Belel is mountainous and very lush.  Various farms occupy the slopes of the mountains, South of Belel.  With a forest to the North habiting various trees and plants.  As of now, there are no current projects in place relating to the environment.  The environment overall seems to have little problems.   

                Villagers use the same water source for bathing, drinking, cooking, and cleaning.  The two sources of water in Belel are Wells and Water Pumps.  All water sources are natural ground water and within Belel there are two Water Pumps and numerous Wells.  People know they should boil Well water before drinking but from observations they do not.  The main method of disposing of inorganic waste is digging and burning, organic waste is burned or thrown outside.

Health and Well-Being Assessment

                There is little to no knowledge, skills, or attitudes related to HIV/AIDS or training in HIV/AIDS awareness.  Interventions needed are to educate the community members about HIV/AIDS – general information, how it is transmitted, how to protect oneself, and how to live a healthy life if infected.  The most common diseases or sicknesses affecting the villagers are diarrhea, acute respiratory tract infection (ARTI), pneumonia, malaria, various skin infections, intestinal worms, and HIV/AIDS.  The most common diseases and sicknesses affecting children are diarrhea, pneumonia, malnutrition, kwashiorkor, and marasmus.

                There is a health center located in Belel, however; it does cost money to receive medical attention which stops people from coming.  Concern has been expressed by the doctor and nurses with the amount of women who opt to deliver babies in their home as opposed to the health center without medical attention. 

Community Resources/Assets

There are currently no active village level organizations.  There are multiple organizations that are inactive; The Primary school has clubs that meet every Monday 7:30AM.  The clubs are: Sports, Bilingualism, Reading, Health, Friends of Nature, IT/Communications (theory) and News.  There are no fees to join these clubs and are open to all Primary School students. 

                Also present within Belel is a football field, located infront of the Primary School and a Health Center.  There are no traditional healers or Non-government Organizations (NGOs) within Belel.  United Nations International Children’s Education Fund (UNICEF) was said to have donated supplies to the schools, but no other information was provided.  The ethnic groups present in Belel are Fulbe (70%) and Mboum (30%).  The PCV has met with the religious leader and he is very excited and supportive to be working with the PCV. 

Analysis and Recommendations

Analysis

Based on the house to house interviews and various informal meetings with villagers and leaders the community of Belel faces many challenges in the areas of health, environment, and educations.  Belel faces a problem with malnutrition based on interviews, house visits and observations.  Sanitation practices such as washing hands and correct water preparation are rarely practiced and this may be due to a lack of knowledge.  A common concern expressed among villagers is the lack of knowledge and understanding of HIV/AIDS.

                Environment challenges faced are deforestation due to non-energy efficient cooking practices.  Education is a challenge for children as well as adults.  Another challenge is the number of youth that do not attend school or that leave school at a very young age.  Parents have expressed their concern about this matter.  There is a lack of teachers and teaching practices at both the schools.  Both schools have expressed their need for more, qualified teachers .  Many adults of Belel have not attended school past Primary School and have expressed their concern about their lack of education.  Another challenge facing education is that of those who do not attend school or have left school early is because of early marriage and also because of the lack of general education, technical skills, and life skills.

Existing Community Projects

Currently there are no community projects identified or in place in the village of Belel.

Possible Projects and Activities

Health Projects:

1.       HIV/AIDS education, testing, and counseling need to be addressed.  as of now, villagers cannot be tested or counseled within Belel.  This will be addressed by sensitizing village elders and community leaders with the help of_______________. The PCV will provide classes to educate villagers about HIV/AIDS.  This will be conducted by the PCV with help from ___________

2.       Education on water sanitation and consumption is needed.  Based on observations and interviews, villagers know that water from the Forage is safer to drink than water from Wells, however it is not practiced.  Drinking water is also not common practice so the education on the many benefits of drinking water is needed.  The PCV is capable of addressing this issue without outside funding and assistance

Education Projects:

1.       Starting a club at the High School where the PCV will teach about Life Skills and HIV/AIDS.  This will be conducted by the PCV with help from the PCV’s Postmate and Counterpart.

2.       Starting a program to help educate out of school youth addressing Life Skills, HIV/AIDS, and technical skills.  This will be conducted by the PCV using outside help to teach technical skills and outside funding may be used.

Other Projects:

1.       Currently there is no orphan and vulnerable children group; this is a problem because they may not be getting the help they need.  The PCV will meet with the children and adults to start a group to help educate and support children.  This will be done by the PCV and outside help without funding.

2.       A People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) group needs to be started to help educate, support and bring awareness not only to PLWHA but also fellow community members.  This will be done by the PCV with Stephanie Kouna, the Director of the Health Center.

My first full Month in Belel!

I have officially (successfully) completed my first month at village. Yay! The journey up to Belel was brutal.  There were many times on that awful unpaved road that I thought I was going to die. (*Side note: There are many things I’ve learned about using public transportation here in Cameroon, most importantly, there is nothing that cannot be put on top of a car, cows and goats included).  Belel is a very rural village located in the Eastern part of the Adamawa region, around 120km from the regional capital, Ngaoundere.  Belel has a population of 2000-3000.  The main ethnic group (70%) is an extremely conservative Muslim tribe called the Fulbe.  In Belel, only about 30% of the population speaks French, the rest speak Fulfulde, which is this crazy language that I have to learn if I want any success as a volunteer.    

I am living without running water or electricity, and I love it! I live in a beautiful little house right in front of the Grand Mosque.  I have a small living room, a bedroom and an indoor latrine.  I also have a small room attached to the side of my house that has its own entrance.  I’m hoping to make this room my kitchen.

I wake up at 4:30am to the sound of Prayer Call from the Grand Mosque, but I stay in bed reading by candle light or listening to music until 6:30, that’s when I get out of bed and begin my day.  I’m usually in bed by 8:00 and fast asleep by 8:30.  As comfortable I am living without basic amenities, I’m still freaked out to use my latrine at night. 

I live in the poorest part of my village, that means that most of the children do not (and have never) attended school, also my neighborhood women are not allowed to leave the house, ever. 

Belel is very, very poor, most of the people here live in traditional homes (which consist of mud walls and thatch roofs), and though we have a high school, majority of the youth do no attend.  For all the obvious problems that jump out at me as I walk through the streets (e.g.  Poor sanitation and lack of hygiene, idle youth, young mothers and neglected children), something has to be said about the kindness of the people here.   When I say that the people here have nothing, I literally mean they have nothing, but if I happen to be walking by a compound at lunch time and someone sees me, they will, without a doubt invite me in for lunch.  They don’t have very much, but what little they do have, they will share.  There is an awesome phrase used here in Cameroon; “Nous sommes ensembles” which means “we are together”.   It’s a phrase used often, but with extreme heart.  I feel that these three words completely describe what it means to live communally; we’re in this together, you’re suffering is my suffering, your loss is my loss, but also, your joy is my joy and a success for you is a success for us all.

There are many things I’m grateful for; one is definitely that I am not a Health Volunteer.  Our health centre looks like a torture chamber/storage room.  I’ve always thought nurses were superstars, and that’s in the States, but over here, they’re like gods, my village has no doctors, just nurses, and I once saw a woman give birth at night in the health centre, and because we have no electricity, this male nurse delivered this baby with his phone in his mouth, with the flashlight on.  I didn’t sleep for two nights. 

 Something else that we have had to get used as volunteers is Sexual harassment.  It is so commonplace for us that we expect it from every man we meet.  Here is a sampling of what I get to hear every day:

“I just want to hear your voice.”  “I want to marry an American by the end of the year.” “You are passing two years here with me, so I will pass two years in America with you.” “How will you be spending the night?” “Who are spending the night with?” or my personal favourite, “You will be my second (third or fourth) wife”

These are things we all hear so regularly that it’s easy to ignore and tune out.  But when you’re having a bad day, and this older man says that he must accompany you because you are a woman and woman cannot be “allowed” to wander without a male escort or she will lose respect in the village, I get angry.  I know I shouldn’t let it get to me, but it does.  Most of the time I hold my head up and keep walking, but sometimes when I feel the man is getting insistent; I address it (loudly).  Then I go home, call a Volunteer friend and vent about it, chances are, if it’s a girl, something similar has happened to her in the past week.   

This being said, I feel very safe and happy in my village.  I know a lot of female volunteers who get harassed by their landlords, village leaders, both religious and political, and other big wigs in village.  I do not have that problem at all.  I live in a family compound; the father passed away 2 years ago, and is survived by his mother, 3 wives, 18 children and multiple grandchildren.  My landlord is the eldest son, his name is Aliou and he’s 19.  He’s also one of the sweetest, mild-mannered Cameroonian men I’ve ever met.  He stays out of my way and never bothers me, but when I do see him, he always smiles and asks if I’m okay, if there are any problems with the house and if anyone is bothering me in village.  I have integrated completely into their family.  I eat most meals with them and spend all my free time playing with the younger kids and talking to the older ones.

My Jarro (Religious leader) is called Ada, he is in his 40s which is very rare, as most religious leaders are very old.  But he’s so awesome; he sits on a mat outside of the Mosque and just chills there.  I ride my bike down there plenty of times just to say hey.  He has no problem with the fact that I’m a woman, and we sit together and talk about the village.  I asked him what he thinks are the major problems affecting the youth of Belel, and he told me things like early pregnancy and drugs (which are both true).  We’ve spent many afternoons discussing the best ways to teach Sexual Reproductive Health.  Also, everytime he sees me, he asks me if anyone is bothering me or giving me a hard time.  Remember this is the Religious leader; I could not have gotten any luckier.

Because Belel is predominantly Muslim, the men don’t drink, and if they do they feel honte (shame), so they’ll do it in the privacy of their homes.  This is a nice change of pace from Bafia, where you could smell whisky in the air by 8 in the morning. 

I have had many interesting conversations with different village women about the number of children women have.  People are always a little surprised to find that I’m 21 and unmarried, but it blows their mind that I have zero children.  One woman asked me how many siblings I had, and when I told her it was just Uj and I she said “just two girls? Don’t your parents want a son?” and I was like what for? My sister and I are both intelligent, independent women who love, respect and care for our parents, what more could parents ask for? And I kid you not, her exact words were “then how will the community know the wealth of your family” I was like woman, you’re breaking my heart, your 3 year old daughter is already less important than the brother(s) she doesn’t even have yet.  I told her that she needs to tell her kid everyday that she is just as important and capable as a man, and that she has her mothers support. 

[Remember all this talking, I’m doing in French (I also do this obnoxious thing where if I don’t know the French word for something, I’ll say the word in English but with a heavy French accent, hoping it translates), so they nod and smile a lot when I’m talking, but I don’t know if they actually understand me]. 

A funny parting story for you:

My post mate Michael has this bad habit of saying ‘oho’ every time someone talks to him in Fulfulde,’ oho’ means ‘yes’.  So we’ll be sitting together and this mama will be talking to us and he’ll be smiling really brightly, nodding his head and saying “oho, oho” to her, and in English he’ll say to me, “I have no idea what she’s saying..” most of the time this is fine, but one time he said “oho” to something and unknowingly committed to something.  T he Fulbe people have a holiday called the Fete du Mutton, which is the second biggest Muslim holiday after Ramadan; Michael was aware that this was a very big day for the village, so he followed the villagers to an open field we have in front of the primary school.  He was standing amongst the villagers, when he was called, by name, by the Jarro (the religious leader), who was standing in the centre of the circle with other village officials.  As he approached the Jarro, a sheep was brought to him.  The Jarro then brought out a large, blunt knife and handed it to Michael.  Michael stood there, in front of our entire village and elders, with a knife in his hand, still not understanding what was being asked of him, so he looked to his counterpart, who pointed to the sheep and slid his finger across his throat.  Uh oh!  He had unwittingly agreed to slaughter the first sheep of the festival, which is an extremely hugely honor, so he did it, in front of everybody.  Yikes!