APR trek #3

On Sunday I travelled up country with Abdoulie, Helen, Jane, and our driver Ba Sarjo. Helen joined us as she wanted to interview women and community members - looking at the value of development work - and wanted to listen in on some APRs to pick out stories and case studies about the impact of VSO.  Jane is a VSO volunteer based in Basse. She jumped at the opportunity of a comfortable ride up country and the chance to avoid public transport.

We set off from Kombos at around 1pm and drove to Sukuta to pick up Abdoulie. Abdoulie’s suitcase came out, and we were told he was ‘just coming’. 30 minutes later we called him to find out what was taking so long, only discover he was at his Brikama house – and we were only there to pick his suitcase! The helpful informant at his compound has been misinformed. So we stepped on the gas and headed to Brikama, ate some benechin at his compound and then finally began our journey for real! Armed with staples such as oranges (bargain from the side of the road – 4 oranges for 5dalasi – usually 1 orange for 5 dalasi in the Kombos!) biscuits and water we motored up the country, calling at a few places en route to deliver or buy firewood, charcoal, supplies from Kombos to family members etc – a usual activity which is repeated on the return journey (cheaper upcountry prices taken advantage of).

We finally reached our accommodation around 9pm and had a quick meal of chicken and chips before retiring for the night. 

Up early the next morning, Adboulie, Helen and I crossed the river in a small boat to get to the WASDA compound. WASDA are one of the partners that I work with on the World Bank / Growth and Competitiveness Agricultural project and although I have met with them many times and worked with them, I had not yet been to their office and compound. It was a lovely agricultural training centre and we were shown around before breakfast.

Small boat across the river, as people washed and prepared
for the day ahead

WASDA comppound

Animal area where animal keeping and husbandry is taught

Mango tree saplings for the agro-forestry course

'Living hedge' saplings

Helen learning about 'heap compost'

And a pit for 'pit compost'

Moringa tree orchard - the leaves and fruits are said
to have great health benefits and are powdered
and added to food, tea and soap

After breakfast of some sweet tea (which I usually have to find a way to give to someone else or discretely pour back into the bucket) and smoked fish and onion baguette, Helen went off to interview some women and I started the Annual Partnership Review workshop. The day went well, with good attendance and participation and we heard some great stories of progress.

My best friend the flip chart

Wrapping up at around 4 we left Basse (crossing the river on the ferry this time, rather than a small boat) and headed to Bansang.

We stayed in Bintou’s Paradise lodge – a familiar place to me as I have stayed there a number of nights now, and I was greeted warmly by the owners and one of their daughters who I shared my book with last time I went. After a relaxing drink by the river we went out for afra and bread, and had a quick chat with Anita Smith – a lady who has been visiting Bansang hospital for 22 years now and has raised significant funds to systematically renovate the hospital… improving the horrific conditions she found on her first visit all those years ago. Helen arranged to do a tour of the hospital with her in the morning, and we all headed off to bed.

The next morning we travelled to the hospital, and as promised Helen met Anita to see the facilities. I started the workshop, which was a slow burner to begin with as the volunteer had already returned to her home country; this often makes the sessions a little bit harder to run. But after a quiet start and some breakfast of omelette, bread and salad (and thankfully tea that I could have black) the group got going and the day went ok.

Leaving Bansang we travelled to Kuntaur and checked in at Kairoh Gardens hotel – a much smarter facility than I was expecting in an otherwise very tired looking village. Helen and I were faced with a difficult choice of taking a room each for 350 dalasi and using outside toilets and showers or taking a room that we could share for 450 dalasi with an attached bathroom (and compost toilet). We figured this was the best deal, until we heard that it was 450 per head not per room… which was a very high price for the accommodation. However, we decided that night time forays to the outside toilet were the least favourable option, so we plumped for the shared room. On later hearing hippos roaring across the river, and staff talking about sighting a snake we decided we had made the best decision!

As we were close by to the Wassu stone circles it felt like a good opportunity for Helen to visit, so we jumped back in the car with Ba Sarjo and went to visit Gambia’s version of Stone Henge.  After a near miss with an old man who fell off his donkey cart alarmingly close to the wheels of our pick-up (heart in mouth moment) we bumped down the road to Wassu and looked around, musically accompanied by a young boy playing the balophone. 

Helen 'laterite' Longworth

Ba Sarjo chilling

On our return we took a walk around the village, trailed by children, and saw groundnuts being loaded into the wharf storage. We saw the Christian side of the village, complete with pig rearing facilities, and the Muslim side of the village, and enjoyed hearing about village life as seen through the eyes of our 20 year old self-appointed tour guide.

We headed back to the accommodation for a cup of Yorkshire tea (!) which Helen had packed with her, complete with milk (which was such a treat) and read, listened to hippos and watched fireflies dancing over the river.

Dinner was provided by Kuntaur Area Council, a delicious bowl of goat stew with bread which Helen, Abdoulie, Ba Sarjo and I shared outside, sitting next to the river.

The session with Kuntaur Area Council was a nice one. The project is new, so although the APR wasn’t able to focus on changes seen we identified all the changes that the group wanted to see, and the aspirations for the year ahead. We started late – around 11:30 – as many had travelled long distances to be there, and the session couldn’t begin until everyone had had a breakfast of sardine and onion sandwiches and tea (tea which had so much sugar in it I actually thought it was liquid honey mixed with milk – my cup went to Abdoulie and Helen’s went out of the window while no one was looking!). We managed to finish at around 2:30/3, had benechin for lunch and then headed home – a 5 hour drive back to the Kombos which got us home at around 9:30pm.