Picture updates

I kinda like the simplicity of the picture blog, and my brain is just too hot and fuzzy to write a full post, so here are some of the highlights of the last week or so. 

Busy busy beach!

This is the time of year for Gambians to make the most of the beach

The beach is the place to see and be seen

Watching the world cup

Home-made mango sorbet - yum!

Another go at kabbar - a sour fruit
with chili and sugar

Fancy looking Nigerian food - egusi and draw with pounded yam

Birthday celebrations for Laura - sitting in the boot of the car!

Hello moon - Ramadan begins

Cycling tips in The Gambia

Things I have learned while cycling in The Gambia;

• Just because someone is getting in a van (minibus) or a shared taxi that appears to have pulled up on the side of the road don't assume the driver won't suddenly pull out in front of you. The entering person and / or apprentice will simply run alongside the van until they can jump in, while the driver merrily swings out onto the road in front of your bicycle. 
• It's best to try and cycle with very straight arms, not with a slight bend in your elbows. This is because the cars come so close to you, you risk being bumped if your elbows are even slightly sticking out.  
• A bumpster will still try and shake your hand while you are cycling. 
• A child will still ask for a sweet or a pen when you are cycling past. Even if you are cycling quite fast. 
• Instead of shouting out 'hey boss lady I like the way you walk' men will now shout 'hey boss lady, good driving'. 
• At least once a week someone will ask you to give them your bicycle... while you are riding it. 
• At least once every two weeks a taxi driver will ask you if you want a lift... while you are cycling. 
• If your tyres are getting a bit flat people will shout 'sorry eh... your tyre your tyre your tyre...' as you cycle past them and won't stop until you feel shamed into going and getting it pumped up (5 dalasi / 7 pence at the bike repair shop). 
• Cars will drive straight towards you on the wrong side of the road and still look surprised to see you in front of them. 
• You must always be prepared to be 'run off the road'. This is especially fun where the sandy 'pavement' is a foot drop down from the edge of the road. 
• Dogs, goats, pigs, cats, donkeys, small children and grown adults may walk out in front of your bike at any moment. 
• Cycling here requires 100% concentration, even on the shortest and quietest of journeys! 

A productive working week

This week has been very productive! 

On Monday I finished off the evaluation report for the Training of Trainers session that we ran the other week at Jenoi. By asking participants to assess and rate their knowledge before and after the training session we saw that overall the training had a positive impact on the knowledge levels of the participants.

For example, we asked the extension workers to rate their understanding of modern agricultural techniques in groundnut farming on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being poor and 5 being excellent) and found that on average they rated their knowledge at a higher level after the training compared to before - which is always a relief! 

1 being poor and 5 being excellent
(FFS = Farmer Field Schools)

As I expected, the extension workers' baseline knowledge of monitoring and evaluation was lower than their knowledge of farming, but thankfully when I looked at the percentage increase between pre-training knowledge and post-training knowledge of M&E techniques I saw a significant rise:

Generating data  for planning, Monitoring & Evaluation of improved agricultural techniques in ground nut farming;	% increase in knowledge
Qualitative & quantitative methods for monitoring and evaluation of agricultural practices	22.7%
Developing data collection tools	26.4%
Deciding data collection methods & tools	26.4%
Designing baseline indicators to collect data on	26.4%
Collecting monitoring data	30.9%

Because we want the extension workers to cascade what they have learned through further training I always ask them about their confidence to go on and train others. From the evaluation I can see that the participants now feel more confident to go on and train lead farmers in the key topics that we trained them on: 

1 being poor and 5 being excellent

Then on Tuesday I put together a framework for how we are going to measure the impact of the step down training and the results of our work at field level. It felt like Abdoulie and I had really firmed up what we were doing, and could start to see the logical flow of work, based on all the preparation that we have done so far. And as part of the framework I managed to produce some nice little diagrams to brighten up the document! 

On Wednesday I started updating our results framework for the groundnut project, and on Thursday I attended volcom - the volunteer committee meeting. We have a revolving chair and secretary for the meeting and this time it was my turn to be secretary. After the meeting I managed to get the minutes written up that afternoon. 

And so today, Friday, I feel rather satisfied - and very ready to start the weekend! 

My week in pictures

Grilled lamb on the beach -
a perfect Sunday evening

Mango salad with homegrown lettuce -
the antidote to rainy season

My cheeky neighbour

A Jalimadi concert, and dancing in the rain

I took a video but it won't upload. Visit www.jalimadimusic.com for a listen to the music.

Bits and bobs (and muscles!)

New walking route
Feeling the need to shake off the sedentary few days of the Training of Trainers workshop, I took a walk on Friday afternoon with Ellie. We walked from Fajara to Cape Point, a route I hadn't done in full before as it depends entirely on the tide. Most of the time the route is inaccessible, but at low tide you can get round - with a bit of scrambling over rocks in parts. It was an interesting walk, past some nice rock formations and quiet coves, and it was a relief to feel the cool sea breeze. 

Once at Cape Point we called into a bar for a soft drink, bumping into some people we knew, and had a tonic while watching kingfishers and crocodiles gliding about in a marshy pool by the beach. 

From there we walked back to Bakau, picked up some fish from the market and went back to Ellie's where she cooked a delicious fish laksa. 

Gambian pop
Last Saturday I went to Safari Garden for internet and a nice swim. While we managed to get internet, the swimming part didn't happen as a local singer had taken over the pool for the day to shoot a music video! Despite missing a swim it was interesting to watch the girls (and boys!) having their makeup done, and the star of the video dancing about the pool and lip-syncing to his song. The song itself was hilarious - the chorus "Man dama buga, dama buga Gambia" (Me I like, I like the Gambia!) was surprisingly catchy, but the lyrics - praising the President, the education system, the security of the country, the joy of tapalapa and senfour bread, and his love of benachin were especially funny! 

Make up being done

Girls in position! 

The man himself,
bringing back the one glove look!

A Peter Andre moment

The weather
The climate has really changed, as they say here. Since I came back from trek the humidity and temperature has been rising, but any rain has been at night. This all changed yesterday evening when, cycling home, I saw the sky turn black and felt the wind start to howl. Cycling as fast as I could to get home before the downpour I was nearly blown off my bike and felt a bit like Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz! Making it home just in time (although still a bit wet and grubby where I had been hit by big fat sand-filled rain drops) the skies opened and the first real torrential rain came down. The streets ran like rivers, the children danced, and the gutters poured their filth. Witnessing the power of the rain after so many months of sunshine felt oddly emotional.