Work-wise February was primarily consumed with two major projects: A2Empowerment and Books for Cameroon.
A2Empowerment is an American organization that serves to help empower girls and women in Cameroon. One of their primary services is providing scholarships (bourses) to girls who are at-risk of dropping out of the school system. After many attempts at talking to the local high school principal about this opportunity, applications were finally distributed and I found myself facing 23 candidates from Bapa. The founders ask that Peace Corps Volunteers do some preliminary work narrowing down the field, so I set up one-on-one interviews with each of the girls to learn more about them so I’d have information to include in the form of personal recommendation letters. It made for a long two days, but their stories were harrowing and I felt like I learned a lot about many of the village’s youth. I mulled over my decision for several days, but eventually selected seven names to submit for consideration. We have just received word that four of these young ladies will have their school expenses covered for the 2012/2013 academic year and I’m so excited to begin working with them and making inroads with this target group!
Meanwhile, Books for Cameroon is in its second phase, bringing French books (livres) to approximately 35 libraries (bibliothèques) throughout the country. The bilingual primary school in Bapa received over 400 books back in 2010, but was sorely lacking in French resources so was chosen as a recipient this time around as well. This meant numerous meetings as well as Library Management Training for the area schools.
Another important event, if you’ll remember from my post last year, is Youth Day which occurs on February 11th but actually ends up being a week-long ordeal. This year I helped carry containers of water up a mountain several times as a rehydration station for thirsty players during soccer and handball matches. I also did blood pressure (tension artérielle) screenings before a solidarity walk/run one morning.
The day of the festivities included the normal stream of skits/songs/dances followed by the parade of marching students and a final soccer game.
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| It's not an official défilé until the majorettes arrive... |
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| ...or this guy! |
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| Goody bags were attached to the top of this pole and kids were encouraged to shimmy up and retrieve them |
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| I love that this girl got into the action, too |
As another treat for the children, I used the projector I had been borrowing for Library Management Training to have several movie nights with the neighbor kids. With a film projected against the wall, chez-moi was instantly transformed into a decent theater. I even made popcorn to complete the experience as we enjoyed an African animated character in “Kirikou et la Sorcière,” followed by French versions of “The Pursuit of Happyness” (A la Recherche du Bonheur) and “Just Like Heaven” (marketed in French as Et si c'était vrai...)
Amid projects, my mind was elsewhere for much of February as I learned that my paternal grandfather back home had suffered a stroke. For a few weeks, it was back and forth as I did as best as possible to stay informed, eventually receiving word that he had passed away. At 90 years old, his death wasn’t a complete surprise, but somehow the added distance of an ocean between me and my family made it a bit more difficult. Death and funerals are all too common here - and the ceremonies may differ - but grief is universal and it was nice to hear words of condolences from my Cameroonian friends.
With things picking up a bit, I also found myself less motivated to prepare food, so I took it easy last month except for a casual night of “Indian food” (Tandoori tofu, curried lentils, unsweetened yogurt, and an attempt at naan) with two volunteers. Other than that, my other ventures were limited to no-bake cookies and trying a sweet, milky fruit known as soursop (corossol). Oh, and I’ve given in to spending money on cheese when I visit Bafoussam. I might have met my bank account’s downfall…
