Toilet Building

Here's a copy of my masonry training report from Kaliabali. Apologies for the formal writing style but I think it'll give you a good idea of Gram Vikas construction work. I've never helped build a toilet before!

Kaliabali, a very colourful village

"Day 1: Building a Toilet.

We began our visit by viewing the construction of foundations at the lower end of the village, nearest to the busy State Highway 5. A mortar and stone-work layer had been placed on top of a dry stone base. Heavy rocks had been used to create a good solid structure. The height of the foundations is important - it is critical that they are above the height of any nearby land. In the event of flooding (monsoon season) this will minimise the risk of the toilet contents contaminating the land. We then moved to a clearing nearby to start our layout planning work. We were all given sketch maps of the standard Gram Vikas toilet and bathroom design, with all the necessary dimensions. We observed measurements being drawn to scale in the soil and marked out with ash powder. Strings attached to stakes were used to measure out the foundation dimensions of nine feet by five feet eight inches. Care was taken when staking the corners to ensure we had correct right angles – two stakes per corner were used instead of one. After lunch we (Abhishek, Anvesh, Rakesh, Rohit and I) attempted to recreate this. We experienced difficulties with the placement of stakes (twisted stakes, hard ground) and unclear marking of the string. This lead to the dimensions marked being approximately an inch out. To ensure we had the correct right angles we had used the Pythagorean triple measurement of three inches by four inches by five.

Ash powder marks our foundations

After lunch we moved to a different site and observed the next stage of construction after the foundations had been laid. A level layer of cement (locally referred to as masala) was placed on top of the foundations; bricks (which were wet so they didn't draw the moisture out of the mortar before curing) were then added as a plinth layer. The bricks were laid with stretcher side up giving the greatest degree of strength. A further level of stretcher bond brickwork was then added. Work finished for the day as the light was becoming poor and a lack of bricks had arisen.

Laying the bricks on a good base

Day 2: Time For The Porcelain.

On the following day we returned to the main building site. We would observe the fitting of the p-trap, porcelain bowl and the piping to the soak pits. The function of the p-trap is to provide a seal between the toilet and the soak pit. The trap (due to its u shape) will always contain a small amount of water, which will prevent bad odours from returning to the toilet building. The trap was tested first by filling it with water and then placing it on a level surface and ensuring the seal remained. The two soaks pits were dug within four feet of the toilet. The height again was important so that the contents of the pits wouldn’t contaminate the land in the case of a flood. Three four foot diameter concrete rings were used; the small gap between the rings and the empty pit at the bottom will allow the contents to decompose and soak away (hence the name soak pits). It was also important to ensure a gradual slope in the pipe so that the contents would disperse freely. Great care was taken forming the Y chamber from bricks and cement; again to ensure no blockages. If any problems arose a bar or stick could be inserted to clear any object fowling the pipe work. The Y chamber allowed the re-routing of waste once the original pit had become full. Once emptied the pit would be re-used.

Almost ready for the roof

Day 3: Putting The Roof On.

On the final day of our visit we observed the finishing touches added to the Y chamber and soak pits, the construction of a toilet roof and, after lunch, we conducted an interview with Tatayya and his family (the gentleman who initiated the Gram Vikas installation). Brickwork around the top of the concrete ring allowed the piping to become fully incorporated into the structure. A concrete lid would then be placed over the pit. A mesh frame had been created in a nearby field by fastening steel rods together using wire. This was then raised onto a bed a branches/leaves to act as a barrier to stop the concrete "drawing up" the brickwork below. Temporary supports were then put into place before the mixed concrete was poured onto the roof.

Construction of the Soak Pits

We then took the opportunity to interview Tatayya, the man whose family would be using the first toilet/bathroom constructed in this village project. They are among the most vulnerable people in the village; he is a migrant labourer earning ~150 rupees a day (£2), his wife works in Berhampur and earns 100 rupees after travelling expenses. They have two daughters, the younger of which had dropped out of school due to the high costs and now gets occasional work at a local cashew nut processing factory for 60 rupees a day. Their concern mainly lay with finding a secure location for toilet requirements. A large amount of the nearby land (close to the highway) has changed ownership recently with a view to development and so toilet trips (open defecation) had become increasingly difficult. Water access in the village wasn’t bad, it could be drawn from the village well - but the provision of a piped supply would considerably reduce the work of village women. Bathing currently occurs not far away; the busy state highway has to be negotiated first to gain access to the open pool. We observed a traffic accident within thirty minutes of our arrival, so not having this route to take would obviously benefit the villagers."

Tatayya interviewed by Anvesh and Abhishek

I should have popped this report into last year's blog but heading back to the UK for Christmas meant I forgot. Will update blog again very soon with my UQT exploits at Kankia School...

Cool Kalahandi

Beautiful Kalahandi - 3000ft up meant cool nights (great relief)

Khandual Waterfalls in Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary

Another blog entry produced so quickly? An early Christmas present perhaps? It’s actually because I've been out in the field. With one days notice I packed my rucksack with a week's clothes, a sleeping bag, mosquito net and a warm blank; I was heading to Kalahandi. The overnight train left Berhampur at 22.25 and I was due to be picked up by field staff at Tikiri at 06:55 the following morning. Kalahandi is a remote district in eastern Orissa, known for its wildlife sanctuaries and hillside villages. To give you some idea of the size of India (and Orissa) Kalahandi has a similar population as The Gambia (1.5m) and occupies about 80% of the land. There are thirty other districts in Orissa and thirty five states/unions in India! Anyway back to the field trip - I'd brought a good blanket as we'd be staying at 3,000ft in the field office - warm days but chilly nights. I'd be joined by Rohit, his wife Anusha and her brother Abhishek - three new Gram Vikas managers. Our plan would be to visit a number of villages that had implemented various GV projects - ranging from standard gravity-flow bathroom/toilets to micro-hydro plants and solar powered installations. The current record low price for solar panels has lead Gram Vikas to plan numerous installations at their own field offices and schools - we would be carrying out pre-install surveys at Bafala and Thuamal Rampur School. We were picked up in a Mahindra Bolero jeep - squeezing nine of us and baggage into the vehicle for the three hour journey. Some of the roads were little more than tracks; at one point we had to leave our vehicle and trek for hour, crossing a river by boat, before visiting an impressive solar powered site at Maligaon. Gram Vikas' role is one of facilitator, with a small funding role. The majority of the funds for projects are sourced from government schemes and the villagers themselves (usually including labour and materials too). We're always very warmly welcomed - many villagers think we're actually benefactors and I've even had children touch my feet (a Hindi sign of respect) - very humbling.

Solar installation at Malagaon

The following day we visited a local school, only a few yards from our programme office. Solar panels would soon be fitted to the school's roof allowing both the school and office to share electricity 24/7. The life of a solar panel is typically about twenty years with minimal maintenance - batteries last considerably less (~five years) with continued distilled water top-ups. Gram Vikas also makes the effort to integrate its schools/offices with the local environment. You'll notice numerous crops being grown, water from wash-rooms/toilets recycled to grow papaya/bananas. Even the playground was constructed using local wood swings and roundabouts. They’ll be pretty much self sufficient.

Thuamal Rampur Gram Vikas School - one of four residential schools in Orissa

The food at the field office was another highlight (again benefiting from the school crops). The rumour is that it is deliberately so - an incentive for people to leave the comfort of the head office in Mohuda and brave life in the field. We had wonderful vegetable curries, salads and amazing ginger chai (tea). Another hardship (not really for me) is the lack of mobile/cellular coverage. It's understandable that people will want to keep in touch with their loved ones when posted to remote areas. Kalahandians have an amusing solution to this - they're called "Hello Points". These are areas (usually on the top of a mountain or a cliff edge) of weak cellular coverage - people gather to make/receive phone calls. In one case three guys were actually surfing the Internet with a laptop on a cliff edge (I mentioned my blog but they weren't interested).

Hello Point - Extreme Internet surfing!

The following day we would visit a micro-hydro plant - something I was looking forward to. Kalahandi as you'll have gathered is quite hilly and water is utilised to the maximum by Gram Vikas. Standard sanitation/bathroom installations make use of gravity flow water supplies; that is taking water from a higher source allowing it to then work in showers, bathrooms, flow uphill etc (using the siphon principle). Hydraulic rams are also used to aid the movement of water to outlying fields - they require no additional power other than a water supply, all very clever. Where there is sufficient water flow small hydro-electric turbines have been installed to generate power for an entire village (up to 15kw in the case of Purnaguma). The villages where GV have carried out projects are not only transformed by improved health with clean water supplies but they also become oases of fruit, vegetables and flowers.

15Kw Micro-hydro at Karnivel

Gram Vikas ensures clean drinking water!

Two volunteers at Gram Vikas would be moving on in November - Jack continued on his gap year travels by visiting Thailand. He then heads to Laos/Vietnam/Malaysia/Singapore before flying to Argentina (back via the Middle East?!?), then to California before finishing off in Australia – the route looks crazy on a map. Olive (who had helped me move to Orissa and for which I'm eternally grateful) is heading back to Ireland, her one year VSO placement coming to an end. We’ve also had two new volunteers from Montreal - Daniel and Helene, so the numbers of volunteers stays healthy. Although I'll miss the office craic with Olive the silver lining is that I now have a broadband connection in my house. The process of transferring this from Olive's name allowed the Indian love affair with bureaucracy, paperwork and stamping things to go stratospheric. After numerous trips to BSNL (local telephone company) an affidavit and indemnity bond were issued! My favourite line from the bond is..."I do hereby agree to surrender to the President of India the telephone number 06082260016". I also bought the VSO fridge (for 4,500 rupees!) and now have a toaster, iron and gas stove. This means I can finally cook. Today I started off slowly by cooking chicken & mushroom pasta. When I say "cooking" I actually mean emptying a sachet into a mixture of simmering milk and water. I then gave it the Marcus touch by adding extra pasta and a chicken and leak cup-a-soup - very tasty!

Eden Gardens

Well I did survive Diwali - popularly known as the "festival of lights" (or in Berhampur as the "festival of blowing things up". We decided to head into town early as our driver warned us that if we left it too late we probably wouldn't get back! (I think he meant the streets would be impassable rather than our lives would be at risk). Many of the fireworks let off are home made - a "quantity" of gunpowder wrapped in a palm leaf with a piece of string as a fuse! Surprisingly the local stray dog population weren't too concerned with the explosions - the monkeys on the other hand were making their escape across the roof-tops.

Jack, Richard, myself and Reny on Diwali.

At the end of the week of festivities we decided to head to Kolkata (Calcutta. We booked overnight sleeper tickets (Indian trains are classed; general, sleeper, AC-3 tier, AC 2 tier and first class) on the Coromandel Express - departing Berhampur at 01:57. We should have realised that during the holiday week the trains would be very busy. We literally had to tip-toe over people sleeping on any flat surface of our carriage. Even though berths are only available with a reservation people pay a small "commission" to the guard to get on. We felt bad when we had to turf out the occupants of our berths - in the end it was so overcrowded that people "joined" you at the end of your bed (or for Jack alongside)! Richard was the only one to get a good night's sleep. We arrived at Howrah Station ten hours later, the ticket costing a very reasonable £3.68.

On top of Paul's apartment block near the South City Mall

The first task was to head to the fancy apartment that Richard's friend Paul was allowing us to stay in. It was located near the South City Mall, a brand new shopping centre that even had a Marks & Spencer! The contrast with the shopping in Berhampur couldn't be greater - a Subway Club sandwich cost the same as our train ticket (three days pay for some, the Indian minimum wage is about 100 rupees per day). We had also purchased tickets to watch India versus England, the final match in England's Indian tour. We were warned that the crowd at Eden Gardens were a partisan bunch at the best of times. As England had lost the previous five one-day internationals we thought we'd be OK. Of course the England cricket team had different ideas and comfortably won the match by seven wickets. What we also hadn't realised was that the game had been brought forward by ninety minutes (presumably because of Diwali so people could get a chance to blow each other up). In the end we arrived in Section D at 8pm just in time to watch the winning England innings. This together with England's win (the first in twenty four years!) meant we had to dodge the water bottles raining down from the stadium tier above us. I wanted to point out that if the Indian fielders had been this accurate when playing then they wouldn't have lost the match - I thought better of it though.

A panoramic photo of Eden Gardens (courtesy of Richard's camera)

He's out - Richard isn't so sure about the decision

We headed back to Howrah station the following morning for our train home - we were in quite a hurry as we'd only given ourselves forty five minutes to cross the city. I'll be returning to Kolkata as it's an amazing city - the Queen Victoria Memorial almost on a par with the Taj Mahal. The excitement for the day wasn't quite over. As we made our way over the Howrah Bridge we had ten minutes to catch the train (as it starts here there was no chance it would be late). As we retrieved our bags from the back of our Ambassador taxi the boot/trunk lid sprang back and smacked Richard squarely on his noggin. Blood shot out almost immediately to the great shock of the taxi driver (and Richard I imagine) who had just opened it. To his credit Richard grabbed his scarf and held it to his head and told me to make our way to the train. Howrah is a very big station (the largest in India) - we were at platform one and our train was leaving from platform twenty one in five minutes. We sprinted across station with people staring at Richard (and the blood dripping from his chin) and finally made our way down the fifteen carriages of our train with about sixty seconds to spare. On the plus side I'd bought AC-3 tier tickets to Berhampur (755 rupees or almost £10 each!) Richard has since made a full recovery, although he's now very wary of getting bags from taxis.

Queen Victoria Memorial, Kolkata

Ever heard of a lakh or crore?

Hunter's Beach - worth the 2km trek

Z Hotel, Puri - once the home of the Raja of Serampore

Jagannath Temple in Puri - we were there for the Durja Puja festival

My first month's work has mainly involved researching the activities of Gram Vikas - familiarising myself with MANTRA (Movement and Action Network for Transformation in Rural Areas) and the various departments within the organisation (we employ over four hundred people in Orissa). I’ve also managed to get involved with hardware too; Indian website www.donateyourpc.in will shortly be supplying us with twenty PCs for schools run by Gram Vikas. The problem at the moment is that they need collecting from Hyderabad, only 880 kilometres away! Sounds like a job for one of our Mahindra Marshall jeeps (I won’t be driving). As we’re dealing with large numbers I’ll share with you the South Asian numbering system. You can skip the next few sentences if this is a bit nerdy but in addition to thousands and millions they also have lakhs (100,000) and crores (10,000,000). Numbers are written 3,00,00,000 instead of 30,000,000 – all very confusing. Their biggest number is known as “Adant Singhar” which is the equivalent of 10 with 41 zeros on the end. I guess such a large number is needed when you’re issuing Indian traffic violations! OK nerdy bit over. You may have noticed a new button (on the right of this page) which will now allow people to donate money to the Gram Vikas - we're using www.charitygiving.co.uk as our agent. In the next few weeks this button will also appear at www.gramvikas.org. Fellow volunteer (I was going to say VSO) Olive Fives will shortly be returning to Ireland and I'll be attempting to carry on some of her invaluable organisational development work. I’ll be process mapping (whatever that means – only joking Olive) the key functions of the organisation. Ultimately this may well lead to a return to The Gambia as project MANTRA will soon start providing help to African villages.

At the beginning of October (only a few weeks after my arrival) Hindus celebrated Durja Puja, one of the major festivals of the year. As the office was closed for the week I took the opportunity to visit Puri, a short (by Indian standards) five hour train trip to the north. Puri, as well as being a beach resort, is also home to one of the four main Hindu religious sites or “dhams”. The Jagannath Temple (interesting fact - this is where we get the word “juggernaut” from) is a very impressive 215 feet structure, during the festival only accessible by Hindus. The Rath Yatra celebrations in July include large towers that move along the streets with an "irresistible, destructive force" (a bit like the water buffalo on the small country lanes surrounding our campus!) I managed to get a room at the Z (pronounced Jed) hotel, an impressive mansion, once the home of Raja of Serampore). I paid a few rupees extra for AC, well worth it as this place has the coolest air-conditioning in India.

The following day we decided to head to the remote “Rangers” beach - so remote that we only knew it was just off the road to Konark (another impressive temple). We managed to get a willing auto-rickshaw driver (who charged two hundred rupees despite not knowing where he was going) and headed off. When we spotted Rangers' Restaurant we knew we weren't far; the remainder of the trip had to be done on foot. We trekked the final two kilometres making sure we kept a look-out for the white faded markings on the pine trees and the large wolf spider burrows in the ground. The hike was well worth it - as we approached we could hear the roar of the crashing waves from the Indian Ocean. We found a completely deserted beach, with a small beach hut made from palm leaves for shade.

As a requirement for my employment visa I had to register with my local police station within fourteen days of arrival. Other volunteers had warned me that this would involve numerous lengthy visits and multiple copies of paperwork (five of everything plus photos!). I only finished this process yesterday (I reckon on the sixth trip) and now have a full residents permit. On the plus side the office we sat in has a TV permanently set to Star Movies, which this time was showing The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, Witch and the Wardrobe (usually they show Bollywood stuff). We managed to watch most of it during our visit – I was there to only sign one document.

Having come to terms with the lack of "Indian" tonic water in Orissa I was in for another shock when I drank my first glass of Indian beer. It has a strange sweet after-taste that's the result of the addition of glycerine, which acts as a preservative. Even when you buy a recognized brand such as Carlsberg or Fosters you can't get away from it. We'll be heading to Calcutta soon to watch England in the cricket - I'm seriously hoping that I can get some unadulterated imported beer. I think there's more chance of England winning to be honest (maybe not, 5-0 in the ODI)! The only other option is to try and remove the glycerine. The technique is very risky and involves opening an upside down bottle under water (without shaking). As the glycerine is heavier than water (and alcohol is lighter than water) a yellow dollop of the offending preservative should slide out the upturned bottle. I'll let you know if I end up with any beer!

I hadn't been back to Bhubaneswar since my arrival in India. As it's the capital city of Orissa (with a population of 1.5 million) I seized the opportunity when invited to a party for NGO volunteers/workers to watch the rugby world cup final. It's only a four hour trip up the railway line, so a local trip really. Another part of Indian culture I hadn't experienced yet were the gangs of transvestites who harass travellers on trains for money. They are usually invited to weddings as a symbol of good luck and fertility – I guess they make extra money when they travel? Fellow volunteer Jack had a close shave when he tried to "stare-out” a gang member – problem was I think he smirked at one point (not recommended). I kept my head down and concentrated intensely on my book (sorry Jack).

We returned to Mohuda the following day - this time getting a local “express” train that stopped at every station – averaging a not particularly rapid 20 miles an hour. The train was absolutely packed (with no transvestites in sight to our relief). I ended up sitting on top of a luggage rack - I made the cardinal sin of leaving my sandals on as I climbed up. The guy below me went ballistic. After apologising profusely I was eventually invited back down (as the train became less crowded) and told to put my sandals back on! Uncertain if this was another custom I obliged.

As today is Diwali (Hindu festival of light) the office is closed again (a bit like The Gambia) - a good chance to catch up with the blog. We're heading into Berhampur later for a meal and to watch the fireworks - hopefully we’ll avoid getting blown up by firecrackers - fingers crossed. The jeep driver says we should avoid returning before nine as this is when the most of the carnage occurs!

Trains, Planes & Auto-Rickshaws

My new house, number 11 - it's got 24hr running hot water!

After a very long day I've finally arrived in Mohuda in south-east Orissa, India. I left home at 2.15pm in a taxi on 21st September and arrived at Gram Vikas in a Marshall jeep at 3am on the 23rd. Where did September 22nd go? I was greeted at Bhubaneswar airport by a driver from Gram Vikas, a friendly chap called Swaine - he would accompany me for the three hour train journey down the coast to Berhampur. My lift to the train station was made in a Hindustan Ambassador - fifty years ago this car was known as a Morris Oxford in the UK. It was the perfect car for my first trip in India. Using Indian Railways would also be fun - the 160km journey cost the princely sum of 77p - our tickets were for general class (these are the jam-packed cattle cars without reservations at the end of the train). Fortunately we found an empty sleeper car, although being very tired I didn't sleep a wink for fear of waking up 1,000km down the line in Chennai (formerly Madras). Most India towns are known by two names - the former colonial title and the original name that the country is now reverting to. It gets very confusing as the state of Orissa is officially Odisha and Berhampur is actually Bramhapur - various spellings exist and train stations use abbreviations - so the station I needed to look out for was BAM (not BRA or BER as you might expect). The number of people sleeping rough at the entrance to Berhampur station straight away shocked me - as we drove out of town (population of over 800,000 by the way) into the countryside people were sleeping at the side of the road, in rickshaws – basically wherever they could. The vegetation is very jungle like - a lot greener than The Gambia. The Gram Vikas estate is about a thirty minutes drive, I wasn't expecting it to be a walled village with a main gate set in one hundred and fifteen acres of jungle. After another five minute ride down a headlamp lit jungle track I finally viewed my new house - it was 3am - welcome to room three, near the bio-diesel labs.

The room was very small - it did have a bathroom with a toilet and shower, so things were definitely looking up! The days of checking my pit-latrine for bats were well and truly over. The other volunteers (Olive (VSO) from Ireland, Rich from Cheshire (near Chester not Sandbach), Jack from Wales, Matt from the US & Dorothy (from Bangalore) were based in much bigger rooms with facilities I could only dream of in The Gambia - kitchens, hot water, having access to more than one power socket. Nikolas, a German volunteer would shortly be leaving so I seized the opportunity - after all I needed a kitchen - I live to cook! Talking about food, Olive "kindly" woke me at 8.20am the following day to suggest we have breakfast at the mess! Three hearty meals are served each day, 8.30am breakfast, 1pm lunch & 8.30pm dinner. Looks like my butternut squash curry signature dish would have to be put on hold. We all wash our metal trays before and after eating – currently I’m the only one using a spoon. After a couple of days near the Bio-diesel plant I moved into my new home - it was a good job as two days later they found a five foot hooded-cobra there! I really like my new home - it has a nice tall ceiling, it's well ventilated so it keeps relatively cool. The wet-room/bathroom area is open to a screened mesh wall so the jungle outside can be very easily seen (and more importantly its occupants can't get in). There are only a few minor issues - my ceiling fan is permanently set to take-off speed and I have to hold the cistern when I flush for fear of ripping it off the wall! Mustn't grumble - all things considered it's five-star volunteer accommodation.

Gram Vikas stands for village development in Hindi - their main focus is the supply of water and sanitation systems for poor rural communities. In many rural villages the only supply of water is from the local stream or pond. This source may be quite a distance from the village and it falls on the women's shoulders (literally) to collect & carry the water each day. The same water source is also used for cleaning and human waste disposal. When I arrived at Gram Vikas I was warned that I would see a lot of people "ODing" when we went back into Berhampur. Is there really a big drug problem here? It turned out that "ODing" means open defecating - people will defecate by the side of the road, stream or pond. Obviously this presents a huge health risk. I didn't appreciate the less obvious impact it has on the community. Women don't want to bath in public so wait until night - and even then will wash fully clothed. Risk of attacks deters them even further. They will only make toilet trips at dusk or dawn and run the risk of related infections from "holding it in". Project Mantra (Movement and Action Network for the Transformation of Rural Areas) aims to supply a separate clean water supply, kitchen & bathroom for each family in a village. One hundred percent participation is required (one family that doesn't join can still pollute the whole village) and levels of financial commitment varies depending upon the wealth of the family. Once a clean water supply is installed village life dramatically improves. Human waste (after composting) can be used to grow crops; ponds that were previously polluted can be used to stock fish.

Life in the Mohuda settlement is very relaxed compared to our local town; we can arrange transportation into Berhampur if required. It's quite easy to remain in our peaceful oasis if you can get by without toilet paper (this will be covered in a later blog entry). The main forested area of the village is made up of Eucalyptus trees – we get the benefit of the wonderful fragrance on the way to work and their natural mosquito repellent properties too. For my first trip we headed into town with the imaginative plan of "having an Indian". We were saying goodbye to Nikolas (and thanks for the room) and enjoyed an amazing meal of tandoori chicken with butter nans, paneer, and kofta. My previous visit was at 3am so the sheer volume of people came as quite a surprise - 800,000 people, that's about half the entire Gambian population. The chaos on the roads was staggering - people on scooters/bikes (no helmets), cows, cars, buses, trucks, sheep, and dogs - all heading in whichever direction (and side of the road) they pleased. When we arrived at a roundabout I thought surely they'll all go round in the same direction. No chance - it was a complete free-for-all, to be fair you can't expect a cow or goat to understand the Highway Code. Despite the madness I didn't see a single crash - it somehow works; quite a few close shaves though. As we only have a one-day weekend (yes I work until 4pm on Saturday) - we decided to head to the nearest coastal town - Gopalpur-on-Sea (a very quaint name - it even had a lighthouse). We travelled by stretched auto-rickshaw (known as Tuk-tuks in Thailand) – “stretched” as in it could fit five people. This time I witnessed two crashes (one guy fell asleep on his scooter and hit the side of our rickshaw, the other guy left the road and landed in a padi field. Both appeared to be OK, if a bit startled. Gopalpur was once a fashionable location for the British (hence the name) it now feels a little run down - but the friendly staff at Grishnas Restaurant more than made up for it. We even managed to get a chocolate Cornetto for 30p.

Time for a Change

After an amazing year in The Gambia I've decided to find a new challenge by volunteering in India. When I asked GramVikas.org (based in Orissa, East India) if they were looking for an IT expert I was surprised when they said "Yes, but in meantime you'll do". After a summer break back in the UK I head out to Berhampur (350 miles south of Kolkata/Calcutta) this week. Another adventure begins...

Road-trip

We stop for a break in Pakali Ba.

We arrive safely in Janjangbureh with no punctures (miracle)!

Proof I can't dance! Thank you Lucy for volunteering me.

VSO volunteers are spread throughout the whole of The Gambia. From Basse in the east, through Janjangbureh, Soma (us lot!), Kerewan, Brikama and finally the coastal Kombos area. So far I've only travelled west to Farafenni, Kerewan, Brikama and my tri-weekly trips to Kombo. It was time to head east in to the interior where the temperatures get even hotter! With a weekend spare of any workshops Lucy and I decided to head the 130km up-country to visit Pat, Phil & Cath in JJB (Georgetown or Janjangbureh as it's now known). We'd take a motorbike each - Lucy had the best option, a new Yamaha 125. I'd take the red hornet, an aging Yamaha AG 100. We sat off early on Saturday morning to try and avoid too much of the midday heat. I was pleasantly surprised to find the road completely sealed (asphalt) all the way. There was hardly any traffic - we probably passed four or five cars on the whole two and a half hour trip! What we actually had to keep our eyes out for would be the local wildlife. I've worked out a scale of intelligence for the domestic animals - which ones to keep an eye on:

1. Cattle - unbelievably thick. Easily the biggest risk to safety on Gambian roads. The only saving grace is that they're so slow.
2. Donkeys - quick and stupid, a dangerous combination. You quite often have to avoid droves of over-amorous donkeys with their minds on things other than road

3. Sheep - moderate risk, can be easily panicked - a bit sheepish maybe?
4. Goats - occasional issues with young kids darting after their parents.
5. Dogs - pretty smart and pose minor avoidance issues.

We made it to JJB by elevenses - a cup of coffee at Pat's. No breakdowns, punctures or other incidents. We'd kept a steady 70kph for most of the way. When we spotted at down hill stretch (there's only a few here) near Medina Umfalley I did manage to get the bike up to 85kph (a speedy 53mph)! We stayed for two nights at the educational offices lodge (really nice). The local VSOs did a really good job of looking after us - we had Chicken Yassa to eat the first night (admittedly with some rather dodgy palm wine) and then on Sunday we were ferried (privately) across the Gambia river to a restaurant serving an amazing prawn curry - they had opened just for us! The following morning we left at the crack of dawn - we thought we could be in the office for 9am! Again no major problems - just flanges of baboons to steer around! Vultures are also large enough to be "best avoided". With the wind in our backs and a higher average speed of 80kph we knocked 15 minutes off the return time!

Before we left for JJB Ellie had headed back to Kombo suffering with flu like symptoms. Sensibly she took a malaria test as these are often the first signs - fortunately the results were negative. Lucy would also head to Kombo a couple of days later with a reaction to her anti-malarial tablets. I could have easily developed a complex at this point! I didn't know it at the time but I would be on my own for nearly two weeks! My cooking skills would be put to a serious test. In the end I had to visit Kombo (like I need an excuse!) to help my malingering colleagues find their way back up country.

I'd managed to build a file server for the office with ALL my spare time - also sorting out a few wiring issues at the same time. We didn't actually have a central data depository - files were being kept all over the place, on local PCs, flash drives etc.

Mangoes and Minutes

We're now well into the mango season, something I missed out on when I arrived last August. They are literally everywhere - it doesn't seem to make sense that such a juicy fruit is now available when it hasn't rained for six months! We can get mangoes in Soma market, in the office and from friends who bring us plastic bags that are stuffed full. We've had so many mangoes that Ellie has even managed to make mango chutney (see Ellie's blog ellieshepherd.blogspot.com). We also managed to make mango sorbet in our fridges (it helps clean our palettes between courses!) The mangoes taste amazing too - an aromatic treat, definitely worth the mess you make. Apparently if you eat more than two a day you'll be using your pit latrine a lit bit more than planned!

Enjoying a mango cake at the solar bakery.

As mentioned in my last update Region Four of Gambia's Educational Directorates had the honour of holding the national CCM (Coordinating Committee Meeting). It has been a long standing tradition that the region's VSOs take the meeting's minute (great!). The format of the CCM covered five days with OFSTED style school visits made on the middle Wednesday (a breather for us). The Minister for Education and Permanent Secretary would be joining the one hundred strong committee. Our offices received new drapes and a lick of paint – which actually included the trees outside! We were kicked out of our very own office; it would become the dinning room for the VIPs (not us). On the plus side we got a brand new “remote controlled” a/c unit installed. It goes down to 16C but nobody keeps the flipping door closed long enough for us to achieve this! I also had issues with queue jumping at CCM lunch time but I put this down to a combination of heat and my Mefloquine anti-malarial medication (also known as Loopy Larium!)

Guess who's not taking the minutes properly - wrong - it's me as I kept getting support calls.

During CCM we also had the pleasure of Lynn's company (see Lynn's blog lynngambia.blogspot.com), she's a VSO working in Banjul for SQAD (School Quality Assurance Directorate - Gambians’ love acronyms). It sounds a bit like a SWAT team though! As Lynn is a city-mouse we thought it best if she had her own latrine, so she moved into country-mouse Ellie's quarters (Ellie used Lucy's bamboo bed). Ellie did provide basic latrine training though. Lynn also brought a very welcome supply of hard-to-come-by provisions from Kombo (including Skittles for everyone!)

As the FA Cup final (if I can bring myself to mention it again) would be kicking off on the Saturday following CCM week, I managed to acquire a lift from Lynn's team back to Kombo. Soma's premier video club unfortunately doesn't serve cool draught beer - it doesn't serve any refreshments for that matter. I also didn't want to get on board a big green bus anytime soon. Cup final breakfast consisted of a full English at Big Ben's - they have real sausages and bacon! The game would be watched at my usual hangout of Francisco’s with a healthy number of other VSOs all pretending to be Stoke fans (apart from Paul who's uncle supports Man City!). Fair enough the better team won (there you go Jerry) but we didn't have £300,000,000 to spend on players (thanks stato Keith)!

Apart from the football result I really enjoyed the weekend. I also managed to catch a lift back to Soma from a Swedish NGO called "Future in Our Hands". Lucy quite often helps them out with visits to schools in our region. As I had recently run out of gas for my cooker (yes all that cooking done from August on one tank) I seized the opportunity to acquire a 12kg canister in Kombo. The guys at FIOH were really helpful and I also managed to fill one of Lynn's cool boxes with extra chilled food. The highlights being frozen chicken and real mature cheddar cheese!

I also managed to purchase a frozen Goodfellas pepperoni pizza for cinema night in Soma (see Lucy's blog lucyrpowell.blogspot.com). We were going to watch the gangster movie Goodfellas so the pizza seemed a good idea - I know it's a bit cheesy! Thanks to Ellie's mum for "pointing out the obvious" - I was considering doing a "Ray Mears" and digging a pit oven in our compound before filling it with charcoal. The fact that we lived next door to a bakery with a 24-hour oven seemed to have escaped us. Before the pizza we'd already managed a few baked potatoes and a stuffed butternut squash.

Quick take the photo, that's a hot saucepan lid I'm holding!

The CCM minutes have finally been completed - all 54 pages plus 31 appendices! Our office is back to normal and pretty much all of the British High Commission PCs have now found a home throughout The Gambia. I've had notice from the High Commission that more PCs are available so it looks like my work will be cut out for a while. In the next few weeks we're also planning a road trip to Janjangbureh (Georgetown) and we have another VSO Educational Conference in Kombo! The rains will also be due so things will be changing…

Easter in The Gambia

One of Stoke's 5 goals against Bolton - I didn't take the photo.


As a follower of Stoke City FC the last few years have seen a momentous rise in the club's fortunes. Premier League football has now been confirmed for a fourth consecutive season. While back in the UK the Mighty Potters also earned their fourth appearance in an FA Cup semi-final. Not since the heady days of the early 1970s have Stoke had such a strong team. Our opponents at Wembley would be Bolton Wanderers. I managed to make it again to Soma's premier video club for the game. In their infinite wisdom the Premier League had managed to also schedule Arsenal v Liverpool at the same time - hardly the same as a semi-final game between founding members of the football league! After a small chat with the video club owner another satellite tuner was acquired and we managed to watch both games. As say we - I think I was the only one to watch Stoke trash Bolton 5-0! We've now booked our place in our first FA Cup final - Man City v Stoke City, May 14th!

Stereo TV - Stoke's game is on the left.

I've started to make trips further a field than our local area in Mansa Konko. Not quite the region wide treks we have planned but an opportunity to get out of the office anyway. IT assistance was required at Soma's community radio so together with my IT officer we headed over to their studios to fix their network/internet issues. If you have an antenna similar to our 3G one you can possibly tune in on 93.8FM!

A blog update wouldn't be the same without a trip to Kombo - or an opportunity to visit the British High Commission for another free do! The Gambia observes Easter, together with all other Christian and Muslim holidays, so with the schools closed for a couple of weeks we headed back to Kombo on the big green bus. For people of a nervous disposition they may want to skip forward to the next paragraph. As Tobaski (Eid) isn't until November (when The Gambia is overrun with rams) I wasn't too concerned with the animals loaded onto the bus's roof. About half way into the journey I began to nod off thinking of life back in Blighty - the springtime, the mild weather and the April showers! Hang on - it was still the dry season in The Gambia but rain was coming in through the bus's windows. It wasn't rain - it was ram's urine!! I was getting soaked - the chap in front of me too, who was trying in vain to close the window. I had the dilemma of either avoiding a direct hit in the face by ducking or assisting with the closure of the stuck window! Both Lucy and Ellie found the whole situation highly amusing - together with quite a few other people on the bus. To be fair I had witnessed this situation before on previous journeys and had shared a few chuckles. Lucy's smile didn't last long as she too "got sprinkled" thirty minutes later!

We stayed the first night in Kombo - at our regular destination, Mamas. Originally from Switzerland, Mama has run a hotel in The Gambia for seventeen years and provides a very good bed & breakfast for £9! I also didn’t hesitate to use her £1 laundry services! For Good Friday and Easter Saturday we would join other VSO volunteers in the coastal town of Sanyang - about thirty minutes drive down the coast from the tourist area of Senegambia. We would stay at the Rainbow Lodge on a quite stretch of beach - the highlight of the evening would be a local fish & chips and a bonfire on the beach.

Sanyang FC

Paradise Beach bonfire

On Easter Sunday I attended Mass with Vicky & Lucy in Bakau (very close to the VSO offices). It was interesting to observe the mixture or incense burning, humorous sermon from the Irish bishop and gospel music from the choir. At one point a member of the congregation actually began dancing in the aisle - not quite what I was expecting from Gambian Catholicism.

For my remaining time in Kombo I would stay with fellow volunteer Tom in Kanifing. I helped Tom last time with the computers at Albion School in Banjul. As we didn't have power on my last trip we couldn't do much - this time we managed to network all the PCs in their lab and finish things off. As Tom is returning to the UK soon I'll be helping out at Albion where I can.

We had all received invitations from the British High Commission to attend a function at the Commissioner's residence to say goodbye to Phil, the current commissioner who will shortly be retiring. Who wouldn't want real gin, decent red wine and an abundant supply of canapés at the British tax payer's expense! I had purchased a special African shirt for the occasion but believe it or not the weather was too cool! The current difference between the coast (a chilly 20C) and up-country (a crazy 45C) meant I'd be wearing the shirt back in Soma on pray day! I think I've adjusted to the climate a bit too much as 20C is still 68F in old money.

The day after a group of us headed over to Francisco's to watch the Royal Wedding. We were joined by quite a few American Peace Corps volunteers all wearing fancy hats (the girls that is). Paul, the owner of Francisco's laid on a cooked English breakfast for us so all felt quite at home. All good things have to come to an end so at the weekend we headed back to Soma. On the plus side it was announced that Monday would be a public holiday - national workers day!

Another new African shirt - courtesy of Mr Jawneh our local baker.

While I was back in the UK it was announced that Region Four would be holding May's CCM (Coordinating Committee Meeting) - this is a country wide seminar focusing on education - in UK terms OFSTED would be visiting Mansa Konko! Traditionally VSOs in that region are in charge of collecting/producing the meeting's minutes - we'll see if that tradition continues in my next update...

My First Week Back

After a few weeks in the UK seeing friends and family (which I very much enjoyed) it was good to be back in The Gambia. I managed to acquire quite a few spare parts for Mansa Konko - mainly hard disks & memory but also a 3G antenna for the office. This would improve our Internet connection and remove the need for the dongle to sit outside on an A/C unit. I hadn't read the product description properly when ordering it - I briefly wondered why it stated that "the antenna cannot be split into two parts". When the 5 FOOT "mast" arrived later in the post I soon realised why - this thing was going to pick up 3G signals from Senegal! I haven't installed it in the office yet - we're going to carry out tests in our compound first. At the moment you can only get a 3G signal when you're sat in the latrine area at the back of our houses! I also managed to bring back humanitarian aid from The Early Learning Centre - a Jolly Phonics CD and alphabet & small word picture cards. Volunteer aid in the form of Starbucks coffee, M&Ms, macaroni cheese, cup-a-soups were also air-freighted in.

The day after my return to Kombo VSO had arranged a two day workshop to re-launch their brand in The Gambia. This meant the majority of volunteers would be attending so I could catch-up with everyone. I would also have company on my return up-country to Soma - Lucy and new volunteer Ellie (who hasn't experienced a bad gelleh trip so far) would join me. Sure enough we got to Soma within 3 hours with no issues (and we sat at the front!) so Ellie is officially our travel mascot! As it was hovering around 45 degrees and my suitcase weighed +25 kilos I decided upon a donkey cart for my final 1 kilometre of travelling!

Donkey carts are very common up-country - mainly operated by teenagers, they are the "hot hatches" of Soma.

Before I left for the UK I had assisted fellow volunteer Tom setup a wireless Internet connection at a Methodist school in Banjul. Further work was required so we arranged to make an early exit from the VSO workshop and head over to Albion School in central Banjul. Alas Tom's motorbike suffered a puncture as we left Senegambia so we re-scheduled for Saturday morning. When we arrived early on Saturday we discovered the whole of the city was experiencing a power cut (which had began the previous evening). These frustrating situations are common place - we did manage to purchase 40 metres of network cable so the visit wasn't a complete waste. The Easter holidays are only a few weeks away so power and tyres permitting I should be able finish things off.

Albion School's mission statement & prayers

There are not many tourist destinations in our region - one of the few stops is the small village of Tendaba ("big wharf" in Mandinka) which is located on the Gambia river near to a one of the few hills in the country. The location is quite special with a tourist lodge located right on the river's edge. One of the Kombo based volunteer's Pete had arranged to met us here with a couple of friends from the UK. It's an hour's bike ride west from Soma - Lucy and Ellie would be working in the nearby village of Kwinella so we would all meet up in the evening and stop the night in the lodge. I would travel back with Ellie in the morning allowing Lucy to stay in the local area. Tendaba Camp also boasts a swimming pool, restaurant and well stocked bar!

Tendaba village from the lodge

The following morning we made the short journey to Tendaba Lower Basic School - located right on top of the hill. Lucy and Ellie would observe a few lessons and we agreed to a return journey over Easter to re-organise their library. The school was very colourful with paper "spelling" flags hanging above the classrooms and outside walls decorated with hand painted informative pictures.

We headed back home in mid-morning, I would be accompanying Ellie in case of an emergency. After 5km of jungle track we hit the main road, after another 10km of bone shattering bumps my steering became very wobbly and on closer inspection I could see I had a flat front tyre. So much for me providing assistance - I was the one needing help! I slowed down and pulled in off the dusty highway - I didn't think Ellie was going to stop as she whizzed passed. I had lent my mobile phone to Lucy earlier (so if she broke down she could make a call) so had no way of contacting Riders to arrange delivery of a spare wheel! I did see the reassuring sign of Ellie's brake lights as she stopped. An hour later (after delivery and fitting of a whole new wheel) we were back on our way. The fun was not yet finished - as I approached the next village of Kaiaf a man jumped out from under a tree and waved me down - his motorbike was "finished!" Could I take him to Soma? As the red hornet has a back box the passenger seat area is very limited - I would be sitting on a red hot fuel tank for the remainder of the journey!

Baby, Baby

1 & 2. Seedy with his wife and baby Fanding.



3. Myself & Fatoumata after a baby holding tutorial - 4. Adama, Fatoumata & Lucy.

5. Lucy with Fatoumata and mother - 6. Grandmother Cham with granddaughter.

This will be my final blog entry before heading home next week for a short break - six very enjoyable months in The Gambia. The low points have mainly been down to transport (or lack of) although I now have a more Gambian view on it and just chill. We'll get where we're going at some point I think. The highpoint has definitely been the amazingly friendly people I have met who will go out of their way to make to feel welcome in their country. Whenever we've visited colleague's homes we're always treated as special guests, introduced to every member of the family and usually invited to a food-bowl meal.

Lucy with the especially friendly Jammeh kids.


We've said goodbye to another member of our Mansa Konko VSO team this month. Terry, our advisor to the Director, returns to Portsmouth after six months too. Terry is a VSO legend - having first volunteered in the 1960s in The Philippines. Since then he has visited Mongolia, Pakistan & Uganda to name but a few - he has even spent time with Napoleon on St Helena - sorry Terry you're not that old! Friday afternoon visits to the Roadside Bar won't be the same without the lines "When I was in...".

Terry and myself working hard at the office - photo courtesy of Lynn.

In an attempt to improve my Mandinka, Lucy and I have decided to take language lessons from our neighbours - mostly from Mrs Jawneh. I get quite a bit of friendly banter from the ladies in the office. I think it's friendly - to be honest I can't understand a single thing that's going on - so I need to find out. The lessons are really just a relaxed chat sitting in their compound. Mr Jawneh is the caretaker for our compound so he's always there to help us out. He also runs the main bakery in Soma (also in his house) so the Tapalapa we have at meal time is thanks to him.

Since we missed our last naming ceremony at Seedy's house we jumped at the chance to visit Adama's home following the birth of his latest daughter, Fatoumata. Both Seedy and Adama are cluster monitors - it's their job to monitor schools (teachers, lessons etc.) in one of the six clusters that makes up Region Four. Six members of the office made the short bike ride to Messembe - twenty minutes back down the dusty South Road towards Kwinella. Mr Choi took the lead with Lamin riding pillion, then came Lucy & Isatoh, followed by yours-truly giving Eustace a lift on the red hornet. Our convoy of motorbikes didn't have to stop at the usual security checks as we had NGO number plates - to be fair my bike was the only one with a number plate! Navigating a bike through sand is quite tricky - especially with a wobbly passenger. Thankfully we all arrived safely and enjoyed a Benachin food-bowl. I held baby Fatoumata much to the amusement of everyone - spot who's not a father! We travelled back before it began to get dark. I was concerned that Mr Choi took the lead back - on the wrong side of the road! Fortunately we soon swapped over after a mile or so, you rarely meet traffic so it's not that scary.

Part of the Region Four Gang. From top left: Lucy, Seedy, Lamin, Isatoh, Omar, Adama Cham. From bottom left: Local lady, Mr Choi, Eustace and Mrs Cham with Fatoumata.

A blog entry wouldn't be the same without a trip to the Kombos - yes we went again for the new volunteers party (VSO has two recruitment cycles a year, one in February the other when I arrived in August). We planned to set off at 6.30am to catch the first gelleh. We were still at the compound at 7.45am as I had managed to lose Lucy's house keys. I had dropped them the night before and our neighbour had picked them up for safe keeping. I paid penance by carrying her bags for the whole weekend! On the upside we found that the big green bus was running again!! On the downside it broke down at Kalagi - air was leaking out of the engine. We eventually got going again and arrived in Kombo for 2.30pm.

It was only going to be a short visit to Kombo - we met Ellie and the other new volunteers and agreed she was a big improvement on Kate ;-) We headed back on the North Road on Sunday, surprisingly getting stuck this time at Yelitenda (the south side ferry port only five miles from our compound). We were the last to get off the ferry by which time all the gellehs and taxis had disappeared - the only ones left were charging exorbitant fares. Lucy suggested walking back home in the 35 degree heat - tempting - but in the end we cut a deal with a Senegalese guy heading to Casamance to share a taxi.

On the following Monday evening we headed over to Seedy's compound in Sankwia to visit his family and new son, Fanding. We'd missed his naming ceremony due to gelleh problems a couple of weeks ago. We again enjoyed a good chat with his family, shared a food-bowl and went through his photo collection. Working out who's who in a Gambian family can be tricky so seeing a few photos certainly helps. I was using Kate's old bike as the red hornet had suffered a puncture the previous week. It wasn't a good week for bikes as Lucy's new bike broke down a couple of times on Monday, she then used Kate's which also developed a puncture (I think I caused it before handing it over). I did manage to get Terry's old bike going after swapping the spark plug twice, checking the spark, ensuring fuel was getting into the cylinder and then trying to bump start it with help from Alpha on the compound - all in the afternoon heat. It has "chopper style" handlebars, so feels quite cool - but really is a rusty old bag of nails. Hopefully when I return in six weeks I'll still have access to a bike - some are due for scrap soon so the red hornet may not make it!