Month Eleven Progress Report

07/23/08

What happened? How can this be month eleven already and me forgetting to post this blog?

Garden Project
The focus of my garden project is slowly shifting to these main areas:
1) Providing Seeds: One reason for limited types of vegetables is the unavailability of seeds; the other is that Samoans, like everyone else, are hesitant to try new foods. I am letting those crops, namely corn and okra, which I know will be eaten, go to seed. Of course, this is fighting the desire to eat one’s own seed crop.
2) Killing Chickens: The chicken population is thriving and getting fat eating my cabbages. They not only eat the leaves, but also break them in their mad scramble to gorge themselves before I get there with my slingshot (Peace Corps prohibits the use of firearms). So far they have ruined hundreds of cabbages while I have only killed one.
3) Bees: My two bee hives languish behind the copra plant in the neighboring town of Salelologa. There doesn’t seem to be any rush to help build my bee shelter. My veggies don’t produce fruit and Lester, the bee man, hasn’t called yet to get his money.

Telecenter/Computers
No news on telecenter funding.

The principle of the primary school met me at the market and wanted to know why I was not at the school. I reminded her that she had told me months ago that her teachers were not interested. I did meet with her. She wanted me to teach them “computers”. I said that until she requires her teachers to have a specific application for the use of the computer there was no point in teaching them “computers”. I tested the computer to make sure it still works and cleaned the rat shit from the computer table.

Small Business
I started working on some basic business practices with a young one-armed single mother who is running a family store in the village. The woman is a willing and intelligent person who really wants and needs to learn ways to increase business. It is a learning process for me too.

Future Projects
I spent a lot of time the past month politicking. Here is what turned up:
1) What they want:
a. Matai’s/Village Council:
i. Submit proposals for the construction of a new connector road for the mountain plantations.
ii. Get funding for pig fencing to contain village pigs.
b. Women’s Committee
i. Submit proposal to get fabric and sewing accessories for single mothers.
ii. Submit proposal to get a sound system for village fund raisers
c. Farmers
i. Seeds
ii. Market stand build on the road to sell produce.

2) What I want:
a. For what they want
i. Get me estimates for the cost of their projects. I am there to assist not to do all the work. No estimates forthcoming as yet.
b. For what I want
i. To start a village wide weight control program to slow the rise of diabetes and high blood pressure. Bingo! I think I hit something.