There have been several recent developments for me, work-wise. One is that our NGO in Bawku, formerly Youth Vrs HIV/AIDS, has changed it's name to Youth Development Alliance. Meeting with some high-ups in the Municipal Assembly my supervisior was advised to change the agency's name to more accurately represent our widening focus; with the new name we will be more eligible to get internal funding for non-HIV/AIDS related projects. I helped to choose the name, and designed the accompanying logo and letterhead. You will be able to see this soon, hopefully, since I am also working on putting up a website for the NGO. I've got about three days to work on the website at this go-round, and I am hoping that it will be enough time to post the link up here and give you all a preview.

Meanwhile, in the village, my pet project: creating a centralized committee of stakeholders and opion leaders to oversee the water and sanitation (WATSAN)conditions throughout the village, has finally taken off. After months of discussion and testing the proverbial waters to make sure it will be well recieved, we had our first meeting last Friday.

Each of the boreholes (water pumps) in my village - there are seven - has it's own WATSAN committee. This is good on the one hand, since working on such a micro-local level it becomes easier to create a sense of ownership and responsibility for the people relying on the pump. On the other hand, there is no sense of what the WATSAN needs are for the entire community, which plays out in wasted time and resources on the ground. One locality does not know that the other is also wanting an additional or improved pump, so instead of sending one representative to the MA to apply for funds, there are two committees going. When the reps get to the assembly (one week after the other) the MA people are confused - didn't they just see a representative from my village last week about this issue? - and no one can tell how many boreholes are requested. It just makes a confusing and difficult situation more confusing and difficult then it needs to be. Also, as I went from local meeting to local meeting, I noticed that what some committees were struggling with others were finding solutions for, but since there was no communication between the committees there was no way to share these solutions.

Thus, I called a meeting - the first meeting I have ever called in my community - and invited two executive members of each committee, as well as the chief and sub chief, and the local assemblyman. Everyone showed up, and somehow I was able to communicate the above reasons for why I felt there should be a central committee - they loved the idea - less work in the long term, the possibility for improved conditions, and no one has to spend a dime. I enticed them with the idea of getting additional water systems in place through grant proposals - a benefit of forming this centalized committee (they will have to help write the grant of course) - and they did like that idea as we desperately need more clean water in the area, but to my surprise they decided on their own that they need to put a strong focus on the rehabilitation of the broken market side borehole, and help struggling committees with their boreholes that need small repairs. During the meeting one local chairman asked me what he should do to get money from the community to help replace some wornout parts on their pump. Before I could speak another chair shared the solutions his committee had found when faced with the same problem. Not only that, but they decided that they would meet again in two days time to elect an executive board, which, upon my urging, will include women. 

They decided to have the next meeting on their own - which I am all for - but, in the end, after meeting for two hours they requested that I should come to the meeting.  I arrived at the meeting after the call to find the executive members were elected, the secretary busily taking notes, and an impressive list of specific questions regarding the new water project. The executive board was introduced to me and the vice chair and treasurer are both women. The men and women were sitting together (which I have never seen before in my highly traditional Muslim community) discussing how they can improve the village for themselves. I don't know if it will last, but that meeting couldn't have gone better. It was like they suddenly, after eight months of my saying so, agreed that they are the ones who best know how to improve their situation. I'll admit I was proud of myself for sticking to my goal of creating sustainable development - but more, much more, I am proud of them for realizing, (if only for a moment), that they have the right to say what they need in this life and go after it.