Homeless ...

While the rain is pouring down and I'm enjoying a coffee - rum in Banfora, the title of this post is what came to my head. Homeless. Not that the house VSO arranged for me in Ouagadougou doesn't exist anymore. Maybe I should change the title to 'homefull'. For the last number of months I've been home everywhere, and switching places constantly. Ouaga, Dano, Hounde, Banfora, ... While working my ass to get the civil services thing up-n-running and yes, it DOES work, I've spent week after week in different locations. With my XT600 as a contstant buddy, getting me everywhere I needed to be. And everywhere I landed, it was great to land. Everywhere I departed, it was great, because I was heading towards somewhere.

So now is week number 0. Have just finished up in Banfora and Beregadougou. Delivered. Last week in Dano, and tomorrow an update in Hounde. Happy to see that the result is more than expected. We're reaching out to more than 150.000 citizens who can now rely on a civil service. After all, this is what I came for.
Next week I'm heading back to Europe for a 3 week holiday. I've been there 3 weeks ago - which seems again like ages - since my grandmum died and I took a week off to attend the funeral.

But this time I'm going back to relax. And I do hope the rain stays in Burkina Faso and doesn't travel with me. It's much more appreciated here.

Cheers.

stakeholders, chickens and jeu-de-boule

Hiya. Time again for an update - almost one month after the last one.

Let's start with work this time - and with good news! Last week I've finally gathered all signatures required to commence the 2012 work plan. Some 3 months after my first version, we've agreed on creating this year the tool sets for civil services and accounting - 2 areas of great importance for managing municipalities. Looking back on the discussions we've had over the last months, one of the major reasons for the time-it-took-to-get-forward-with-this-plan was the issue of stakeholders. It was incredibly hard to make sure we're claiming the right resources on the right moment (and for the right subject). In true African style, every time there was pressure to get 'everybody' involved, which - according to my gut feeling - is one of the major factors for execution delays and scope problems. Hope truly we've got that sorted out well now. In practical terms, I'll be dividing my time now between working in municipalities (with the actual users of the tools) and Ouagadougou, meeting with ministries - and other parties involved. The municipalities we've chosen are Dano, Banfora and Houndé. Result-wise, we should be able in the second half of this year to deliver a tool for civil services nation-wide, and by the end of the year a limited production test for accounting.

Some other - in random order - remarks of what's going on:

• we've had a week of working with a Canadian group on the subject of local economical development - quite an interesting experience where I've learned one word I'll never forget: inukshuk. (which has nothing to do with the subject, but still - just look it up with google, choose images, and you'll see something we all had to build)
• there's been a visit - again, one week - of a delegation of the Central African Republic. Purpose was sharing information bout how to set up and organize an association of municipalities - as they are in the process of creating one there. Interesting to see how good practices get shared, but what doesn't work never enters the room :)
• the chickens have done their best - 7 chicks are added to the pool of lunch-to-be-ready-in-some-months.
• no photos this time. Have posted some on facebook. Note though that my repaired iphone (home-button) need some hitting in order to continue functioning, wifi works well when I'm about one arm length away from the base station, and most of the time, the camera refuses to work, limiting my opportunities for casual shots. In true African style, I just reboot when necessary, and accept the once-in-a-lifetime-shot to never exist (and naturally hitting the damn thing when necessary). 
• really interesting: last week I found out I don't need a tv to be able to watch something Burkinabe. The public channel does broadcast also on the internet (see: http://www.rtb.bf). With my 256Kb/s - 25.000 F CFA (38 euros) a month connection at home it takes only one hour to see a 30 minute show.
• I've expanded my sports activities and have found a second one I can support in this weather. So apart from swimming, I've joined a jeu-de-boules team. Great success so far, as I'm becomes less and less a disrupting factor and punishment for my teammate. Beginner's luck, it must be.

Think big, bigger, biggest!

Happy new year to everyone! (just to explain how this blog has been getting dusty over the last months)

So, what happened in the meantime ...

In that meantime: 

• I've enjoyed a relaxing holiday in Burkina Faso - with Sabine, Theun and Mieke. Exploring the countryside, assisting in finding antibiotics for people who got ill, visiting local friends, freezing in a swimming pool, enjoying the automatic repair of exploding tires, seeing more elephants than ever before, witnessing mountains of freshly picked cotton waiting to get shipped, enjoying Dutch donuts on new year's eve (and getting drunk as hell), being the luckiest ass in the world as it happens that 40km's in the bush there's a mechanic driving behind us while we're having car problems (and that was most surely the only living soul nearby), well, this is just a small pick of the event of those 4 weeks. Come again, please!
• My chickens are growing up, and 2 of them are having a nest - with a load of eggs mutating below em. Over the next couple of weeks, there's quite a chance Villa43 will get crowded. Think there will be lots of chicken on the menu later on this year. 
• There's a motorbike version 2.0. New tires - off road this time - will assist me in escaping the city at weekends. Yay!
• I've assisted at a traditional village marriage negotiation. The most funny part was where the family of the girl that gets married tries to steal something in order to avoid the guests from leaving. Bad luck for one of the drivers of the bus, as his mobile phone got stolen. It took about 3 hours and the theft (ok, let's call it kidnapping) of one of the girl's sisters before we could head home. 
• More bout work (explaining the title - after a series of photos). 

This is why I don't like traveling with a local car. Would feel exactly like of the (yes, alive) chickens hanging upside down. 

Just a man keeping us company when the car broke down. 

Also company, same location. 

The 'piques' de Sindou. 

He dad, that was the first train I saw in Burkina Faso. Think the locals were surprised too.

It drives, so what ? Dieu merci ... indeed.

Negotiations about the amount of dolo (local beer), coca-nuts, cigarettes and money for the traditional wedding. Somehow, the sand plays an important role. 

Ok. You've made it this far. Let's start explaining the title for this post. 

While traveling to municipalities last year, it became very clear there where no tools for managing stuff. So we've started creating them. Which we've only done after investigating if there was nothing available somewhere else. And what exists just couldn't do the job. Created by projects and abandoned afterwards, or hopelessly old, not suited to the actual needs. 

So aside from creating tools, we needed to start another process in order to ensure that the work I've started could go on after this year.

Hence, last month, I've organized a conference, and invited bout 45 municipalities (mayors, heads of staff of divisions, ...) throughout the country - in total more than 200 people. That day we discussed the actual situation, and how to move forward in regard to the management question, and I've laid out a plan to create a centre at the association which could assume the role of creating and maintaining those tools and deliver them nation-wide. 

The response was above expectations. Not having provided any financial contribution for the invitees to attend (like money for fuel or accommodation - which is highly uncommon here), almost everybody came on their own expense, even from 400kms away. 

Before that meeting, I've worked like hell to get a first tool in a state where I could present - and make clear what technology can do in the 21th century. A showcase or eye-opener, as it's called, and since that meeting I've had a number of mayors asking me when I could come over and deliver.

So, conclusion, I've just finished getting the financial part of the centre sorted out. To make it also in that regard sustainable, I've prepared in a way where within 2 years, the project should be self-funding through contributions from municipalities. Next week I'm having a first chat with one of the possible technical/financial partners for the funding of the first years. 

In the meantime, I'm waiting to get my plan for this year approved, so I could finalize this year some of the tools and get them where they are needed. 

To end this post, I must admit that last couple of months where energy-draining. As it was clear for me what's needed out there, my heart just wanted to go on with providing that assistance and kick ass (hard). The process has been slow though - at least very very very (repeat about a 1000 times) slow for me. But maybe, we'll get there.