ianinnigeria

On Saturday i did my last work program, and one i enjoy doing which is financial literacy for farmers, explaining about income/expenditure and profit, and the importance of keeping records.

We handed out notebooks and pens so that they could start there own records for their farms and then show a video prepared in Hausa from another German NGO, GIZ, that shows a group of farmers going through the process of applying for and getting a loan from a micro finance bank.

The fact it is in Haus helps so much in getting the message across, having someone translate just loses so much in translation but also takes so long.

The session was in the ward of Sabon Daga, in Bosso, only 18 miles away but due to the roads took an hour to get to, and we did it under canopies as there isnt a village hall in the ward. However, trying to use a laptop projector in the midst of blazing sunshine was always going to be a struggle and the projector lost – just too bright.

Not to be defeated, we noticed that the village chiefs palace backed onto the square where we had our canopy and that the large circular anti-room wasnt occupied. So Amina the co-ordinator for our partner in this LGA was despatched off to talk to the Chief to see if we could borrow his Palace room for an hour. As with all Village Chiefs they are very helpful and supportive of any work that improves their farmers livelihoods so we decamped the 70+ farmers into the Palace anti-room and showed it in there, with the PA speaker on a chair projecting the sound through the window. Its stuff like this which makes my time here so satisfying, finding solutions to challenges, and why Nigerians are mis-represented by the media, they are so helpful, especially Nigerlites.

We all had a wonderful surprise last Friday when VSO Nigeria, at the instigation of the Senior management team organised a surprise part at the very posh Hilton Transcorp hotel in Abuja, where we played various charade style games and then got taken through to the buffet style restaurant.

Unbelievable is the only way to describe how wonderful the food was, just out of this world from fresh parmesan, to salads, to local nigerian food to roast chicken and the most delightful desserts including rice pudding with nutmeg and sultana’s – Glorious. I am not going to confess how many times i went round the aisles, but many, and enjoyed every last mouthful, a really lovely way to close out the year.

This is the whole gang, Fred – from Kenya, ICT advisor, Myself, Peter James – from Uganda,Agronomist, Hamza – VSO Logistics, Dianne – from Phillipines, Gender advisor and Amar – from India, Private sector advisor.

Now the threshers are in location in the LGA’s we just needed to see them put to use, and here is the evidence – Just bloody fantastic to know i had a hand in it!!

I am pleased to report that all four threshing machines have now been delivered to the LGA’s, and if it wasnt for the fact that i had to go to the capital to celebrate International Volunteer Day to advertise the work of VSO, i would have been able to witness the first commercial threshing being done with a thresher i helped to get there.

At the risk of sounding big headed, it is why i can to make a difference, and when you can look at an activity and genuinely say that wouldn’t be happening if i hadn’t come to the country it makes you feel proud, pleased and humble. Its such a great feeling to know that you have saved people working 10 hours a day with 8 foot wooden poles thrashing the dried soya plants to extract the beans.

Yes there have and almost certainly will be challenges doing this activity, but if it opens the farmers eyes to the great gains to be had from small mechanisation , then we will have started the journey for them. It will encourage group formation and strengthening that will allow them to access finance and ultimately increase the size of their farms and therefore their incomes.

It took 8 strong men to lift it into the back of the truck, no forklift here where you slip them a tenner to pop it on in 5 minutes, and of course the same at the other end to unload.

Now this was a turn up for the books, hadnt really seen these chaps around very much and then one settles on my balcony, didn’t look happy and did fly away after a few minutes but a really strange looking beast, the Praying Mantis, in case you didn’t know.

Dont think they are harmful unless you’re a smaller insect, but half the size of the locust i encountered back in May time. I like my wildlife.

 

We all know the British love a cup of tea regardless of the weather or where in the world we are, and we take it for granted we can get boiling water to make it with, but oh no, not in Nigeria.

I am be in the capital city but from 4pm until 7pm we had no electricity, so when it came back on there was a flurry of activity to cook supper, and yep, you’ve already guessed it, we ran out of gas!!

Now, not one to take this lying down i prowled the flat looking for something i could cook with, and the electric iron was my best bet, as obviously i now had power. So i finished cooking my noodles in a frying pan, and then set about boiling water for tea. With the frying i was 80% through cooking with gas so it was only 2-3 minutes to finish, but with the water it took the best part of 45 minutes to get it hot enough, but it made a damn good cup of PG Tips – very proud of my perseverance.

Well i wont lie, now its so close i want to be home, and this time in 2 weeks i should have landed at heathrow and be on my way.

But i’m not just letting it slip away, i am travelling to Abuja tomorrow to attend and present at the International Volunteer day in Abuja being held on Monday, about the work we have done on maize and soya bean value chain. that should be good as there are meant to be 25 volunteers from VSO and a good chance to mingle.

Then the rest of the week is a strategic planning meeting about what should be done in 2017, and as most of you now, i’m never shy of having and sharing an opinion. In fact i have shared quite a few with the new Country Director who is  great lady, Lucia.

In fact today the grapevine informs me that the Head of Programs is off to Myanmar, previously Burma as assistant CD, and another program manager has resigned so big changes within VSO Nigeria, and give the new CD the opportunity to restructure and run the country as she wants, However, Anand the previous Head of Programs will be missed.

Then i return to Minna on Friday, with just enough time to print off some worksheets before holding a Financial Literacy program with 100+ farmers from 2 wards within the LGA of Bosso, namely Sadam Daga and a very rural ward called Jitta. This i will enjoy as i love the subject and love being with the farmers. In this program we are handing out small notebooks so the farmers have to start their daily record keeping of income and expenditure , so they can begin to work out daily and weekly profit and loss.

On the 14th one of our Partners is holding an evening of “Achievement” and this should be a good way to say goodbye to all my friends within STARs foundation, as they are all great fun and i have enjoyed their company more than the other partners, just because they are more relaxed and fun-loving. Read that as they take the Michael!!

I have gifted my lovely bicycle to them, at first we thought we would sell it and buy 2 childrens bike to give to the orphanage but the value we are being offered for the bike is very mean. So Plan B, is that we give it to a poor/marginalised farmer, as it is known as a farm bike due to the rack and single speed gearing. However, you never, ever see anybody get off and push even stick thin 70+ year old boys, still just keep the same speed of pedaling up hill down dale – how do they do it. Anyway probably a more fitting end to its life, being used as it was intended and still related to agriculture. Have asked for pictures of the happy recipient.

One of my great companions out here has been my ipod, nearly 2000 tunes saved to it on random shuffle, so why is it that after nearly a year i hear “Anarchy in the UK” for the first time, but have heard Meatloaf bat out of hell 3 times this week – Bizarre. I’m not complaining just doesn’t equate in my mind.

last night i finished reading the last of the books Linda brought out for me, so again good timing, Frederick Forsyth the Deceiver, good read lasted less than a week, i have really enjoyed reading, perhaps because of circumstance but we’ll see when i get back whether i keep it up.

 

No not the flowers, they wouldnt have a chance in these hostile environments but onions. Why do we insist on calling them “Red” onions when they just arent, they are indeed violet, and thats how the Nigerians describe them. Even in their market information reports they are called “Violets”, simple, straight-forward and obvious.

Oh, and of course tasty, and still make your eyes water!

I saw one of these while ago but the photo wasn’t good and slightly out of focus, but these are better and they are impressive millipedes, certainly as thick as your little finger or 15mms. Always curled up protecting themselves from the sun, and, no i didnt poke it with a stick to wake it up, didn’t seem very kind. In total i would guess they are 150mm or 6 inches in old money. Impressive.

During my stay in Nigeria, there have been many things i have seen that just warm your hard with their simplistic enjoyment, things we have forgotten with our obsession with electronic gadgets and the internet.

Over the months i have tried to get a decent video but as soon as you start filming the kids get self-conscious and i even thought about paying them to do it so i got a better film clip, but here’s 4-5 secs of the real thing.

It must be the best use for a bald motorcycle tyre and a stick, and every street corner has several children boys and girls doing it with great dexterity, just gently tapping the tyre each side to make it run straight and true. bet i couldnt do it. Enjoy.