Goats, earwigs and new life - A blog from Baks

Kusalang again today – the nursery on the Senegal border. It rained last night, shouldn't have because the season has ended, but it did making the journey slightly easier with the rain compacting the sand. Took Phil, ICT VSO, to show him what it is like in the bush. Normal ride through African landscape, herds of horned cattle, donkey carts etc. Arrived to hear the children chanting “welcome, welcome.” It is very moving. The nursery has a lot of resources because it has a UK sponsor charity. These include markers, chalk, paper, card, crayons, construction sets books and more but it is all in a terrible pickle so Bak's arrives to bring some order. A very messy job, dirt everywhere and hundreds of earwigs amongst all the stock – yuk! After 3 hours though, each table had a stock of paper and pencils/crayons and the children were happily mark making and enjoying the colours which they hadn't seen or used before. I was given many pictures, most just paper with every colour on because they don't know how to draw. At about midday breakfast was served – cous and sugar and “fresh” milk. When I say fresh I mean not yet yoghurt although already on the turn which is how they like it. This is eaten, of course, from the communal bowl with what I can only describe as ice cream scoops, very tricky to avoid getting it down your shirt. After breakfast we retired outside for tea to see two goats that had just, literally, just been born. Whilst they were making valiant attempts to stand the mother was licking them clean and eating the afterbirth, I am glad I had already had my breakfast. I know it is natural but it still made me feel a tad squeamish as I am no country boy. Stayed for about another 30 minutes by which time the kids (goats that is) had learned to stand, after a fashion, and they were already beginning to suckle – amazing, I feel very lucky to have been there. Then I got to thinking, I do occasionally, about what a great metaphor the baby goats were for the Gambia. Here is a country struggling, against all odds, to stand on it's own two feet, and wobbling every time it gets to the upright position. If however the Gambia can be as successful as the kids (goats) then perhaps, just perhaps, there is hope. I do so want to believe this because the people here deserve better – they really, really do.

Left Kusalang and headed home happy and tired, past the cattle, past the donkey carts, past the wells, past the villages, past the armed police check and back onto the island. Stopped to buy some tins of pop and went to the office to find Hawa who has been busy doing data entry in the air conditioned office all day. Tomorrow is another day – Hawa is of to a phonics training day and I am trekking in the Jeep finishing off the head count of pupils and teachers in the schools – it will be a long day for both of us but this is all to the good. Africa is extraordinary, death and new life are always very close to hand and today was reminder of new life and even though it was only goats I have to say it was very uplifting.