It’s been too long. I know. We both have the best intentions but lack the actual patience of sitting down and writing.
Life in Bamako continues as usual....I think we survived the hot season....there were days when the temperature went up to 49 degrees!! We actually managed to cook an egg on our patio. (see picture) Until you’re living in 49 degrees, you don’t really realize that every single object retains heat. Our cutlery was hot, our sofa was too hot to sit on, our mattress radiated heat, the toilet seat was hot, our mangoes were hot, and the water coming out of the taps was more than just luke warm. Impossible to seek relief. Now the days are becoming more tolerable (35 degree). The rainy season is here and today it's a cool 26 degrees. Love it!

Thomas and I have managed to take two trips recently. The first was to Sikasso over Easter. (I know....that’s ages ago!) Sikasso is a city near the border of Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Guinea and we were told it would be cooler there. It wasn`t. It was much more humid. Public transportation in Mali is disorganized and of poor quality. There is no first class, it`s all about luck. You either get a good bus or you get a lemon and you never reach your destination! If it weren`t for our car, I doubt we would have ever bothered to make the trip. Sikasso is south of Bamako and is known as the country`s greenest region. This is partly why we decided on heading to Sikasso....during the hot season, there is NO green to be seen in and around Bamako.
So..desperately seeking greenery, we left Bamako on Good Friday crossing our fingers that our little car would get us there. We`d already been told the road was bad, but figured if we took our time, we`d get there. The first part was fine, the second was terrible. I have a video that I`ll try to post on here to show you. The Chinese have taken the initiative and are working on widening the roads and filling the holes. Not sure about the quality of their work but they move quickly. We found the road to be significantly better 3 days later when driving home.

I drove for a bit. While Thomas was taking this picture, his sunglasses fell off his head and out the window never to be seen again.....That was the end of my driving.

Best things about Sikasso:
1. Less dust
2. Greenery
3. Mangos (yes...Mali`s best mangos come from this region!)
4. Our hotel hidden from the city with a tree full of birds outside our bungalow
5. Cheap gin and tonics
6. A tiny waterfall...it`s nice to see water in the Sahel
7. The market and the funny lady selling lemons

8. The Relais Enfant Sign: sign of a project I worked on with Save the Children Canada

Worst things about Sikasso:
1. The son of a Marabout who lives in Washington DC who was hanging out in front of the Grotte de Missirikoro and who charged us 2000 CFA each for a pathetic tour of the caves. (If your dad is a big Marabout religious leader in DC, what the hell are you doing in the middle of nowhere giving tours to the very few people who come? Whatever buddy! We told him we wrote for a travel guide and would portray him as someone who takes advantage of tourists! He got scared! HA!)The only reason we paid the guy is because we’d rented a taxi to get to the caves because our car definitely wouldn’t have made it. We paid for the cab so thought we might as well see the caves. Blah. Not a must-see!

2. No electricity at our hotel during the day which meant napping in 48 degrees.

new curtains...not that easy!

I’m loving the fabric in Mali!
If I could, I’d be coming home with a whole new wardrobe!!
We’ve had cushion covers made twice for our living room set! It’s cheap enough to have them done and the first time, the decision was really made on a whim! I was immediately unsatisfied!
Having a guard around the house all day is wonderful but it also makes you appreciate the privacy you once had and no longer have. As soon as we could, we had curtains made for the living room. One would think that asking for curtains is simple. Simple, it was not. When we asked for a curtain for our bedroom window, we were given a piece of cloth to hang on the rod. We both laughed and realized that the next time, we would need to be more specific and tell them we wanted the fabric cut in two so that we could OPEN the curtains and let some light in. Before our guests arrived, we had new curtains made (from ugly fabric....but we had it lying around so decided to use it!) and this time asked for curtains which you could open. I even drew a picture!!
This is what we got. And we had another laugh!

Tailors and Alou hanging up the curtains in the living room

Alou playing around...

Eleanor and Diane: Mali Memoires

In January and February, we had lots of visitors: Eleanor and Diane came for two weeks and shortly after they left, Dad and Elizabeth came. It was SO nice to have visitors and be able to show them how we live here. Pictures of both visits will follow. Inchalla.

Eleanor and Diane sent frequent e-mails to family and friends while they were here detailing their days. I found their first impressions to be very interesting. I suppose they would have been similar to the ones Thomas and I had had if we’d even had the time to think about our new surroundings. Our first 2 weeks in Mali were quite rushed as we had to find a place to live.

So...here are some excerpts from E &D’s first impressions of their first 48 hrs in Mali...staring from the airport:


Mali Memoires: Chapter One

Left Toronto and had bumpy flight across the Atlantic. Arrived in Paris – wet and gloomy so did not explore outside the airport. No sleep on the flight – too turbulent. So…the thought of curling in a comfortable and catching 40 winks was attractive but it was not to be… Terminal quite deserted and very, very cold and we had no jackets (in readiness for Mali) and so spent 7 hours freezing and huddled in attempts to keep warm. Hardly read and tried to nap. Minimal success.

Closer to flight time the gate filled up with well-dressed Africans and poorly dressed white people, including us. We tried to invent stories as to why anyone in their right mind would be going to Bamako- still no clue. We had the idea that everyone’s story would make a good movie. Clearly some whites were NGO workers.

Flight to Bamako not eventful, good food for an airline (Air France), a tiny amount of sleep before arrival in Bamako. Easy to get through immigration and only a cursory look at our Yellow Fever inoculation card and through customs easily although they very clearly checked that the bag we took matched our baggage ticket on our boarding pass.

Immediately outside the terminal – greeting us were Thomas and Michelle. We were so pleased to see them and they us as they had been waiting for a bit as we were a little late in arriving. Thomas and Michelle recently got a car and so we made our way through the motorcycles to their car and were on our way to their home on the other side of Bamako, having to cross the Niger River en route. There was a lot of traffic for 10:00pm, few street lights, multi horns, including ours as motos wove their way in and around all the cars and vans etc. Quite a few pedestrians and people sitting on the roadsides in the dark. Occasional groups of men around lone TV sitting on bricks or haunches watching soccer. General impression of noise, chaos, speed and people.

Arrived at their home which when we turned toward their garage the doors seem to open by magic and there was their guard ready to welcome them home. We got here generally by paved busy roads then turned on to a busy unpaved and very bumpy/rocky/sandy road for about 6 blocks (this is main road called rue princess) and then sharp right on to an even bumpier and heavily rutted road past the enclosure for a horse and goats just outside the house (a horse coop) i.e. this is not very big at all. This is their street. We entered their house through a lovely garden with an empty swimming pool. Mango and papaya tree, hedges now nicely trimmed, about 50 ft square. Very tranquil after the outside. None of this yard can be seen from the road as there is a concrete block wall in front with bougainvillea growing along it and the eternal 6 men sitting outside near the horse coop looking and doing nothing. They are there all day every day except when they are watching soccer which is also outside. This is considered to be a middle class neighbourhood.

When we exit the front gate we see nearly naked children playing in the dirt, women washing in large plastic bowls using wash boards (probably from China , since everything else is) , chickens – very scrawny and dirty, mopeds, the odd car although the taxi car did not want to come on this street. Princess street is much busier and well travelled by cars and is flanked by people cooking on little charcoal burners and selling fish kebabs, chicken pieces and doughnut type things i.e. deep fried dough midst meandering cows, furniture-makers, tailors, taxi stands, women working and men standing around and dust swirling everywhere. We walked along Princess our first morning so that we could be gradually introduced to the neighbourhood and Bamako and we ended up at the local supermarket, run by Lebanese, like a small IGA and we bought drinking water for us( as they drink filtered water ) and the store was very clean and prices were apparently not out of sight.

On our first night, they advised us to wear earplugs as the mosque (4 blocks away) starts quite early 4:00am with the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer. Even with earplugs we have heard him every morning and have yet to be faithful.

On Sunday we went for drive to a village called Siby outside of Bamako by about 45 minutes and went to a shea butter cooperative and although they were not processing that day we got a good idea of what they did and bought some of their product. WE have learned from Thomas whose work here is helping this enterprise in Mali some of difficulties and issues which are endemic in this developing country. Many NGO workers here think that Mali is in fact regressing. Absolutely no doubt that it is regressing in education.
We had a short hike in the country and saw some lovely rocky escarpments, nothing much growing except the mango and shea trees. Enjoyed a beer in a tourist hostel and got back to car after the hike to find that the car was leaking gas. We drive for about 10 minutes in loud silence with Michelle finally muttering “what I would give for the CAA” before reaching a gas station. The attendants were singularly disinterested in our predicament and showed zero initiative. Thomas disappeared under the car with a Kleenex, electrical tape and we eventually unearthed some wire. Perhaps we were wrong about the disinterest as two of the gas station attendants washed themselves, faced Mecca, spread their green mats and began to pray. Perhaps they were praying for Allah’s intervention? At any rate, Thomas, who will now be forever known as St Thomas fixed the leak.

Thomas and we went to the market on Monday to buy a part for the car and some flip flops for E as D did not know yet that she needed them. We also had to buy a plastic kettle which turned out to be green and orange striped for use in the bathroom. Michelle told us that no Africans will use the toilet in her house if she only supplies tp and not a kettle with water for washing never regions. Therefore Malians eat only with their right hands. Generally straight from plate to mouth. We may not try this. The market was unbelievable –it seemed to be little stores along a street but no the stores went back for several blocks, all under lean to creations and therefore in the dark with some electricity at odd locations. There were tailors (all men) sewing, cloth, shoes, household wear fish veg meat, children’s clothes, motor handle grips. Sunglasses, car parts, tires, hardware, tea, rice, ….everything. Each stall was about 6-9 ft square. The ground rose away from the street and the pathways were very uneven, dirt and very rocky. Every so often, there were women washing and 2 rentable play station sites, pungent odour, very dark and busy and no one paid any attention to us ( of course we 2 women were walking behind Thomas so I guess appropriate). Could not take photos as they do not like the photo taken. We did not see any other Toubabs (white people) in this market…which resembled a huge rabbit warren. We walked in the market for about an hour or so quite quickly and did not get to daylight until the end. WE also went to the local supermarket to get a case of water and it was almost empty except for white people or their servants purchasing from a list. The models for clothing were all white. The merchandise was all from China and the food was all from France. It was cold and sterile. The market was neither.

The temperature is 30+degrees and we are drinking gallons of water. It does not seem too hot during the day, though it is very dry, but at night it is quite hot even with fans going.
We are off now since the noon day sun is over to venture forth to find a little market to buy lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and green onions for dinner. They are washed and then soaked in purified water. They say Bamako tap water is very good but we will not be trying it.

Women's Day in Mali

It’s been a while! The hot season is now upon is and to be sitting at a computer is sometimes unbearable!

These past few weeks have been extremely busy. I spent the last month preparing a day’s long training on “Gender Equality and its Importance in the Work We Do” and Thomas has been preparing for the Journée Nationale du Karité (National Shea Day) as well as the International Global Shea Conference, which, this year, is being held in Bamako.

But before I go into detail on the aforementioned activities and events, I wanted to share my thoughts, feelings and impressions of International Women’s Day. Working with a network of women’s organizations, one would think that I’d be immersed in activities leading up to and including La Journée Internationale de la Femme. This was not the case. For the last 10 days, our organization’s President has been in New York for the Beijing +15 forum where the Commission of the Status of Women reviewed the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (1995). Without her here, little was planned in the office to mark the occasion. The Membres du Bureau (the Representatives of the 8 member organizations of the network) seemed to plan their own activities but didn’t really make their activities known to anyone. I did my best get involved. I purchased a pagne made specifically for Women’s Day and Thomas got one too.






A pagne is a piece of fabric about the size of a sarong. In Mali, there is a specific pagne which comes out to mark every event. (There’s a pagne for the National day against Excision, World AIDS Day, and even The African Cup Soccer Tournament). With my pagne, (from the 2 colors of choice, I picked blue and Thomas was given a green one) I had a wrap skirt and a top made and Thomas had a shirt made. The receptionist at work, Alima, took the fabric and our measurements to her tailor and for under $8, we had the 3 items made. The tailor made me the kind of skirt all Malian women wear. For just under $1, a string is added to the fabric so that it can be wrapped and tied around the body. I didn’t find it as comfortable as I thought it would. The fabric rubbed against my ankles when I walked and because of the extreme heat, and the piece of fabric wrapped around me three times, my middle was sweating!! Here's a picture of me striking a pose!









The Friday before the Journée de la Femme, I was told that there would be a parade on Monday and a few speeches. Because I was giving a day’s long workshop on the Wednesday, I hadn’t planned on attending the parade. Thomas hadn’t planned on it either as he was doing the last minute preps for National Shea Day.
I knew that some of the other CECI volunteers wanted to march in the parade and so I called them on the Sunday night to find out where the parade was taking place. They had no idea and told me that nobody seemed to have a clue. Monday morning, Thomas and I headed off to work in style.


As we approached my office, we saw that much of the Avenue de l’Indépendance was blocked and that there were tents set up on the sidewalks. (This is the large avenue which runs through half of Bamako. It’s one of the only Avenues with sidewalks) When I got to the office, it was closed (Nobody had told me that the office was going to be closed....and I’m guessing nobody really knew. It just happened!) Apparently, women don't go to work on International Women's Day. (i like the idea!!) We parked the car and locked our computers in the trunk and walked down to where the tents were set up


We continued to walk down the avenue past the tents which were set up for the Officials (politicians, ambassadors, etc) and those set up for the public. We finally reached the place where all the different associations, organizations, chapters of organizations, etc were lining up. All sorts of organizations being represented from L’Association des broderies Chinoises to l’Association des Esthéticiennes du Mali to L’Association de femmes de petites tailles (midgets)!













We then spotted a tractor with a wagon behind it. Members of one of the cooperatives Thomas works with were on the wagon with all their karate machinery. A big banner with KALOJE (the cooperatives’ brand name) was hanging along the side of the float. Thomas had no idea “his women” were marching but was thrilled at the publicity they were about to get.





The sun was starting to get hot and I hadn’t brought my hat (for once!!) so we ventured back to the tents and took seats in the shade. Lined up in front of the tents, in uniform, were all the women from all the ranks, sections, units of the army and police forces. Everyone around us was dressed in outfits either made from the green pagne or the blue one. Even many of the men in the stands were wearing shirts they (or their wives) had had made. I looked to my right and all the Officials were taking their seats. Representatives and Ministers from Ministries such as Ministères de la promotion de la Femme, l’Enfant et la Famille, Santé, Education, etc were all there as was the President and his wife. FYI the President (ATT) was not wearing the pagne and a colleague I found in the crowd remarked “Il ne le porte pas; il n’est pas encore avec nous! (He’s not wearing it; he’s still not with us).



I get frustrated on a daily basis here. Working with a network of organizations is difficult because people tend to be too busy to meet with me. How can I build capacity if there’s no one to work with? I also find that there are so many women’s organizations and associations here (in the thousands I think) and they don’t try to pool their efforts and funds together to achieve change. The day itself was wonderful and the energy was moving. What I saw on March 8th was unique. Women were together celebrating each other and asking for change.

at last!

First off, Happy new year!!
Secondly, apologies all around for not having posted anything in a while. It’s not that nothing exciting, annoying or worth telling has happened (lots has!!), we’ve just both been busy with holidays, work, concerts, soccer, and roommates! (yes, yes, lots to tell!)
Let me start with Christmas and our holidays. Once Thomas and I both felt well, we began our hike through a part of the Pays Dogon. Dogon Country extends some 150km through the Sahel to the east of Mopti and according to Lonely Planet it’s one of the top 10 places to see before you die!! (We can check it off the list now!) The landscape is incredibly stunning- homes and granaries (greniers) were built up in the rocks in the escarpment- and the Dogon people are intriguing- many are animists! We hiked 6-8 hours a day for 3 days and spent 2 nights in different Dogon villages. The camp sites in the region are usually someone’s home on the roof on a flimsy matress under a mosquito net (there weren’t many at all!) and under the magnificent sky. Nights were a definite highlight for me! Not only could I rest my sore feet but laying under the stars in a village the Sahel is such a treat. The sight of shooting stars and the early-morning sounds of donkeys, sheep and roosters (oh yes! Let’s not forget the endless praying over the mosque’s loud speaker!!!) is an experience Thomas and I will both always remember. For those of you on Facbook, pictures are posted. Here, we’ve only posted a few.
We finished our trek on Christmas eve and were back in Mopti that evening. You may recall from one of my last postings that I was somewhat hungry for Christianity. Back at our hostal (called Y’a pas de probème- Malians say “Y’a pas de problème” ALL the time) I asked the owner whether he knew of any church services taking place. He informed us that there was a mass being held at Mopti’s only Catholic church at 9pm and told us something was to take place at the Protestant church but he wasn’t sure of the time. Walking in to town we found the “Temple Protestant Culte” and when we opened the big metal door, a crowd of people – many of whom were wearing masks- was sitting around a huge bonfire. Feeling tired and unadventurous, we decided we’d be Catholic this year and headed off to mass. Mass was in Bambara and we sat through about 30 minutes and then left. (It went on til midnight)
The following morning, Christmas morning, we woke up at 5:00am to head back to Bamako. We made it in time for a terrific Christmas dinner at Deb’s place. Deb’s sister and her family were also there and they had cooked up a storm. We had turkey and stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, and even champagne!

Shea Butter

Since we started blogging I never really explained what Shea butter is or where I was working or talked about the organization I work for.
The Shea tree grows naturally in the wild of the dry Savannah belt of West Africa. Its range stretches from Senegal in the west to Sudan in the east, and into the foothills of the Ethiopian highlands. Shea trees thrive in 19 countries across the African continent.
Shea butter has been produced and used by Africans for centuries as a hydrating cream for new born babies and women, and more surprisingly as a cooking oil.
The transformation of Shea butter has been an activity exclusively done by women, in their spare time between harvest seasons. The Shea butter helps rural families to fulfill their immediate financial needs as they frequently sell it. In the past 20 years, cosmetic and food (chocolate) companies have been more and more interested in its hydrating properties and for its natural fat. The demand fpr Shea butter is growing exponentially every year, but the supply chain, has had difficulties to get organised and realise the economic potential.
In this context, many NGOs are working with women producing shea butter because 1) there is a market for shea butter at the local, regional and international level and 2) because by organising the producers (often women) into economic groups and sensitising them on the market potential and the impact it could have on their income thus contributing to fighting poverty.
The Projet Karité started in 2004 in collaboration between the Ministry of promotion of women, children and family, the CECI (Centre d’Etude et de Cooperation Internationale) and UNIDO United Nation industrial Development Organisation). This projet`s objective is to fight poverty especially among women in rural communities in 4 of Mali`s regions. Since its starts, the project has created 8 cooperatives and trained more than 4000 women in the production techniques and in financial and cooperative management. From this project a brand called Kaloje was created. The work of all these women was recognised at the 2nd Shea butter international conference last year by receiving the first prize for quality. The project is reaching its end and is focusing on the management of these cooperatives to help them become independent and sustainable. As part of my work, I’m in charge of training them in financial management and in helping with the creation of the commercial structure to facilitate the selling of the product locally and internationally.
I find that many of the women I work with don’t realize the economic potential…
Up until now some of the challenges I encountered are the low level of education in the rural communities which makes training more difficult to give, the low level of organisation and little trust that men give to women.

Teryabougou pictures

Here are some pictures from the weekend we spent in Teryabougou with Deb and Bintou at the end of November.