Mali 50th Anniversary of Independence mural

Donate to a project in Mali!

My region-mate, Ali, is currently raising money for a project to facilitate shea production in her community by providing materials and training. Shea butter, soap, and lotion are all made from the nuts of the shea tree, indigenous to West Africa, and shea products are an important source of income for local women. Consider donating to this worthy project!

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=688-349

Hot season work

So the hot season is here-the weather report for Kita today is a low of 75 and a high of 102, and hot season does not even reach its peak until May! Rainy season in Mali, which runs from June to October, tends to be the busiest time of year, when people go out to the fields and farm all of the staples-corn, millet, peanuts, and beans-that will feed them (inshallah) for the coming year. There is also lots of work that is unique to hot season, though-particularly building and and home improvement projects that would be impossible with the constant threat of a torrential downpour.

People make these clay pots to store water in. They are going to let them dry in the sun and then fire them. This is my good friend in my village, Kunba (right), and her sister-in-law, Selu.

My brother replacing his termite-ridden roof

The well in my host-uncle's garden dried up, so he climbed down to deepen it. Here his daughters are hauling up the buckets of mud he dug out.

Deepening the well

Collecting sand to make cement for my school project

Updates

For close followers of this blog, I mentioned back in December that I would soon be posting my school construction project online so that people could donate. The community contribution for this project ended up being high enough that it qualified for a different type of funding that does not involve outside donations. The project and funding have been approved, and work is set to start at the end of this month. Thank you to everyone who considered donating!

Also in December, I posted pictures of the baby who was named after me, Jessica Sira Coulibaly. I am happy to report that she is fat and healthy. She continues to pursue such activities as eating, sleeping, and, since babies do not wear diapers here, peeing on people when they least expect it.