Nothing has been quite as rewarding as seeing some of the work that I started in Mauritania be carried on even though I left in the middle of it. When doing development work the ideal is always to have it be sustainable and in some of my early blogs I talked about how I wanted my presence in Mauritania to be a catalyst for development, a sort of Jujitsu development. Turns out I was able to do that, at least a little. Here are some of the ways:
- Woni, the amazing mother of my counterpart with whom I started a tree nursery, has planted another tree nursery of several hundred trees to sell. Given that you all know the saga of trying to get this project going, you can understand how happy it makes me.
- Samba, my tireless counterpart, is finishing the tree planting campaign that we talked about and that I dug forty holes for.
- Taban Lo, a random person who I met that has a rototiller, has followed my suggestion to rent out his machine to cooperatives and farmers and made half of the purchase cost of the rototiller back in the first week. Now another individual has bought a brand new rototiller just to be able to rent it out. This is a huge success.
- Last but most, I did not manage to send a Mauritanian Youth Delegation to the UN Climate Change Negotiations in Copenhagen, but I did get funding for one of them thanks to some volunteers and the Young Friends of the Earth in Germany. This is the success that really has me jumping out of my shorts. To this day, participating in the conference in 2007 was the most remarkable and life changing event I have experienced and I can only imagine it will be the same for a young Mauritanian. This is not a guaranteed deal yet, visas and other issues still need to be worked out, but the big problem, the money, is there. Still this is huge news and it is difficult for me to express the importance of this UN conference. It will be the most important event in the history of the fight against climate change as it will set the new international agreement until 2050, or not... It is imperative for the world that the negotiations go well. I encourage everyone to take a strong interest in following how the negotiations are going and supporting strong targets. A little sacrifice today is going to save the world a whole lot of trouble in the coming years.
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5 comments:
congrats zach, that is really great news! best wishes for all that lies ahead for you around kedougou =)
julie ann
Zach
you are amazing and your successes are to be much savored not only by you but all of us who are applauding right now!
love
Daryl
Wow I am excited and proud for you! I know the C Conf on Climate Change is huge but I have to say, I am so excited about Sambas' moms' tree nursery! I think that is huge. In any country, if you can empower women, you have affected a culture! You and she came a long way on this project and it seems you have both succeeded! Bravo! Love Mom
Zach,
Yup, plenty to be happy about.... good for you!
We make an effort, and though we fill not the sails, we are master's of definition, we raise the sails and thus become captains of ships.
love,
Dad
Fozz,
The successes are cherished by all of us and I think it's such a thrill to see all your hard work pay off and to see you so happy and accomplished!!!
I am happy to hear about the tree nursery and the rototillers since I know that was such a big deal for you.. and a huge step forward in sustainability!!
I think it's great that you are feeling happy in all sorts of ways... and no longer feeling like you're sitting in limbo..... Hopefully, the winds of change are blowing in all directions that are needed!!!
Love you.
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