Sep 19, 2018
One of my first tastes of reality of what it means to live day to day, without even basic necessities covered – so-called subsistence economy – was a visit to a sick man in Ouaga’s public hospital…. It’s difficult to describe facilities that have never had even the most minimum upkeep, that literally flood in the rainy season, and whose suffocating heat the rest of the year is unbearable. It’s hard to imagine the smells. Hard to imagine the lack of hygiene. Hard to imagine the lack of privacy, with the sick scattered about the hallways on mats. Hard to understand the tremendous lack of human and material resources.
Jul 17, 2018
I’ve been sitting in my office all morning praying to “AK’s” guardian angel to watch over her today with special care and attention, and telling myself that no sixteen-year-old should be giving birth tight now, and especially not under the circumstances in which this type of thing happens here…
Jun 4, 2018
Delighted and honored by a visit from Mrs. Le Maire Rainatou Ouedraogo from Ouagadougou’s 3rd District – which includes Rimkieta – and the delegation of 5 advisors who came with her, I want to share it with you in this new post….
May 2, 2018
For this latest post, about which I’ve been ruminating for some time, the saying “a picture is worth a thousand words” is dead on. As hard as I might try, I’d never be able to explain to you in words the almost daily vicissitudes I encounter on my commute between home and Rimkieta.
Apr 4, 2018
“Early in the morning I go to fetch water from the fountain. When I get home, I bathe the 8-month-old baby of the aunt with whom I live, then, carrying him on my back, I sweep the house and patio and wash the dishes. Then I go to the market to buy vegetables and I help my aunt cook. In the afternoon when I get home from FAR, I sweep the house again, wash the clothes, and after dinner, I wash the dishes “ (SK, 10 years old).
