Food Security, WAFSP, USAID,

and Peace Corps.

First, Asalaamaliekum.

This has been a long project, especially for walking into the middle of it.  WAFSP stands for West Africa Food Security Program and is in affiliation with USAID which is in affiliation with Peace Corps in that PCV's are the ones on the ground here utilizing tax payer money in as sustainable ways as we can to promote food secure projects and activities.

The volunteer in the town over wrote a grant to help her school have the funds to procure a garden.  There was nothing but a plot of land to begin with.  The grant money rehabilitated the hand pump, procured a chain link fence, provided a garden training, seeds, garden tools, and ally-cropping fruit trees, and of course, appropriate signs showing off USAID and Peace Corps logos- can't forget the publicity part.  

By the time I took over the project (the volunteer had to leave their service early for personal reasons) the grant had been submitted but the money hadn’t yet hit the bank.  My responsibility was making sure the money went where it was supposed to and that a garden got made.  The most difficult part of this project, and probably any project handover, is not knowing the community or the people like I know my own.  It’s easier to work with strangers from your own country because you innately have a better idea of the culture and where people are coming from since you are coming from similar places.  But here, I may never know or fully understand where people are coming from because I did not spend my childhood here.  So the best I can do is get to know my community as best I can and work within that.  And every village is different just like every person is different.  And so the same goes for the large town receiving the garden.

The most disappointing thing was the attitude of the formed garden committee.  We held a training and they continued to ask about logistics which was the polite way of asking where there money was.  Because so much foreign aid has been pumped into this country, it seems to be that people just expect things now and don’t necessarily truly value or care about those things themselves but care that they are being given something.  Charity is one of the five pillars of Islam and so that expectation goes deeper and further than foreign aid.  Nearly $5000 US dollars was pumped into this project to establish a potentially highly productive vegetable garden to promote gardening and healthy eating at the school and in the community.  Instead of being excited about that outcome, which granted does take time and work, they were disappointed that there was no per diem.  After a long discussion I stuck to my guns and refused to offer per diem.  They got a training, and a very nice lunch, and a garden.  The grant doesn’t allow per diem anyway.  I had to try to explain how Peace Corps was different than Unicef and Actionaid and WFP.  We are not an organization that gives money but an organization that builds capacity.  This was rather lost on them.  At any rate they told me that if there was no money there was no motivation to attend any more trainings which was honestly fine by me as the garden is for the students anyway and they don’t need per diem to attend a training.

I told them honestly, in English so I’m not sure how much was heard but I definitely cannot speak Wolof whilst frustrated, that had I known per diem was their motivation from the get go and had I know they wouldn’t show an interest in the actual garden, I wouldn’t have volunteered to help see this project thru taking my time out of my own village away from people that actually care about projects, and not just per diem.

You can’t get too upset though.  A training takes you away from your other duties and you want to see compensation.  I understand that.  Heck if I ever have to come down for a “mandatory” training, as a Vollunteer! I want compensation too which Peace Corps does provide.  But the trainings I attend are not giving me things like a $5000 vegetable garden.  They just give us skills and knowledge to help people better help themselves.  So I feel that they are somehow different.  It’s also an interesting culture difference that here, in order to motivate people to attend trainings or workshop, there needs to be something like money, lunch, juice, or snack while in the states we typically have to pay for the trainings and workshops we attend.  But there often is food and tea at those as well.

It’s just very unfortunate that foreign aid seems to do more harm than good in the sense that it has created an attitude of expectation for things and assistance which practically eliminates the motivation to help oneself.  And I don’t blame them.  The work here is exhausting.  I admittedly cannot do it and nor do I try or feel guilty anymore for not going to the field every day or for asking for help once in a while to fetch water.  Not only is it exhausting work but it’s work that is being done on a very very small calorie diet (maybe 1200-1800 depending on how well off your family is).

But the students and school itself is stepping up in showing interest after some more pep talks.  Since the training they have created 12 beds and have been watering the nursery.  This is a big deal!  They can only benefit from doing the work but let’s be honest, it’s even hard to get people to garden in the states!