Aug 16, 2008
Posted by Caitlin Cohen
I'm back home in MA after spending the summer
in Bamako and still trying to adjust to the
intense differences between Sikoroni and the
states. Hot running water and preserving
produce in a refrigerator are welcome luxuries,
albeit still somewhat perplexing knowing how
expensive and even downright impossible such
taken-for-granted amenities are in Bamako's
slums.
Since my last blog update
in July, the waste management program,
specifically, has made exciting progress.
The CHAG completed a survey of nearly 100
households in Sikoroni's six districts about
interest in and barriers to waste-management
service subscription. Now that I’m back
stateside, reliable electricity and
technological access will allow me to tabulate
and analyze these results, which I will
summarize, email to Niang in Mali to ensure
that it is discussed in detail with the CHAG as
plans progress to expand the program.
Such administrative work is much easier
stateside due to the laws of supply and demand
– in Mali, even unreliable internet connections
and mediocre printing quality costs far more
than it would in the states.
Even
more exciting, however, is the success of our
first meeting between private waste management
entrepreneurs. At the beginning of August,
stakeholders discussed preliminary
opportunities to collaborate, expand household
waste collection and subsequently increase
profits. Two members from the CHAG were also in
attendance. Everyone proved to be
extremely supportive of "journées de
salubrité,"(public clean-up days). The
first of six is scheduled for August
23rd. Public clean-up days will not only
make MHOP's work much more visible in the
community but improve environmental conditions
slum-wide by working collectively to remove
physical waste from public spaces. The
positive public health implications of waste
removal are enormous!
While I wish that
I could be in Mali to participate in the first
jounée de salubrité, I am still extremely
pleased with the foundational support for the
waste management program laid throughout summer
2008. I feel optimistic that the momentum
of such strong support from various community
and entrepreneurial stakeholders will only
continue to expand and sustain the program from
here.
I know that I will miss the energy
of Sikoroni and the unforgettable dynamism
inherent to Malians, but being home in no way
prevents me from continuing to support MHOP's
on-the-ground work.
Back to tabulating
household waste survey results!
Caroline Mailloux
MHOP Sanitation
Coordinator
