Le Village

This morning was dedicated to assembling the remaining bicycles, which we finished before lunch, and a brief visit with the vice governor of Tambacounda, another required meeting at which not much was said.

After lunch, I set off with Ndiaga, the EngenderHealth project director, and Anthony, a Bike Town volunteer, to see one of the villages where the lovely bicycles will be used to help bring health care closer to the people. Upon arrival in Feteniebe (rough translation: bean town, but bearing very little resemblance to Boston), we were escorted to a meeting area (outside), where about 20 or so women had gathered, along with a few of the village notables. I had been expecting a little stroll through the village, not a town meeting, and was a little apprehensive that I would be asked to make a big speech. In French. (No, that's tomorrow.) Instead, the village midwife, medical guy, and chief each described a little bit about what they do--in the local language, Peul, with interpretation into French. This was followed by a tour of the health post: basically two rooms, one for basic health consultations, one for giving birth.

The main point of giving bikes to these people is so that they can get around to the even smaller villages within a five-kilometer radius and to speed the trip to the nearest health center--with doctors and medicines!--also about five kilometers away. Pretty cool what a big difference a little bike can make.

Meeting the people in the village, which is not only the recipient of a few bikes but is also a place where EngenderHealth has worked in the past and continues to work, really reminded me why I am here, and why I am in this line of work. The people were genuinely grateful for what we're doing. What's more, what we're doing actually seems to make a difference in improving people's lives. A few people in the village get trained in things like sanitation, care for basic ailments, and perhaps most important, when to send someone for more serious medical care at the nearby health center. And then--fewer people get sick, and fewer people die of preventable illnesses! Pretty cool. I feel better about my career choice than I did yesterday.

But I'm still really glad I don't live in Feteniebe. I found myself wondering as I was walking through the village how many kids growing up there feel completely stifled, stuck in this tiny place (population <2,000) with very little opportunity to see the big wide world. Maybe they don't mind; maybe they don't think about much beyond the next meal. Or maybe some of them go to bed every night dreaming about how to get to Dakar, or even Tambacounda.

And then I got to wondering about the gay people in the village. They've gotta be there--we're everywhere. Is there any possibility at all for them to express their sexuality, to be who they are? At all? I don't know. Do they even know that they're not the only person in the entire world with these feelings? I don't know. There's an awful lot I don't know.