Some thoughts...

I was asked to write a letter that will be sent to incoming PCVs and I thought that it would be a good idea to share it because it is essentially an introduction to Burkina. I don't know, it might not be relevant to anyone else, but it kind of talks about what I'm doing/trying to do here.

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Hello future PCV, congratulations on your invitation to join the Peace Corps!

A little over a year ago, I remember receiving my invitation letter, ripping it open, reading the words “BURKINA FASO” and the first thought that crossed my mind was “…where?” If I remember correctly, this is the time that in which I wandered into many a REI where I was greeted by blank stares when I explained that yes, I was going to Africa, yes I would be there for two years, yes there is a country called Burkina Faso, and no I really don’t know what I should even consider trying to pack. Sitting here now, I can come up with a million things that I would have (or would not have) brought, but I’m not giving you a packing list. I’m trying to tell you what you should be expecting the next two years of your life. I don’t think that I can understate how massively your life will change the moment you step off the plane and onto the rocky reddish brown soil of Burkina Faso. This experience will be a momentous change for the obvious reasons that you’re entering into an unfamiliar culture, learning new languages, learning a foreign geography and meeting a whole new group of people who will frighteningly quickly become your friends, coworkers, biggest annoyance, family and support network all at once. But beyond that, you’re making a change that is dramatic because it is so sudden and all consuming. In typical American jobs there is a sharp distinction between your work and your personal life, but in the Peace Corps there’s no such thing as clocking out or taking a break from Africa; you’re always on the job. Despite this, however, you never feel like you’re actually working, especially for a DABA volunteer.

Our work is informal and fluid; it depends on the season, the climate, the soil, the rainfall and a hundred other factors. Every volunteer’s experience is unique because there are different opportunities available in every village and the interests and capabilities of every volunteer differ. Thus, I can give you an idea as to what I am doing in my village, but if nothing here interests you, just know that there are many more options available. Conversely, if you fall in love with any of these ideas, keep in mind that not all of these activities will (may) be possible in your village. The best strategy is to learn what you can in training and work hard at integrating yourself into your village; opportunities will find you.

I am an agriculture and environment volunteer so I am focused, quite simply, on growing things. Agriculture is incredibly important to Burkina Faso because there are a large number of subsistence farmers; in fact, nearly everyone outside of the big cities (and there really aren’t that many big cities, nor are they particularly big) cultivates something. As the population increases, however, the technology used to cultivate can’t keep up with the demand. Food security is tenuous and too few rains too late or too much rain too soon can ruin crops that are essential for a family’s primary food source. Despite the need for improved cultivation techniques, it is difficult to introduce new technology because Burkinabé are hesitant to accept changes to the agricultural practices that they have been using for generations. This hesitation comes from the culture, but more importantly, I would argue, it is also due to the fact that their fields are the primary source of income and if something goes wrong they stand to lose everything. Furthermore, the odds that they will lose everything are a lot higher than we would like. When I first moved to my site I tried to plant a garden and I discovered this for myself; chickens eat your seeds out of the ground, heavy rains wash them away, no rain dries them out, goats jump whatever fences you try build and whatever survives all this are eaten by termites and, bizarrely enough, even lizards. I’ve spent more time than I care to admit sitting in my courtyard with a book and a pile of rocks which I use to throw at various animals trying to eat my trees or compost pile. It’s not exactly what I had in mind when I think about having the wonders of the 21^st century technology at my disposal.

That said, don’t give up hope! Many Burkinabé farmers are enthusiastic about trying new techniques and are happy to try, in small scale, many of the suggestions that you bring to village. My point is that your work in agriculture will be more of a partnership, rather than a relationship in which you are the teacher and your villagers are the students. No matter how strong your background in agriculture is, you’ll make a lot of mistakes. You’ll kill a lot of plants. However, that is your best asset as a PCV because you can experiment freely due to the fact that you don’t have the same dependence on your crops that Burkinabé do. If your field fails, there will still be plenty of food in the market available for you to buy. When you kill things your village will almost certainly laugh at you, but you can count on the fact that you are contributing quality entertainment to your village as part of your service.

The second part of my job description is protecting the environment. Once again, I am faced with the reality that most of the knowledge that I have about the environment in the States is not relevant here in Burkina. In the States, protecting trees from roaming herds of unsupervised goats is not essential to tree planting. Despite the difficulty in tree planting, however, deforestation is a worrying reality facing Burkina Faso. Trees are being cut down because the wood is needed for construction and fuel for cooking, but an equal number of trees are not being replanted to offer the same benefits to future generations. As the forests surrounding the villages become sparser and sparser, women have to walk farther and farther to collect wood for preparing food. Erosion from wind and rain degrades the soil at a much quicker rate if there are not tree roots to keep nutrients in place, which, ultimately diminishes crop yields.

PCVs in Burkina are working on planting a type of tree called moringa, which is quick growing and fixes nitrogen in the soil, which improves crop yields. In my village, we have planted a few hundred of these trees. The leaves are edible and are high in vitamins and protein so there is also this health element to the moringa tree as well (and yes, Burkinabé like to eat leaves. Soon, you too will like to eat leaves). The biggest problem with the moringa is that goats love to eat them and it only takes a few seconds for a goat to undo months of your hard work growing these trees.

In addition to working on agricultural and environmental projects, PCVs are expected to engage in projects from other sectors. The other sectors in Burkina are divided into education and health; which might sound overwhelming, but by no means do you need to become an expert. Collaboration between PCVs in different sectors is common and, to be honest, there is probably a local health worker in your village who knows all of the health information, with the added benefit that they speak French and a handful of local languages.

In my village, I did a mural on the wall of the school for World AIDS Day, an English club at the primary school and a kids’ camp that covered everything from tree planting to nutrition to malaria prevention to a fierce game of tug-o-war. These seemingly unconnected activities will ultimately help you in your work as a DABA volunteer because they will help you to integrate into your village, learn about the culture and how to design and carry out projects in Burkina, as well as allow you to practice your French and local languages.

In short, I can’t tell you what will happen during your 27 months as a PCV in Burkina Faso, but I can tell you to expect to be challenged each and every day. There is no magical formula for having a good Peace Corps experience and the projects that you think you will be doing are almost certainly the projects that you won’t be doing once you arrive. You will be doing better projects because they will be inspired by your village and advised by the wonderful staff at the Peace Corps bureau. If you want to save the world, you’ve chosen the wrong path. Burkina Faso doesn’t need saving; it needs advice and guidance, it needs creative ideas and a catalyst for positive change, and it needs an introduction to Western culture that is not rap videos and action movies. It deserves respect for its beautiful, if sometimes unfathomable, agglomeration of cultures, languages and traditions.

At any rate, you should know that you’re in for a wild ride, but that it will be -at lack of a better word- awesome. All of the current PCVs are looking forward to welcoming you into the Peace Corps Burkina Faso family and sharing this crazy experience with you. See you soon!