Encore de la Paix

Final checklist

Posted on March 25, 2018 Updated on March 25, 2018

Sunday in Sam. I should say Palm Sunday, as we attended the procession to the church and the first two hours of the service. All the women dressed in red, and every reading/prayer was punctuated with a song that everyone knew the words to. The whole service was in Fang, but the deacon came directly to where we seated and gave us the three-minute version of her sermons on sins against neighbors.

We had attended the same service two years ago, and there were few changes. One change was that people weren’t continually turning around and staring at us. We’re more at home and less a novelty.

Just a few more work days left, and things are coming together nicely. The last of the nets were distributed and the team met in Libreville this week to review the project, prepare a final report and discuss the second phase. Many thanks to the large contingent of friends and former volunteers back in the US who made it possible to distribute so many nets.

Also completed this past week was the world map mural. Just in time too, since Claire, Mary and Henk took advantage of the final days of school before Easter break to bring in students to help paint. You can only imagine the enthusiastic response, but it was the teachers who were eager to paint as well. Once again, as in Doumandzou, the final result is a colorful lesson in geography that awes young and old as they stand in front and study. In the photo below, Mary applies a protective coating on it, after the students had left.

Drew, Nico and Pacom are pushing hard to put the final touches on the latrines. Both structures are up, we’ve painted one and now there’s a long list of small items that Drew prepared to get us to the finish line on Wednesday. The pouring of the slab was a labor intensive day, under the hot sun, and with the last minute help of many hands bringing the extra water needed, the final trowel touches left a solid, even platform on which to build the latrine stalls.

In the midst of all this work, the governor of the province came to the village, for the investiture of the local sous-prefet. A big party and lots of food and drink and even a quick photo with the governor, so quick that none of us were able to get our cameras out. You’ll just have to trust me.