Niger Delta / June 2009
Just returned from spending a week in Nigeria in the Niger Delta with New Foundations. This trip consisted of my dad, our good friend who is a Pastor from the States named Joey, and myself. We spend the entire time in the village/town of Enekorogha, basing ourselves at the clinic. The main things we and all others involved engaged in were seeing patients (about 250 over the week), surgical operations, preaching the word (in houses, the clinic, in church), teaching about nutrition, fixing the solar panel powered battery, as well as a bunch of other things.
I went over with the goal of making some kind of bamboo training structure for the kids and teenagers, of whom there are many. Things seem to operate on a bit of an age hierarchy, so the young kids tend to get a lot of flak from the old guys in the form of physical assertiveness.
Anyway, as is the per usual, I will explain my own personal experience in bullet points since I tend to loathe overly long winded posts.
STUFF DONE:
- Canoed with two of the lads to the bush to hack down huge lengths of bamboo with a 'cutlass'.
- Made the Bamboo frame successfully in a few days. - Played and hung out with the manic kids a lot.
- Saw a cesarean performed 4 feet from me as well as the baby and mother recovering well.
- Killed a chicken for lunch (with an unsuitably blunt knife which wasn't so nice).
- Experienced a full-on, mad-for-it, booty-shaking, hucker-bucking, 3 hour african church service....hallelujia!
- Saw a lot of the village when my friend who i met four years ago on my first trip took me to see his many relatives and friends.
- Got told i look 15 years old.
- Accidentally formatted 4 days worth of incredible photos....
- Made a walking stick for an old lady who was using a heavy metal rod.
- Met some very humbling and next level people who make me feel like a total noob at life.
Child with bad malaria
Myself and some of the boyz
Constructing the cane out of a piece of bamboo we found
Hopefully it should last and bring some relief from her other one
Only some of the many crazy kidz, bunch of nutters!
The Chairman, his committee and us
"Off with his head!"
Lovely jubbly.
Rose, one of the healthcare workers (and a total legend) teaching about nutrition to mothers.
Some of the typical marks of a witch doctor treatment
The finished construction. Very sturdy despite appearances!