Butterfly migration

         

        I have heard and read from several sources that CAR is the butterfly capital of the world. Since being here, it seems that every time I turn around there is another kind of butterfly I have not seen before.

   The last week here in Gamboula we have been experiencing an annual event in many parts of central Africa. There is a period of about a week or two when thousands of white and black butterflies hatch from their cocoons, and are everywhere you look.
        A few land on fruit, or damp places for a drink, making the ground speckled with little white spots before taking off again. These little white flakes dance by, going up and down, and always moving one direction. I am not sure how they all know which direction or where they are all going in such a hurry, but it is sure fun to watch.

   This migration is also a sing that caterpillar season is almost here. These butterflies will lay their eggs in trees, and soon there will be tones of eatable caterpillars.

Motorcycle for the CAR?

The Central African Republic (CAR), is one of the poorest countries in Central Africa, and after the violent government takeover on March 24th 2013, people’s living conditions are even more dire. Although many are farmers, malnutrition is a severe problem because of poor farming practices and the  back of nutritious foods. Transportation is a critical issue because the country is linked together by just a maze of dirt roads. During the past 5 months the unstable political situation has limited the use of  vehicles so motorcycles are the primary transportation available.

Since arriving in CAR February 2013, I have been living at the mission in Gamboula and working at the Centre D’experimentation et de Formation Agricole (CEFA). This faith-based, non- governmental organization’s purpose is to research, train and provide agricultural support to the people of CAR. If things remain calm I will most likely be moving to live at CEFA and will be doing outreach, teaching and community development in the villages.

Some reasons a motorcycle is needed are:

• Living at CEFA I will be 5 kilometers (3.125 miles) from the town of Gamboula, the mission and civilization. There are many evening activities at the mission that end late at night. While I can ride my bicycle during the day, it is slow and a motorcycle would allow me to go down to Gamboula and return quickly after dark.

• Village outreach trips are more efficient and productive using a motorcycle. By having my own, it would allow me to go out and back when I need to and not have to depend on someone else to take me. Having two people on one motorcycle increases the load and takes up precious  space for supplies and plant material.

• For security reasons -- the other missionaries are recommending that I have access to a motorized vehicle of some sort in the event of emergencies. If emergency meetings are called I can get to the mission quickly -- or evacuate immediately, if it comes to that.

• As an extra plus, owning a motorcycle would facilitate interaction among youth in the area and help me gain acceptance and influence among them for ministry purposes.

            I am in the process of finding support for a Honda 125, that can be bought not too far in Cameroon. All together the costs of a motorcycle and all the paper work is going to be about $2500 US.

A hippo sized problem.

      Last week I talked about goats destroying fruit trees. This week it was a different animal, and a lot larger. CEFA contracted with a local farmer to plant and grow 2000 coffee seedlings for the farm. Desiree is a friendly farmer, and grows all kinds of things including carrots, and cabbage in this harsh environment. He has a nice farm and some gardens next to the river not to far from here.
      Last night a small herd of hippos came out of the river and trampled his seedling nursery.  These hippos are just about the only wild animal left in these parts, and are protected by the government. They don’t often come out in to people’s fields, but when they do it is disastrous.
      With the disorder in the country these days there is no longer any enforcement of the law. Poachers have taken advantage of this and killed hundreds of elephant and other large game in the last months. Two weeks ago a large hippo was killed here for meat, probably from this same herd.
     Since goats and domestic animals belong to other people, there is not much you can do when they enter your field. When wild animals come in to people’s gardens though, often they are hunted down, hurt, or killed. So here is another question: When you are just survive off of what you grow, and a big hunk of meat that just destroyed your food, even though it is a national treasure, do you kill it to help you and your family survive?

When having a full bank account limits your diet

      For those who know developing countries, you know that animals are often the way people store their money.  goats, pigs or cattle can be sold for quick cash when money is short. Unfortunately, these animals often are free range, free to go where they want and eat what they want, and there is not much you can do about it.
     A few nights ago some goats got in to Roy’s nursery. They have their favorite plants, such as jackfruit and papaya, of which they demolished dozens, but went after other seedlings as well. In one night, these goats caused a lot of property damage.
      Most villages that have goats and other livestock have no fruit trees at all. Anything that is planted will be devoured immediately by a flock of hungry goats. As a result many villages lack fruit and other kinds of plants that could improve the standard of living.
      So what do you do in a situation where people need their living savings accounts, but also need to be able to plant food? This is a question and frustration on many development workers' minds all around the world, and is yet to be solved.  Just another challenge to working here.

Only two Wheals

      Being back at Gamboula is nice, but since these are not normal times,  e are doing things in abnormal ways. One of the challenges we have faced since being back is that we do not have any trucks. They were left in Cameroon for security reasons, as many trucks in CAR were commandeered/stolen by the new regime. As a result, we go out to the farm and back on a fleet of motorcycles (moto) owned by individuals and CEFA. Typically three people, sometimes four, pile on a moto, and head out to the farm. If there are shovels, machetes, or  anything else that needs to go, those get on too.

      The past few days especially, we have really wished for a truck. There are many construction projects going on at the farm, as the shop, four houses, and the agriculture center are being built. Bricks, water, cement, lumber, and other materials need to be hauled. We have also been getting quite a lot of rain these days. It is perfect planting weather for trees and cover crops, which we need to put in the ground before the dry season comes. The nursery, however, is in Gamboula 5K away. Many of these plants are taken out on the back of motos, in big plastic trunks. There are simply too many to carry out though, and the season is passing us by.
      Finally there are the fish ponds here. The ponds are for raising fingerlings to take out and distribute in the villages. I don’t know why I was surprised to see 2 five Gallon buckets strapped onto a moto and full of fish heading out to be distributed. Hope they made it.
     

      Motos are sure nice to get around on, but when it is your only mode of
transportation, a truck sure is nice.

A few Big Funny Looking Birds

    CEFA , the Center for Education and Agricultural Training, is where I spend most of my time here in Gamboula. The farm is divided up in to many sections with all kinds of experiments going on. The hope is to find things that work and then be able to demonstrate and teach them.

     One of the ongoing experiments is a turkey trial. Six months ago some turkeys where bout as a starter flock. There are now a whole bunch of baby turkeys out at the farm, and 30 eggs in the incubator!
We have lost all our adult hens however. They have died from a combination of snake bite, and some kind of sickness, leaving 4 big toms all alone. We decided that since the chicks are still small, it was decided to thin the flock of a few of these big toms.
     So I spent the afternoon with Alexander, the one who takes care of the chicken and turkey projects. Living in here all his life, he has butchered chickens and other birds, but never any this large. He
was quite impressed.
     The enclosure where the adults have been living is next to one of the missionary houses, and is visited regularly by locals, and people passing through Gamboula. They make a special detour out of
their way to view these big funny looking birds.
     Hopefully this project will eventually succeed, and there will be a lot more of these large birds around for people to enjoy. 

Back at Gamboula

    Exactly 2 months from the day my team and I were evacuated from Gamboula because of a coup that unseated the government of the Central African Republic (CAR). A sense of stability in Gamboula has allowed few of us to return. We were welcomed here with many hugs, smiles, and head bumps. We have been back for almost two weeks now and all is calm.
    During the time we were away the people of Gamboula kept their faith in God and their community. It has been encouraging to hear about how people prayed together, worshipped, and kept things functioning, despite violent upheaval in the rest of the country. Schools are in session, the hospital never stopped functioning, and people looked forward to the day we would return.
    Two days after we returned there was a prayer service held in downtown Gamboula to pray for the country of CAR. Three churches were represented and a large part of the community turned up, along with head government officials. There was a program with singing and speeches about unity and lifting up the country to God. All this was followed by almost an hour of prayer. It was incredible to be a part of this event. Gamboula is probably the only place in the country where this kind of meeting would be possible. Being able to come together to pray for the country without fear brought a sense of unity and power.
    There is definitely something special about Gamboula that can, be attributed to the long history of missionaries working with the Church and hospital. Another unique thing is that the commander who was put in charge of the troops here wants peace and stability. He has not allowed his troops to run wild and keeps order in this region so people do not have to live in fear of the military.
    On Sunday I attended the first soccer game that has been played in Gamboula since the war. It was a great game with a lot of laughing and everyone participated in the fun; glad for the entertainment.
    As long as things remain calm our plan is to remain here and carry on our work and ministry as normal. However, our internet system was shut off and will not come on again for few months more it seems. In the meantime we are using tethering-through phones. It is slow and cannot handle sending or receiving attachments, but it is better than nothing.

    It is great being back,