Weeks 12, 13, 14, 15: Work in progress

Weeks 12, 13, 14, 15: Work in progress

The past few weeks have seen some significant and hard won movement for my research here at Dschang. At the behest of the mayor I’ve partnered with the city’s office of technical services to engage in the analysis of a number of recently constructed water sources here in Dschang. The newly constructed/improved sources include 7 wells, 6 boreholes, and a series of 9 spring capture systems with a piped network comprising ~29 standpipes. Using the Cameroonian Ministry of Water and Energy’s (MEE) estimate of 300 persons per public access point leads to a total population served of 12,600.

I’ve undertaken rotating sampling program where at least one component of each source is tested for coliform bacteria (indicative of fecal contamination and corollary to pathogenic virulence) every 2 weeks. In addition to this test for general potability, and second test (heterotrophic plate count) will be performed on the filtration components of the spring capture systems to assess treatment efficacy.

In addition this set of rustic water sources, I will be continuing my analysis of the SNEC treatment plants and piped network. Of the over 80,000 residents in Dschang proper, approximately 30% (~24,000) rely on the SNEC distribution network for their drinking water supplies. My initial analysis of the SNEC system reveals 100% removal of microorganisms indicative of fecal contamination. Though riverine source waters that supply the SNEC distribution system exhibit significant fecal contamination via high total coliform counts, water sampled at several points in the network (including my apartment!) has been contaminant free.

Of the 17 rustic water sources sampled so far over half have exhibited at least some level of contamination, with serious levels present in at least 4 sources. Preliminary analysis of the statistics I collected from local hospitals and clinics on water-borne disease reveals an estimate of 764 cases of water borne disease (typhoid fever, bacterial and amoebic dysentery, ascarsis) admitted in a given month. Such an immediate health effect demands immediate action.

Over the next few months I will continue to explore the possibility of developing point of use household filters after the Potters for Peace model (www.pottersforpeace.org), but will be shifting my primary efforts towards instituting a point of access solution by constructing biological slow sand filters after the www.BioSand.org model at the distribution points themselves. My hope is to engage with the International Water Project (www.WaterProject.org) who has a Cameroonian partner based in Yaoundé, the Cameroonian Life and Water Development Group (www.lwdgc.org). This group has been actively building these filters for rural households in the Northwest province and it is my intention to try and bring them here to Dschang.

Week 11: Neighborly doings

Saturday I experienced my first visits to the Centre Climatique’s celebrated pool and Dschang’s very own center for aquatic sport on the municipal lake. I got some great exercise swimming laps and learned first hand the difficulties inherent in kayaking’s famous barrel roll. The morning’s activity was highly satisfying, wrapping up with just the right amount of sunburn on my back and water up my nose.

Upon retiring with Antoine for lunch at a neighboring restaurant I found that my peace corp neighbor Kat was back at last and we made plans to meet up for drinks later that evening. The current batch of peace corp trainees had just graduated to volunteers, and Dschang was swarming with Americans. I finally met the other Dschang volunteer, Matt, a phd grad in chemistry and professor at the University, as well as a number of newly minted volunteers working here in the west. That evening we toasted their recent graduation to the enjoyment of all parties; French, American and Cameroonian included.

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday…

Five days later, I’ve finally arranged to have a technician come and repair the Biology department’s incubator; at last reached positive turn in my interminable visa drama; installed a super sweet pull-up bar in my kitchen for less than 2 dollars; found a fantastic French press in a grocery store 2 blocks away after months of far more geographically diverse but nonetheless fruitless searching; lost a devastating series of Rummy 500 games to my newly returned neighbor, to the average tune of 100 points or more; witnessed a horrific moto accident involving convulsing bodies and torn scrotums; and have expanded my Cameroonian menu to include homemade egg rolls and faux-fettuccini alfredo under the impetus of collective effort.

It's been a good week.

Week 10: Small small catch monkey

Saturday saw the first day for Martiel to start working off his debt so my apartment was about as clean as it’s ever been. The day was spent transcribing elements from some maps at the University Geography department and reading through some older masters theses. Sunday maintained its position as a family day, filled with visits. After picking up Richard's samples from the University lab, Bertrand and I chewed the fat a bit before heading into the quartier to visit with the Nanas and take some pictures of the baby.

Monday I resumed my research efforts at the hospital Ad Lucem, collecting the first half of the available data while early Tuesday was spent finishing up the clinic Integre Fontehm. Emerging from the rather dingy clinic office I saw fit to take advantage of a beautiful day to explore the northern outskirts of Dschang with an eye out for public watering holes. I did make discoveries of a couple public wells installed by the city council, and hope to take advantage of Antoine’s municipal connections to look into their management program.

That evening Francois from the Sister’s hospital stopped by for a visit, further impressing me with just how nice a guy he really is. His situation brings to mind a somewhat novel application of the clichéd observation that “all the good ones are married.” I’m consistently finding that the Cameroonian men with whom I would most like to foster a friendship are married, with associated social habits not quite up to my bachelor’s schedule. Alas, I’m a single man living the married life with none of the companionship and all of the Saturday nights spent watching movies on the couch.

Nathan Spence came to visit on Wednesday, and together we passed a highly enjoyable day, complete with some cribbage at the evening’s close. In a highlight moment from my week, Spence informed me of a Cameroonian expression that translates to “small small catch monkey,” a local twist on Aesop’s “slowly but surely wins the race.” This has quickly become a personal favorite of Cameroonian phraseology, right up there with “ah footi nah,” (northern dialect for “who farted”).

Thursday I headed back to Bafoussam with Spence, though my style was somewhat cramped by the onset of a 24-hr bout of an all too common traveler’s discomfiture. Still, with a roll of TP in my pack and frequent pit-stops, we managed to take a small tour of the city, grabbing a pair of excellently priced speakers for my apartment and discovering that the head sister at the hospital had misquoted the price of an incubator to the tune of about 1000 US dollars, square one appears to be my home away from home as far as this incubator is concerned.

Friday was a day of reading and recuperation, though by evening I felt well enough to join my French comrade and his entourage for a drink, whereupon I shared my recent discovery of my new favorite phrase and learned that traditional Cameroonian folklore also has a moralistic tale involving the tortoise, though in this version the lesson learned is that the slow moving (interpreted as pompous) turtle gets the ax for his pains (I’m afraid the particulars escape me). Numerous toasts were made as were plans to spend the next day in pursuit of aquatic sport.