Out of Africa

In the past, I was not so keen about visiting any African countries because I felt it might just be too depressing for me to see countries poorer than the Philippines.

"Just imagine yourself as Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie doing her rounds among the poorest refugees in Africa. If that is not enough, imagine yourself being married to heartthrob Brad Pitt!" This was what my good friend Karl Gaspar said when I kept on postponing my visit to African countries.

I finally ran out of plausible excuses when my call of duty came. On the first week of August, my baptism of fire on Africa – the so-called "cradle of civilization," the second largest continent, and the home of the world's poorest countries – started in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. But to my surprise, the country was not that depressing as I imagined it to be. On the contrary, I acquired so much inspiration from the said visit that now I crave to see and learn more about Africa.

But that is going ahead of the story. I was invited by the International Network of Alternative Financial Institutions (INAFI International) to attend the Experts Meeting on Microfinance, Remittance and Development. The two-day meeting (August 2-4) went well with the discussion gravitated on how microfinance providers can develop remittance-based financial products and services in helping migrants and their families.

It was great to listen to the ideas of most of the participants who were microfinance and remittance experts. In fact, two representatives from the Benin Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed their full support to hold the INAFI Global Conference on Microfinance, Remittances and Development in their country, particularly Cotonou, on November 6-9.

Now, sort of my travelogue. My journey started from Amsterdam to Paris. The connecting flight from Charles de Gaulle Airport (Paris) to Ouagadougou took about six hours. Unexpectedly, it was raining when we arrived. It was a big disappointment for me since it had been raining almost the whole summer in the Netherlands where I live and was looking forward to a sultry African weather. As a matter of fact, I only packed light summer clothes and a sweater in case cold shivers my flesh while on the plane. The sweater proved to be the most useful thing I brought with me.

I stayed in Azalai Hotel along Av. du Président Aboubacar Sangoulé Laminaza just about 5-minute drive from the airport. It is a beautiful hotel with very rich history. According to Soukeyna Ndiayi Ba, INAFI executive director, the word azalai means "caravan," referring to the camel caravan routes between Timbuktu (a thousand-year-old settlement on the southern border of the Sahara Desert) and the Taoudenni salt mines in Mali. The route linked West African cities with Europe and the Middle East in 300 A.D.

"The caravan had a convoy of as many as 10,000 camels carrying gold and slaves from Ghana, Guinea and Senegal to the North of Sahara. On their way back, they brought with them some goods," Soukeyna added. I listened with much ado all the fascinating information she shared. The caravan, she said, usually stopped right where the hotel is located now. Now, I cannot imagine how the street looked like then thousands of years ago as it was crowded with camels and traders.

Later on, I gathered from various sources that Ouagadougou has a population of around 360,000 in 1985. It is the capital of Burkina Faso, formerly known as Upper Volta. The landlocked country is about eight times the size of The Netherlands and is located geographically in the Sahel.

Founded in the 15th century, Burkina Faso was the capital of the Mossi kingdom of Wagadugu (in 1441). About 250 years later, it became the permanent residence of the Morho naba ("great king"), the Mossi king.
Even today, the Morho naba lives in the city, though with much-depleted powers. In the late 19th century, the country came under French control and ultimately gained independence in 1960. However, it was only in 1984 that the borders of the country were finally defined.

But what amazed me were the wide variety of souvenirs available in the market, among them: wooden statuettes, bronze models, masks, jewelries, fabrics, hand woven blankets and leather goods and crafts, ranging from chessboards to ashtrays. They show a high level of craftsmanship.

Literally, the name Burkina Faso means the "land of upright people." The country is considered is one of the poorest in the world. The UN Development Programme, in its Human Development Report, ranks it 174th out of the 177 countries listed. An estimated 80 per cent of its population live on less than US$2 a day. And yet, you will find so many banks within the city. There is a Western Union office in almost
every block or several offices on every street. This shows that Burkina Faso receives huge remittances from Burkinabes living and working outside of their country.

Contrary to what I believe, Italy, and not France is the major destination of French-speaking Burkinabes who find jobs in agricultural sector. Burkina Faso is next to Mali in the top ten countries in Africa receiving migrant remittances. In the 1990s,remittances comprised about six percent of Burkina's gross domestic product. Although remittances to the country are hard to count, the World Bank estimated that in 1990 Burkinabès sent home US$140 million.

According to Migration Policy Institute, Côte d'Ivoire is the primary source of waged work for Burkinabes and hence of remittances. Burkina Faso is not at all disconnected from the modern world. Every two years, the friendly capital hosts the largest African film festival -- Panafrican Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO).

After the INAFI meeting, I joined a group visiting a village about an hour-drive from our hotel. The small settlement is composed of clustered mud brick huts with grass roof and small grain stores. Inside the house, you can see several large clay jars and few clothes. Four women sleep inside the hut.

"What are those large clay jars for?" I asked one woman through an interpreter. We used them, she answered in their own dialect, to store vegetables so that they would remain fresh for a couple of days. (This readily reminded me of an article I read long time ago how a farmer in Nigeria refined an ancient technology using jars to keep spinach, tomatoes, onions and other perishable goods for longer periods.

This is something which can be adapted in our rural areas. I tried to find the article via the internet and this is the link: https://practicalaction.org/docs/agroprocessing/food_chain_29.pdf ).
Since it had been raining for the last few days, the fields were green and there were lots of activities. The women and young girls were busy plowing the field. "Where are the men?" I asked but nobody bothered to give me an answer. The weather was unusual because normally, I was told, it should be hot and humid by that time of the year in Burkina Faso.

The young woman, whose name I cannot recall anymore, said that only women sleep in the hut. I asked Soukeyna on our way back why the wife and the daughters sleep in one hut and the father in the other hut.
"The men have usually more than one wife, sometimes up to five," she revealed. "He usually sleeps in his own hut with one of the wives whoever is convenient."

It made me realized that these people need so little in order to live. Ranked by UN as the fourth poorest country in the world, Burkina Faso is a poor country even by West African standard. I wondered if they know what life is outside of their village. Do they read as to what people do, especially those from Western countries? Most children could not go to school beyond primary school. Their needs are small and life is laid back out there. You can breathe fresh air and people are not enslaved by time and the hustle and bustle of urban life.

Having said that, I want it to be known that I don't romanticize poverty. There is still so much to be done to improve the quality of life in the villages. Burkina Faso is poor but it is considered to be one of the safer countries in Africa. The people are very friendly. I came to know two young men although it was not easy to communicate because French is the official language which becomes a barrier in establishing friendship with the local people.

Before I left, two people gave me something: one gave me a necklace and a pair of earrings and the other, a jewelry leather box with my name embossed on the cover.

My recent sojourn was a good introduction to Africa and its people. I still have a secret wish though: to visit Timbuktu in Mali. Why Timbuktu? My father mentioned the place Timbuktu when I was still a child. I thought Timbuktu was just a product of my father's creative imagination. To me, the name alone signifies a mysterious place, a myth, an enigma.
Years later, I learned that Timbuktu indeed exists and it is a place of learning, wisdom and spirituality. I think I should really see the place. Soukeyna, who is based in Senegal, said that we will travel together to Timbuktu one day.

I can't wait for that day to come. With a childlike adventurism, I thought of joining an azalai expedition with thousands of camels up to the fabled city of Timbuktu. I want to see the salt mines and the ancient and endangered manuscripts dating back up to the 9th century.

"No, Leila, joining a camel caravan takes too long. We will go there with 4-by-4 wheel drive vehicle," said Soukeyna, who woke me up from my pleasant imagination. It is a dream though I hope it would come to reality in the near future.

But before Timbuktu, I have to see Accra, the capital city of Ghana in West Africa, first and then Benin come November. Asante sana ("Thanks a lot" in Swahili!) My African safari has just begun.

Pictures of Ouagadougou can be viewed at:
http://sunchild-outofthebox.blogspot.com/2007/08/august-1-6-2007-destination-ouagadougou.html

Mindanawon's Transnational Engagement

Ever heard of diaspora philanthropy? This collective donation by migrant communities to their homeland is increasingly becoming part of the global philanthropic landscape. Sometimes called “transnationalism,” diaspora philanthropy is defined as the process by which immigrants from the same region form a group and pool their resources together to help their hometown as their way of maintaining links with their place of origin.

There are also groups which do not necessarily help communities where they come from but according to where they think their contribution is needed most. This happens especially when natural calamities occur and during economic crisis.

Today, some of the donations and development projects initiated by migrant Filipinos have begun to make a difference in small towns and cities in the Philippines.

In 2006, overseas Filipinos sent through official channel a total amount of US$12.8 billion in the form of remittances to support their nuclear and extended families. These remittances, equivalent to 10-percent of the gross national product, became the top source of foreign exchange for the country. In fact, the amount dwarfed the total foreign development investments (reported at US$2 billion for the same period) and official development aid (an annual average of US$1.5 billion).

“Over a 13-year period,” said Jeremaiah Opiniano of the Manila-based Institute for Migration and Development Issues (IMDI), “the Link to the Philippine Development of the government-run Commission on Filipinos Overseas has received about 1.3 billion pesos from overseas Filipinos to underwrite projects in education, disaster relief, health, infrastructure, and livelihood generation.”

Not included are those undocumented initiatives, in which the collective remittances go straight from the donors to their local partners. “There are 46 countries around the world we have identified as sources of Filipino diaspora philanthropy,” Opiniano reported. “This includes the Faroe Islands which is located just above Scotland and in between Iceland and Norway.”

Like many other Filipinos in diaspora, Mindanawons – or those coming from Mindanao -- also remain connected with their homelands despite the distance and long absence.

For instance, the Damayang Pilipino sa Nederland (DAMAYAN) and Association of Bansaleňos Worldwide (ABW) launched a joint-fund raising drive in the Netherlands to assist poor children in the provinces of Davao del Sur, North and South Cotabato. DAMAYAN was established in 1986 to collectively respond to countrymen in distress both here and back home and ABW is a virtual hometown association of former Bansalan residents who now live abroad and other parts of the Philippines. Some members of Damayan originally came from different provinces of Mindanao.
The project, dubbed as “Gintong Aral,” aims to support poor elementary school children. It also encourages children to get involve in environmental program by maintaining school vegetable backyard through EcoKids Club.
Most of the recipients are children from the indigenous, Christian and Moslem communities in the area. These children come from poverty-stricken families who, despite free elementary education in the Philippines, could not afford to buy uniforms, books, and school supplies and pay some contributions to the school.
This school year 2007-08, DAMAYAN and ABW (through its own “Give Back Campaign”) are sending a total of 140 poor but deserving children in four villages in Bansalan (Davao del Sur), Paquibato (Davao City), Lake Sebu (South Cotabato), and Dugong (Matalam, North Cotabato). In Bansalan alone, ABW supports 84 children including two high school students.

DAMAYAN and ABW work in tandem with teachers and parents in implementing the projects with support from the local governments. Take the case in Dugong Elementary School. The barangay council agreed to match the 56 children supported by DAMAYAN by supporting another 56 pupils. All in all, there are already 112 poor children in this school alone supported by this initiative.

DAMAYAN calls it “1x1 program.” This means that for every one child sponsored by DAMAYAN, the barangay will also sponsor another one. The name is patterned after Mexico’s “Tres por Uno program” where every dollar invested by Mexican migrant for development project in their hometown, the local, state and the federal government matches another dollar each.

The program started in 1986 when newly elected governor of the Mexican State Zacatecas decided to travel to Los Angeles to meet the migrant workers from Zacatecas living in California. This invitation gave rise to a programme with two objectives: Supporting associations of Zacatecanos (natives of Zacatecas) living in California and the funding of local development projects in Zacatecas in the regions of origin of those concerned. The program later developed into 3 x 1 program when the local and the federal governments joined the program.

Aside from tapping support from the Filipino community, DAMAYAN and ABW also work hard to find sponsors from various Dutch schools, friends, and other sponsors. Locally, the management of the project has always been in the hands of the school principals. There are also focal persons for every school whose primarily role is to liaise with the school principals. A project coordinator oversees the proper implementation of the project and maintains good contacts with the school and various focal persons.

“The financial support to poor students has great impact on the children and motivates teachers to work harder,” says the project coordinator. In fact, inspired by the program, some teachers also decided to adopt and support some pupils not covered by “Gintong Aral”. Last school year, Dugong Elementary School topped the different Achievement Tests (NAT) in the division with 100% of the graduates passing the NAT. Some of the scholars received high honors.

The scholars become automatically members of EcoKids Club. In Dugong, the school set aside a portion of the land at the back of the school for vegetable gardens. Children are taught how to plant different kinds of vegetables. Tree planting is also part of the program.
“We have just an election and we now have new sets of officers of our EcoKids Club,” informed Cyrel Defensor, principal of Dugong Elementary School. He also said that different activities of the EcoKids Club will be given top priority and will be integrated in the environmental awareness program in the teaching of Health and Science. DAMAYAN and ABW hopes that this laudable program can be replicated in other schools.

Aside from these initiatives, DAMAYAN and ABW are joining efforts to address poverty of the parents. In separate programs, DAMAYAN members also support the construction of a market place and the renovation of a school in Misamis Oriental. The idea is to provide mothers with start-up capitals so they can set up small micro-enterprises. In doing so, families could little by little build up their household income and eventually be able to send their children to school. Meanwhile, ABW is planning to explore cooperation with the municipal government for future projects.

The literacy project is also part of the over-all goal of DAMAYAN and ABW to assist in building empowered and sustainable local communities in Mindanao.

The combined efforts of the Mindanaoans enabled them to raise a total amount of Euro 3,510 (Ph 210,000) which was matched by The Wild Geese Foundation in the Netherlands. This enable Damayan to and ABW to increase the number of scholars.

“It is heartening to see that we can support some pupils but at the same time I feel so sad to note that there are more children who need our help but we simply can’t do so because of our limited resources,” said Doris Alfafara, a former Davao City resident and DAMAYAN member and now based in the Netherlands. She made the observation after her recent field visit in Dugong and Paquibato.

The help maybe small but, as one Spanish adage puts it, “whatever we do, no matter how small, it will always be more than nothing.”

Remittances and diaspora philanthropy are the human side of migration. But then, both are among the main reasons why Filipinos still dream to work abroad despite the negative consequences such as family separation, danger, abuse and exploitation.

Bansalan on my mind

A few years ago, a group of friends who planned to visit Bansalan told me that they had difficulties in finding my hometown on the Philippine map. I told them where the town is geographically located and assured them that one day Bansalan will be placed on the national map.

Bansalan, with a total land area of 20,770.1966 hectares, is subdivided into 25 barangays. The town is the boundary between the provinces of North Cotabato and Davao del Sur. It is sandwiched by two cities: Kidapawan and Digos, probably the reason why progress in the town is so slow. Vehicles do not linger long enough in the town. Passengers from North Cotabato are eager to reach Digos or Davao City, while passengers bound for North Cotabato are raring to reach Kidapawan City and further to Cotabato City. It has never been a place where passengers stay longer for one reason or the other. Business activities remain in the hands of the local enterprising people. And so the town remains largely rural and agricultural and still waiting for a miracle for the local economy to pick up.

The tragic bombing incident last June 15, which claimed 10 lives, made headlines not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well. It was not exactly the idea I have in my mind for Bansalan to be known around the world. For all we know, the town could be listed by the Western countries as one of the dangerous places to visit in the Philippines.

After reading the news, my first reaction was a total disbelief. This incident should never happen in my hometown. But I was thankful that the bomb was not strong enough to hit the two nearby gasoline stations. After all, Bansalan is practically not prepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. The municipality has only one ambulance which is ill-equipped and does not even have simple first aid kit. Sometimes the driver is nowhere to be found. There is no para-medic team to attend to patients. In more instances, the ambulance has no gasoline.

The local people were generally calm after the incident. Randy Albores, chair of the Bansalan chapter of the Association of Bansaleños Worldwide (ABW), reported that the town's parish priest, Rev. Fr. Cristito Carmona, DCD, declared June 17, 2007 as mourning day in honor of the victims of the Weena bus bombing. During the 8 a.m. Mass, prayers were offered to the victims and peace for our town. After the Mass, a procession was held from the church to the bombing site. There was a short liturgical service. Prayers, flowers and candles were offered. A small white cross was erected at the site.

This bombing incident is regrettable since Bansaleños abroad have been trying their best to stimulate local tourism to enhance revenues for the town. As a matter of fact, Bansaleños abroad are preparing for their first grand reunion this coming December and planning to invite their families and friends to visit the town.

However, “out of sight, out of mind” may not aptly describe the attitude of ABW members. The longer they live abroad, the more they are drawn to this sleepy town like falling in love for the first time and falling in love all over again.

ABW members launched the “Give Back” campaign since two years ago to help the development of their hometown. They have finished the re-painting of the ABC Gym (check http://www.bansalan.com/giveback_abc_evolution.htm ) in cooperation with the municipal government.

They also support poor but deserving pupils in their hometown. This school year (2007-2008), they were able to raise enough funds to buy uniforms, school bags, school supplies, and pay school contributions of 84 pupils (please visit http://www.bansalan.com/literacy/abw_scholars.htm ).

They were able to raise almost P200,000 after conducting a fund-raising campaign from December 2006 – May 2007. A funding agency based in the Netherlands matched 70 percent of the net amount they actually raised.
ABW members have many dreams for their beloved town: they want to send books, set up a learning center, build waiting sheds, and improve the Rizal Park. Some are seriously thinking of investing to spur the local economy. One member based in Germany already built a nursery school, the Metilla Day Care center, and in fact shoulders the salaries of the teachers.

The bombing incident clouds a bit of these dreams. However, I know Bansaleños are resilient people. The incident may inspire them even more to work harder and support the development of their hometown.
Perhaps, ABW members could explore with the municipal government unit what measures to be taken to protect the lives of the local people. For instance, the municipal council can conduct disaster preparedness campaign to teach people to become more vigilant in dealing with terrorist attacks.

If they find a suspicious bag or box, the first thing they should do is not to touch or open it. They should vacate the area carefully but quickly without moving the object.

In developed countries, the first thing people do is to call a bomb demolition team. But in Bansalan, is there such a team or a person who knows? And if there is, do people know whom to contact? Anyhow, this is easier said than done. “Curiosity kills a cat,” so goes a saying and our tendency is to satisfy our curiosity first but the consequence can cause many innocent lives. Even if one calls a bomb squad, probably the instruction might be “open it first to be sure that it is a bomb!” For all we know, it is too late.

It is important that peace and order must be restored. Engagement of local government officials to the development of the town is equally important.
ABW members will explore possibilities in establishing such cooperation with the local officials in identifying projects that will improve the quality of life of the local people.

Now, where is Bansalan exactly located?

From the ABW website, I found this information:
“In the lowlands of Mt. Apo lies the rural town of Bansalan. Despite being considered an agricultural economy, it is one of the progressive municipalities in the province of Davao del Sur.

"Legend has it that Bansalan got its name from a Bagobo chieftain (datu) named 'Dansalan' whose tribal folks were the original inhabitants of the place. A so-called reporting error by the early surveyors transposed the name to Bansalan and somehow became the official name on record.
"Bansalan is also formerly called 'Miral' and some local folks still refer to this former name. Visitors to this rustic town would notice that in public transportation the signboard still says Miral instead of Bansalan.

"Bansalan is about 72 kilometers south of Davao City and is very accessible by land transportation mostly by buses going to Cotabato City, Kidapawan City, and Tacurong. Bansalan is about 12 kilometers northwest of the capital city of Digos. Her neighboring towns include Makilala, North Cotabato in the north; Magsaysay, Davao del Sur (formerly called Kialeg) in the west; Matanao, Davao del Sur in the south; Mt. Apo and parts of Digos City in the east.

"The town of Bansalan is a second class municipality which means its income level is between 27 million to 35 million pesos. According to the 2000 census, it has a population of 51,781 people in 11,073 households.
"Agriculture is the major source of income for this town. Bansalenos grow rice, corn, banana, fruit trees, coconut, sugar cane in the lowlands. Coffee, vegetables and fruits are grown in the colder highlands of Mt. Apo.

"Bansalan is also keeping up with the times in terms of technology. It has access to cable television, computers, and cell phone sites. It may not be at par with the big cities but it's getting there. Gone are the days when radio was the only source of mass media communications.”