Hearth - making babies bigger

This past week was spent at a fellow PCVs site for a technical exchange. It was such a great experience! Liz has been here for over a year so it was really good to see how she's gotten settled into her home and how well she's working with her community. This was the second "hearth" she's put on in her town so it went really smoothly (relatively speaking...we're still in Mali). Each morning for 12 days (I was there for the first five days) 15 women and they're undernourished babies meet us at the local health center. We make ameliorated porraige by adding some peanut powder and bean powder instead of simply millet powder so that the babies are getting more protein. The babies are weighed every day and it's amazing to see how quickly they actually gain weight! Also, various health topics are discussed such as water sanitation, weaning, vaccinations, pre-natal consulations, etc. I led the discussion Wednesday on what to do if you're child has diarrhea and how to make an easy Oral Rehydration Solution. I'm really excited to take this program back up to Tioribougou! There are definitely women and children up there who could benefit from some better eating.

Besides working on hearth, I had a blast with Liz and Chamonix. We watched movies on a portable dvd player hooked up to a car battery, took lots of bike rides (16 kilometers just to get out to Liz's village, Monzonbala!), and ate wonderful food. Liz a talented and resourceful cook, and after a year here she knows how to make the most of what food is available here. Babies aren't the only ones who gained a few pounds this week!

Thank you to all those who sent Christmas cards! It was wonderful to read about what's going on with you all in the states. Especially thanks to mom, dad, and Becca for the packages, and Shaun for the books! You're the best:)

One last thought: Of course the Seahawks finally make it to the superbowl and Im half way around the world with no television. I should've done JVC Detroit with you, David.