Mawe Hai

I went out to Mawe hai a couple mornings this week and it's looking pretty good. Things are going well, the second batch of moringa seeds are planted and most have sprouted, and there aren't any major problems. Compost is being made and used on a regular basis now. The workers make compost every two weeks and use it after two weeks, then make some more. Two days ago I started a small field for artemisia. Artemisia is a plant that can be used to fight malaria. You can make a tea from the leaves if you are sick and it is pretty effective at fighting the malaria. It is actually processed in a drug as well, but you get the same effect just by drinking a tea. Not too bad if you ask me.

I had an idea too about starting a small garden behind the house that is being built out there. Now Mawe Hai has lots of fields but those fields show production on a large scale. We're going to tone it down and have just a small household sized garden with all the vegetables, medicinals, and fruits we can have in a small space. The coolest part is I think it should have a wall, partly to protect the small garden, and partly because I want to help build it. It'll be dry laid lava rocks so it should be kind of fun. We'll get started with that soon and I'm hoping that can really be an effective part of Mawe Hai.

Besides that, Dick Anderson, Wilfrieda, and I met again today to discuss where Mawe Hai is going and what the objectives of Mawe Hai should be and how best to achieve those objectives. One of the cooler things though is in our talks, and in my wanderings around Goma, I'm beginning to understand people a little better in Swahili. I can tell people what I've been doing and can often understand parts of what they are saying. I get a little confused if they talk about me or my things. I'm so used to talking about me in Swahili and what I'm doing (because that's what I learned first) that when people talk about me, and use "you" in Swahili, I think "hm, I wonder who they are talking about." Things are going all right here in Goma.