In Service Training

I recently returned from a trip to Mamou where my group (G25) of fellow volunteers spent over 2 weeks in training and planning projects for our service.  In addition, many volunteers stayed an extra 4 days to attend a Youth Entreprenurship Training Program (YETP).

The training provided us with a chance to reconnect with one another, as we are all spread out all over Guinea.  Each volunteer gave a presentation on their village and what potential projects they had in mind.  The sectors in my class  (Public Health, Agroforestry) also had trainings with our program manager and staff to learn about new techniques and participate in field trips.  (Topics included: small scale irrigation, permaculture, apiculture, and nurseries.)  Of course, we all continued language training while in Mamou, and I chose to work on my Pular skills.

Our counterparts came towards the end of training, and we re-established our expectations we had for one another, listened to community assessments from a few volunteers, as well as heard from various NGOs (non-governmental organizations) who we might work with in our community.

Finally, the YETP program took place from May 17-May 21, and was attended by numerous PCVs and their counterparts from neighboring countries.  Entrepreneurship in Guinea is still a developing concept, as many people in Guinea choose to sell the same products (agricultural and basic necessities) as their neighbor at the local market.  Not that a roadside vegetable stand isn’t a business, but it is not a very sophisticated one.  If Guinea wants to grow in the future, its citizens need to learn how to innovate and to market their goods and services to someone other than the villager down the street.  Since I am so close to the Senegalese border, it is a focus of my efforts to improve the livelihood of people living in my region.  The training met my expectations and covered most basics of entrepreneurship and small business ownership.  However, most Guineans still lack basic math skills, so doing calculations with income and expenses was a bit challenging, and more complex calculations (like breakeven analysis) were not even covered.   As you can probably guess, many new business ideas fail in Guinea because of the lack of knowledge of running a business.  This YETP program aims to change that.

I am not sure when and if I will be returning to Mamou again.  In another year, our class has a mid service training, but I am not sure where that will be held.  Though the weather in Mamou was a nice respite from the hot weather I am used to at my site in northwestern Guinea, there are enough positives about my village and region to want to return.  I found this to be the case with the other volunteers, as everyone has embraced and taken ownership in their site.  I, as well as my other PCVS, also became quite fatigued of the rotation of meals we are served at the conference center.  Like I said before, creativity is not something that the Guineans do well yet. Guinea does have a variety of sauces that are part of their diet, but a tomato based sauce hasn’t seemed taken hold in Guinea. Yet Guinea is a very diverse country, and each region has its own charm, so it does offer some variety. Except for the commute back to and from my site, Mamou was a good spot to relax, reflect and get rejuvenated for the start of the rainy season, and the rest of the year.