During this period Tanty has done the following MDG related activities:

·        Visited Sangare School

·        Followed issues up with the Reproductive Health project

·        Followed up issues with the Manankoro Women’s groups.

·        Participated in survey work on local needs in Commune IV

·        Carried out liaison and administrative duties relating to MDG

The main issues and findings are as follows:

·        At Sangare School being involved in work on a cultural evening for children and parents. awards. The children were involved in sketches to do with the need to pay school financial contributions regularly, malaria and viral infections. It has been agreed that these activities should continue regularly- they deal with the kind of problems, which the school and its pupils face. Last year there were a number of pupils with illness. The school lost some money as a result of some non-payment of contributions by parents. At the end of term the top 3 in each class from the 1^st to 5^th years received a prize, and Tanty handed out the awards. The prizes came form the gifts which Marcia Sinclair and her colleagues send from Canada- things like crayons, books, pens etc.

 

·        The work of the Peer Educators continues normally, and there is a high level of motivation. The Peer Educators have recently done some public presentations on Reproductive Health, in Commune IV.

 

·        With the approach of the off- season the women in Manankoro were rather busy with work in the cotton fields, but nonetheless they are growing manioc and other vegetable foods. Work on the mills has been a bit slower recently- again due to seasonal factors. All the mills are working and the finances are in good order.

 

·        The survey work in Commune IV is to do with preparatory work for a proposed literacy project in the Commune. This has been out forward by Madou Cheick Diarra, Co-ordinator of J&D’s Capacity Building Unit, and will help female domestic workers. The questionnaire being used is to check out in detail the key issues about this target group. The project is planned to go into effect in January 2009.

 

·        Tanty has been working on MDG’s request for cotton bags, shirts and dresses, and has ordered these goods from young physically handicapped tailors who are working with Kader Keita’s ‘Thinking about tomorrow’ organisation.

 

Other issues raised in the report concern the possible need for more money for the Kader Keita project, and I have sent an e-mail about this to ask for further information.

 

John Hedge.