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It has taken me about 4 to 5 weeks to figure out the “family structure”- in the way that makes sense to my western mind- If I had (or ever do have) the time I will make a family chart like the one my host brother and I made. I can not say enough about the women of Burkina, who are AMAZING!!! From when they are 5- taking care of the infants and cultivating to when they are 12- fetching water, cultivating (with the men), cooking, cleaning and going to school (if they are lucky). Then around 15 until perhaps 18 for village women- they are married off- usually arranged marriages and start having children. My host mother has eight children. The WHO average is 6.7 children for a burkinade women. Most village women I have met have 5-7 children (or are still young and having children). Educated women living in the cities seem to have less, probably the average is around 3 children. The older men have an average of two wives according to my brother. But many of the younger men have (or want) one wife and fewer children. My host brothers say they want 3 children because children are expensive. And it is expensive to educate a child here in Burkina. So I have met the superwomen of Burkina. Oh and please do not forget that 77% of women have undergone FGM/C but I will not talk about it much because I have not heard or witnessed it. It is not talked about but I am told by my language teacher that most girls have undergone it in my village. I will be lucky if I am able to talk about it with anyone during my two years. It is forbidden in Burkina by law.


I do have to gave a hand to the men. They are superhuman as well. Especially some who seem to always be working and then looking after me. The hierarchy system in the family structure is very apparent. Everyone has a place and knows it. The men get my extra food. The children get the less nutritious food. Certain men work harder, others have better clothes and always seem to be chilling. The older men do not seem to cultivate as much. The boys that go to school are the favorite (and also the bullies) of the kids. The hierarchy even determines who will get my gifts in the end. (I try to be sneaky and let the ‘less’ favorite ones play before the word gets out.) Also if certain people are in my courtyard others will not come in. Women and girls are always against the wall, but this is difficult to analyze as the language barrier may contribute to this.


But every human is human and every human has his/her own personality and spirit. My relationships with my host family is my escape from the stress of learning how to live in a francophone country as a Peace Corps Volunteer. I hope I feel this comfortable in my new village and can build similar relationships.

I arrived in Burkina during the rainy season which is also the time the families plant most of their harvest.  Most everything revolves around this time of year including school.  Because the children are needed to work in the fields the school year ends the end of May and does not start until after harvest, around the end of September or beginning of October.

The Peace Corps staff has told us that this is a difficult time for village families.  Though this is the time they must work the longest and hardest, it is also the time when the money and food (from last year’s harvest) is the scarcest.  Often their supplies start to run out sooner then they can be replaced.  Thus, this is the crunch period.  I have witnessed the amount of work that is invested.  There is no day of rest for some.  The first week I arrived in Boyoga came the first rain (it was very late this year apparently).  The very next day EVERYONE was out in the fields cultivating the soil.

My family is growing millet, another type of grain (used in the main dish- Tô, beans, peanuts, some rice (I believe) and I think another type of bean or pea.  But it is mostly millet which is their main diet.  Next time you visit a historical farm in the US and learn how farming was done then you will largely understand how it is done here.  My family has many fields, spread out- some next to the family cartier (compound), some at least a km away.  For an area about a third of a football field, I have seen two teams of bulls used (My family has five bulls).  Two bulls are used for one hoe (on a wheel).   A child around the age of 12, but can be much younger, usually a girl, leads the bulls.  Another younger child holds a whip and ‘directs’ the bulls.  The older man (meaning my host brothers- 19-28 years old) handles the hoe to turn up the soil, in order to plant the seed.

Right now it is mango harvest though the season is ending.  Peanut harvest is also occurring and will last until August.  Everyone in the family has a role.  Women and children often use gardening hoes to help cultivate other fields used for beans and peanuts (this is crazy back-bending long, hard work- most Americans would look at you like you were mad if you asked them to perform this task for a day).  Women are the ones harvesting and selling the mangoes.  Two young boys, around 7-8 years old look after the family herd of goats, following them around during the day.

This past week was the week that rain was needed in order to have a decent harvest in the fall.  This has been a drier rainy season then average.  On Friday, the families got what they needed with a seven hour rain storm.  My host father was very happy.  And again, the whole family spent all the nest day in the fields.  The Saturday before it had been too dry to do any new cultivating (so I think they had to play catch-up).

It is extremely impressive to observe how well my host family knows the land and the weather.  They work hard and know how to survive with the resources available.  But when I asked two of my host brothers if they liked farming, they said they did not because of how difficult it was.  They said if they lived anywhere else they would not be a farmer.

Last night my host brother came into my courtyard.  Obviously just finishing work, he looked exhausted.  He said he was tired and wished he could work in America and send money back to his family so they would not have to cultivate anymore.

Though I question if he understands the hardships he would encounter in making a life and getting work in the US that paid enough money for him to significantly help his family, he reminded me that this is not a life of choice but necessity.

Most people making a living, in any country, living below middle class income, are making choices out of necessity.  But there has to be solutions to make it easier to survive.  There has to be a way to ease my host brother’s burden and still fill the children’s bloated bellies.

I am in a country that is one of the poorest in the world. This fact has a different meaning once one is sitting on the soil. The Human Development Index (for 2007) ranks Burkina 2nd from the bottom. Only Sierra Leone- which suffered a brutal civil war beats Burkina for the poorest.
So what does this mean for a privileged American? What does it mean to my host family? To the children that are staring at me as I write this? Because of my wealth and privileged has not disappeared but followed me into this country- I believe that I must mention privilege within this “informational” blog. There are many ways to justify privilege (and I would rather not hear them again). What I am interested in is the honesty about privilege. How does one be an ally when privilege is such a divide and at times a barrier.


Am I just a tourist here? Simply witnessing while the Peace Corps funds and caters to my ‘vacation’? How honest should I be? How honest do I need to be?


What should I be doing right now? I can not even speak the language to ask- “How should I fit into your daily life?”. For my host family, for this country- What right do I have to come in with all my resources (aka: money) and hang out? I am not making life easier. Actually the exact opposite since my host mother cooks for me and helps me with my chores. I am not helping a child become healthier or get educated.


At this moment I do not know my role in making the world a better, more equal place. I feel helpless and privileged. I am completely humbled.


However, I do know that my host family has enriched my life. Go figure…

I am in Ouahigouya, a city in the north. Though the land appears harsh, we have not yet entered the Sahel, which is further north. Djibo and Gorom-Gorom are the “cities” in the Sahel.
The two day staging in Philly was training about Peace Corps Philosophy, health and safety as well as bits and pieces of Burkina culture. The Peace Corps philosophy has not changed much since it was created. The three values 1. assist in the development of a developing country 2. learn about the host country’s culture and share it with other Americans, and 3. share American culture with the host country. There is a focus on sustainable development, culture exchange and only enter a country by invitation.
Upon arriving in Burkina, we stayed in Ouagadougou, the capital city, where training continued. The city is not as developed as I thought it would be. It’s appearance seems to be an indication of the country One thing that was interesting to me was the many unfinished buildings, as if there was a boom than bust (as in an oil rich economies). If this is the case I have no knowledge of what caused the boom (and bust) and when it occurred (if it did). I have talked with my program director (the women who directs the Girls Empowerment Education (GEE) program). She told me that individuals and businesses start to build without having the entire funds available for completing a whole building. When funds available run out, building stops until more money is found- often in the form of loans. Grants are available but are not widely sought out because people do not know the process or availability.

The group was largely isolated in a building (hostel) run by Christian missionary. We participated in training, language testing and immunizations shots. So Ouago, as called by the locals) remains a mystery to me.

It seems that Burkina is progressing and developing from listening to volunteers who have been in the country for 1 to 2 years. Cellphones are everywhere- the regional Chief of Ouahigouya was holding a cellphone while we met with him. There are schools being built and other items being made available. Wireless is a realty, at least in the Peace Corps house in Ouago. Cyber cafes are all around though the connection is slowly and less reliable. However food and gas prices have more than doubled in price.

Ouahigouya is hotter and a town (the 4th or 5th largest) full of teachers. I have started the 3 month training in a nearby village, Boyaga Z. This town has no electricity or running water. There are poles for wiring because the town expects to get electricity within the next few months. Many of the houses are made of mud and stones. I am living in a two room house that is made of mud and concrete. The family that is hosting me spend a lot of time repairing their houses- a little concrete would free up a lot of time. Due to my extremely low level of French, I have not figured out the dynamics of my family. I do think that my father has two wives. The one who is “in charge” of taking care of me has 9 children. There are many children, teenagers, and women. There is a small Mosque next to the family compound. I believe that there is one house for each wife and her young children, my father, and the older boys. For the past three weeks I have enjoyed living with this family.

The earth is symbolic of the reality here. Baron, burnt red, and scarce of resources. I am constantly reminded of the need for a sustainable, home grown project as I am surrounded by decaying objects- buildings, cars, fences, clothes, and trash.

It is difficult to take it all in- there is so much for me to process and to understand. Many times in the short time I have been here, my cultural lens as blurred the reality and my understanding of my village’s culture. Again, I have more questions each day then answers.

The people make this country beautiful. Friendly, nice and hardworking, After all, Burkina Faso means the “land of honorable people”.