It's been a long time since I've posted! It's been a very busy couple of months. I feel like a "real" Peace Corps Volunteer these days: there are always things to do!
I recently was fortunate enough to take a trip out to Kokota, a small island about 3 miles off the Western shore of Pemba (the mainland is about 40 miles West of Pemba). There are several hundred people living on Kokota with no school and no source of fresh water. They survive by catching
rainwater and sending boats every day to Pemba to collect water in
jugs.
I went out there with an ex-Peace Corps Volunteer named Michael, who decided he wanted to live here after his service ended (not to worry folks, I'll be back in 2013 as promised!). He now works with an NGO that focuses mostly on reforestation and sustainable farming. His NGO is currently working with people on Kokota to build a school and a rainwater catchment tank that will collect water from the school's roof. They're also helping the locals get started with sustainable tree farming practices. I went out and helped with some tree planting and to see the construction progress.
Now I find myself with a plethora of pictures, and I figure that maybe this is a chance to give a glimpse of the wide gap between life in rural, isolated areas and "town life." I'll start with the pics from Kokota:
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| A dhow sailing near Kokota Island. Kokota's inhabitants use boats like these to carry water from Pemba every day. |
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| Michael atop the in-progress water catchment tank |
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| Mixing cement and handing it down the line towards the tank |
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| Laying the cement |
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| The new school building is in the background. Gutters will collect rainwater from the roof and carry it to the tank. |
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| Tree planting! |
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| Swahili Style! It's never a bad time to be looking good! Even when getting dirty planting trees. I loved this guy's fedora. |
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| Hut being built in a village on Kokota. The wooden frame goes up first, then clay is added. A complete house is hiding back on the left. |
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| A Kokota family getting shelter from the afternoon sun next to their house. |
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| Kokota youth |
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| Returning to Pemba. The port town is complete with cell phone towers, customs buildings in the foreground, and apartment buildings (on the left, just above the treeline). A far cry from Kokota. |
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| In town: multi-story buildings, cars, shops, streetlights, and mosques |
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| The Pemba Crown Hotel. Tourist money makes a big difference in town, but none of that money makes it out to places like Kokota |
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| Colonial era buildings make up a lot of town centers |
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| Everyday people use ox carts to move goods around, which may seem primitive, but there are no pack animals at all out on Kokota. |
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| Juice stand! These sugar cane presses are everywhere, selling glasses of juice for 100 shillings (6 cents). Perfect for hydration on bike rides! Sometimes if I'm riding a long way I'll stop at 2 or 3 as I go. |
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| Towns are full of little shops and stands. It's a sign that people living town life have some income to spare. |
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| Mosques are often the nicest buildings around. People here take pride in their places of worship, even if their home life is modest. |
