Koen@Bamako

Koen Maathuis is working for World Waternet in Mali. Find out more about his experiences!

After months of talking and preparing, I am suddenly there: Bamako! For my work at World Waternet, I will spend two years in the heart of West Africa to further develop our Performance Improvement Partnerships. The developments in the world of capacity building for local water organisations has moved quickly. The Dutch Ministry Of Foreign Affairs has launched the WaterWorX program in 2017. This year a similar program focusing on integrated water resources management started; the Blue Deal. Also World Waternet has gone through a major transition in the past years, seeking to further professionalize and reach more impact. We collaborate with investment banks and donors to combine capacity building with infrastructural investments.

The kids’ beds are being assembled

Sunday 19 August I flew to Bamako. A journey a made several times over the past few years. But it felt different this time, knowing that it wasn’t for a week or two. In June I signed a renting contract for a house in Bamako. I was disappointed to discover that the landlord did not keep his promises of installing an air-conditioning in the bedroom and renewing the kitchen. By renting the house, I also have the responsibility to take care of the house. This means that (although Bamako is a very safe city) guards are ‘protecting’ our house’. In the Netherlands, I had been in contact with several guards who showed interest and the first thing to do was to make sure we agreed on the terms so that I could ‘safely‘ fall asleep.

Although I had planned a full 5 days to get myself (and the house) organized (before the arrival of partner and two children), I was contacted early the next day by Mr. Kane (director of SOMAGEP) to see him in his office. He would travel to Stockholm later that week to facilitate a workshop during the Stockholm International World Water Week (SIWI), for which we had some details to discuss. At the end of the meeting he gave me the keys to one of the company cars for me to use during my stay in Bamako.

When starting from scratch in a new city, it is interesting to discover what has the highest priority. The first thing I organized is communication: Mobile phone (with 4G) and internet at home. This took a bit of time, but then it works perfectly. The same day I went to buy bamboo furniture at the local wood-market; skillful people at work to make tailor-made cupboards and tables. Immediately after buying, a man with rickshaw offered me to bring them to my house.

Buying bamboo furniture for our new home

Tuesday 21 August is a national holiday in Mali. Being an Islamic country, Ramadan and the ‘festival of sacrifice’ are celebrated with food and family visits. That provided a good opportunity to organize some meetings with two Dutch water consultants working in Bamako. World Waternet, jointly with the Dutch water Authorities, is formulating two proposals for the Blue Deal Program (Mali and Burkina Faso). Existing programs are to be taken into consideration when drafting this program, so that synergy and efficiency can be reached.

The ‘inner’ man should not be forgotten!

Then, after one week of preparations, my partner and two children (6 and 4 years old) joined me. I picked them up from the airport and drove to our new home through a severe thunderstorm (rainy season is at its peak). The cows and goats walking on the road struck them most; ‘without anyone watching them!!” Once home, the electricity company was awaiting us to cut the powerline; the transition of the energy bill didn’t come through as easy as the landlord said it did. Energy Du Mali (EDM) gave me two ours to fix it. Which (with a bit of stress) we managed. Never a dull moment!

Energie du Mali threatens to cut off our power supply, the transition of the energy bill didn’t go smoothly

While still settling in and getting used to Bamako and school, several work-related appointments were on the agenda. An incoming mission of two Waternet-colleagues, Elke Wezenaar and Michel Zandvliet, was organized to execute an audit for Aquarating (an IWA-accreditation tool). Based on the outcomes, IWA (International Water Association) will draft recommendations to SOMAGEP on how to improve its performance.

Elke and Michel visiting, the dark sky doesn't do justice to the good vibe they brought.

A dynamic and exciting first 2 weeks have passed since my arrival in Bamako. I formally started my work on September 3.

Until the next blog!