Koen@Bamako

Part 3: Developing a routine.

It has been a while since my last blog two months ago. My intension to share with you what World Waternet is doing in West Africa, is being hampered by a strict and intense daily routine. At 6 AM, our alarm bell rings. Getting out of bed this early is not easy. Getting the children out of bed is even harder. But then, the morning is the most beautiful part of day; cool temperatures, quiet streets and a beautiful sunrise. Opposite of our house a small shop is located where we buy fresh bread. The people on the street (and in the shop) are still half asleep. School starts at 7.30, by 8 AM in the office.

One day, when driving to school, my son says: “Why are all shops outside?”. The reasons for this are multiple. People in Mali live outside and thus, like anything else, the shops are outside. It makes the city colourful, but messy at the same time. But also, the weather is always nice, or actually, too hot to be inside (except for those air coned-houses and offices). Any spot with a bit of shade, a shop pops up. The other harsh reality is that very few can afford a proper indoor shop. Most retailers have a small, moveable stall on the side of the road; easy to set up an quick to break down for when the police comes checking for permits. Mees at the same time, has made up his own answer; ‘Outside shops are clever, because people who pass by car can see what they are selling there’. Yep, that might be the reason as well.   

 Shops alongside the roads of Bamako

 Three days a week I hold office at SOMAGEP, our Malian partner responsible for drinking water supply in 90 cities in Mali. The other two days a week I drive to the Direction National Hydraulique (DNH), with whom we are partnering to improve integrated water resources management and waste water treatment practices. This holds true for average weeks, of which few exist. Because of the multitude of partners and activities, every week is different. Besides the incoming visits of Waternet- or Dutch Water Authority colleagues (see blog of 4 October), a lot is going on at ‘local level’.

 The WaterWorX program (our partnership with SOMAGEP) benefitted from 2018 to set up the complete program. For each of the 8 themes, a working group was established (combining SOMAGEP employees and Waternet experts). In order to make the planning for 2019, we decided to organize a team building in which we would go a bit further than the necessary Excel-sheets and Word-Documents. We took the opportunity to have the whole SOMAGEP-team together for a more personal approach; everyone presented his or herself by a personal drawing, something they had never done before. It resulted in a fun, but fruitful day in which SOMAGEP experienced a new way of working (which they liked a lot).

In November, two consultants of RoyalHaskoningDHV returned for their second visit for the Energy Savings studies. This is part of a bigger pre-feasibility study (financed by the Dutch Development Bank FMO) that will investigate the possibilities for SOMAGEP to get a loan from FMO to reduce energy-consumption and thus improve their balance sheet. Also did Waterproef director Janneke Ottens and World Waternet Board member Arnold Kuijpers start the leadership development trajectory with the top-management of SOMAGEP. Mid November, a Waternet-Waterproef-delegation worked on the ISO-certification of the SOMAGEP laboratory and another incoming team of Dutch Water Authorities organized a workshop on water quantity monitoring in the (transboundary) Sourou-basin.

The ISO team completely in Malian style

And then, most recently at December 5, at a location we least expected him to be, we spotted Sinterklaas. Floating down the Niger-river on his very own ‘piroque’. He came all the way to tell the children some personal stories and bring gifts for the 30 Dutch- and Belgian kids in town.

What joy! Dank u Sinterklaasje!

Sinterklaas in Bamako!