The
sun was just rising in Mambu as I climbed into Father Cosmas’ small Suzukui
jeep. After three house of dodging pot holes and leaving behind a large cloud of red dust, we arrived at our
destination, Saint Peter and Paul’s Parish in Ndop. I met Father Cosmas a few months prior to our
excursion when I was working in Mambu as
a Peace Corps Volunteer. As one of the
few people who lived in Mambu, but not from Mambu, he helped me understand the
mindset of the people. We bonded as I
complained to him the difficulties in mobilizing the community to repair their
water system. In the process we became
friends and one day he invited me to speak at a youth retreat in Ndop about
servant leadership. After we spoke, we
walked around the grounds and I was immediately struck by the cleanliness and
peacefulness of the retreat center. I
thought to myself that someday it would be nice to return and stay longer than
just a day. Flash forward seven years
and there I was, staying at the same retreat center, co-facilitating a training
session with Peer Educators on promotion of exclusive breastfeeding.
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Peer Educators teaching women in the market about breastfeeding |
It was
a cold, rainy afternoon in Melim when we finished a discussion with women about
their beliefs and practices about breastfeeding. Many interesting themes came from that
discussion, including women emphasizing that they rely heavily of the nurse or
midwife for information about how to feed their child. When asked what information the nurse will
provide, one participant said the nurse may tell them to drink palm wine to
stimulate breastmilk flow. Two important
conclusions came from that discussion: first, a great song about breastfeeding
that was used as the theme song in our audio program; second, that nurses in
the area need further training in how to encourage and support women in
breastfeeding. Flash forward three years
and there I was, co-facilitating a training with health workers on infant and
young child feeding and learning a new song about the importance of
breastfeeding.
Health workers singing a song about breastfeeding in
Pidgin at the end of their training. English Translation: What
is breastmilk? Breastmilk is the best food for the child! You wash
your hands, you sit down, you give your child breastmilk. You wash your
hands, you sit down, you give your child breastmilk.
“The
possible answers are like a ladder. If
you very much agree with the answer, you will circle 5. If you somewhat agree with the answer, you
will circle 4, if you agree you will circle 3, if you somewhat disagree you
will circle 2, if you really disagree, you will circle 1.” That is how my assistant Gilbert tried to
explain to a room full of mothers with small babies about how to answer a
post-test with Likert scale questions. No
matter how he and I tried to explain the concept of a gradient of possible
answers, I don’t think they ever quite understood. Instead, they just circled 3
or looked at whatever their neighbor was circling. Flash forward three years and there I was
working on a new survey about breastfeeding practices in preparation for
training with data collectors. This time
all of the possible answers are either yes or no and the surveys will be
completed in private.
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| Data Collectors practicing interviewing caregivers for the Infant Feeding Survey |
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| Data Collectors practicing taking a child's height |
At the end of my trip to Cameroon I was reminded of all the mistakes I’ve made, the lessons learned, and the
relationships built during the past eight years. There is still so
much about Cameroon that I don’t know or understand, but it is gratifying to be
able to use what I have learned in the design and implementation of new
projects. I see now how some of those struggles and
misunderstandings help me do my current job better. I still am amazed at how I became involved in
this country in the first place and how God continues to keep me involved
through new grants and projects. A few
months ago I was trying to explain to a friend my involvement in Cameroon and
said, “I didn’t choose Cameroon. I
didn’t grow up longing to go to Africa.
In fact, when I was a child and traveled to Canada with my family I was
so relieved when we crossed the border back to the States. It hasn’t always been easy and there are many
days that I wish I wasn’t involved. But as
I look back and see how things have come together I know that it is my calling
and task.”
A calling is a deep sense that your
very being is implicated in what you do.
You feel that you fit into the scheme of things when you do this
particular work. You have a sense of
purpose and completion in the work. It defines you and gives you an essential
tranquility.
Life
at Work, Thomas
Moore
