to-do list

T-minus two weeks until I leave. Today I made an offhand list of things I need to do during that time:

get sunscreen
email people who have been to Mali with questions
unpack
repack
find my mosquito net (Did I lend it to you? Let me know if you have any clues.)
READ...about Mali, microfinance, nonprofit evaluations, etc.
learn how to speak Bambara
practice speaking French
get travel insurance
get a Hepatitis A vaccine
fill prescription for anti-malarial meds

That's the abridged version. Think I can pull it off?

From the list, you might have guessed that I'm doing work related to microfinance. MHOP has a branch that makes small loans to women in the neighborhood who want to start businesses. I'll "coordinate" it this summer - this task involves creating a database of borrowers, evaluating its impact since last summer, and working with the borrower selection committee. Probably other things too, but it's so hard to know exactly before I get there. Next week I plan to meet with the volunteer who started this microfinance operation last year. Our conversation should give me a better idea of where things stand.

Stay tuned...

a blog? a blog!

hi, all.

i'm moving to mali, west africa this summer. you may want to know what i'll be up to - i want to tell you. some of you might remember the mass emails i sent out during my trips to india and new zealand a couple years ago. this time, i'll keep you updated via a web-blog.

i fly out on june 9 and get back august 26. i'm working in a slum outside of bamako with the mali health organizing project (mhop). the nonprofit organization is helping this community to start a relationship with its government, focusing on health issues. The website is www.malihealth.org - you should check it out.

this blog is for you.

bookmark it. check in as often as you want. keep in touch. enjoy!