This is just the start...

Hi EuroAfrican EVS volunteers,

today is a special day: Matshidiso, the last volunteer still around, is going back home.
Welcome back home Mariana, Modeste, Laia, Cristina, Biel, Prudence, Janet and Matshidiso!
I can imagine all the stories you are telling to your family and friends. Or when you alone remember a moment, a story, a person of this special chapter of your life. I do hope you enjoyed the EuroAfrican EVS experience.
But even if you finished your stay abroad... THE ADVENTURE FOR YOU IS NOT FINISHED, THIS WAS JUST THE BEGINNING!
And also the EuroAfrican EVS project continues a little more...about this I will write to you tomorrow.
Now now I would like to celebrate with you this end-start, in all the languages you can speak and with all the drinks you would like to drink, making a special toast to all of us and to the EuroAfrican EVS project!
Till tomorrow,

Davide

MY LAST ENTRY.

Hola amigos´

the last couple of months have been hectic but as usual fun. My project took a sudden turn at the end of August due to visa uncertainty and I have been taking it one day at a time. But this is the last entry am going to make, spain has been really cool to be here, all the new people I met and the mountain of things I have learnt,During my intermediate evaluation in three weeks ago we talked about the footprints we are going to leave and I dont know about the rest of you Euroafrican volunteers but I do hope that our project has put a dent on the ignorance obscurity and stereotypes that surround our respective nations and continents. I hope that we leave somefootprints to be remembered by those we met and that we have in some way touched someones life, because I know for sure that mine has been changed for the better.

To Janet and Matsidishu, Good luck till when you finish.

To biel Mariana, laia,modeste,christina and all the respective tutors and coordinators.

THANKS FOR EVERYTHING!!! especially for the pleasure of meeting you all.

kwaherini!!!

ola from Portugal

ola meu amigas

so right now im getting more and more attached to Portugal and it breaks my heart to think that in a month and a half i will have to leave all my friends and workmates behind.my adaptation to Portugal took a bit longer than i had expected but finally it happened and now this really feels like home for me.the greatest thing i value about Portugal is its diversification in terms of cultures.there are so many people of different cultures that u an never feel strange or out of place.

the project is going well and i feel like i fit in well with my organisation.i plan to take some tie off and just explore this country since i havent done much travelling.a month back i went for mid-term training and i enjoyed it so much since i got to meet new friends are are also volunteers and i got encouraged to continue with what im doing.

i will post photos from midterm training soon.

ciao beijinhos

Matshidiso

Hello my dear friends volunteer!!!
Just wish all the good end of service. My project comes to an end, on October 17th and I go in Ouagadougou into my country on October 19th.
Just before returning on October 16th, my association ABC and I let us organize an African day in the city where I live who is Blanquefort.
Besides on October 11th I was in Toulouse one of the cities of France with two friends to visit the city, museum, and the modern agriculture(farming) called " the culture under greenhouse ". By visiting this site it was a real shock to see another method of culture very modern and very diversified. (See the photo).
To finish I show you various photos which stood out a lot to me throughout my voluntary service!!!
Good wind in all for project has to come and good journey for return.

Well, today I wants to show you some photoes of burkinabè women.
Here they works a lot, while men burkinabè love to do “siesta”, and take a lot of … pause with the traditional thè, plays cards, eat.. So, also in the traditional festivity african's woman play an important role. The women dance during the marriage, and often the “femme griots” are charged to make animation, as you can see in the photoes below. They prepare the food during the traditional funerals (this is considered as a festivity, not a “black day” as in Occident), that they eat all together in the courtyard (the “zaka” in traditional language).
During this months I meet a lot of mothers and women en disease that ask help to MJCA to pay the children's school or food to them. The majority of women here have no rights, they just work hard. The “cultura maschilista” is very strong here; for what concern the discussion and the decision to take in family, burkinabè women have no voice. Especially in the “villages” is still common the “mariage forcèe” and MGF, in spite of this is forbidden by local government. They have to thanks Associations that fights to preserve rights of women, and above all Groups of Theatre.Forum (theatre of the oppressed), 'cause after their spectacles of sensibilisation this practices are very decreased, and so the women often can change their condition of life in better.
Often women have no choice: they have to “se debrouillè” all days to find money to give to eat to all family, while the husband keep money with him. So, by the way, I show you also some photoes of traditional food burkinabè: “le ris gras, le tò (I tryd to ptrepare so with my friend Bovard as you can see in one of photoes), la sauce gombò, les spaghetti”; la veritè est que ces sont un peu collè par rapport a notre “maccheroni italiani”, but it's hard to believe, their taste is really good!....... The little black bunch that you can see in the photo below is the“sumbala”, il naturale dado aromatico africano!! unfortunately is often replaced by “Maggi”, that with “Nescafè, Nestlè and Cocacola” is trying to colonize all Ouaga.. When Thomas Sankara had the power, the burkinabè economy was triyng to increase a lot, but unfortunately now the “White money” and multinationals are going to replace the local foodstaffs..
So, it's all, good works at all euroafrican's bloggers, and sopratutto buon divertimento!!
Wend a sik lafi... Nanplè..
Cristina

Voilà les photoes.. bill fu;

cristina

Hi volunteers around Europe and Africa

Dumelang !!!! le kae

I 'm so happy to write. This last months I had the opportunity to travel around different south african countries. It was amazing discover, sharing time with local people and see the differents in every country.

In One month and half i'm going to Barcelona ( my city) I can't beleive pass almost seven month and half in this place MAUN ( Botswana)

I don't want to do an evaluation yet, but i'm feel so really lucky to have the opportunity of participate in this project. You know all of us we are in the big and unique project and hopefully is the first step to develop more projects with Africa in the future

The only I can say is ka leboga ( thank you)

Soon i'm gonna add some pictures from Maun, My friends,.....

Go Siame

Hola, Salut from Ouagadougou to Euroafricanbloggers!
Well, MJCA this months closed their activities, the volunteers finally can take their merited rest after a long year of full and intensive work. I also took my time finally to take a pause. Now I would you present just a bit of crazy friends burkinabè that I had the chance to meet during my stay at Ouaga. JahAhmad, performers of theatre, danse, traditional masks and marionettes; Saidou Traore, a musician of goni, the traditional instruments burkinabè. Ouda, a musician that you can see in the photoes with his guitar. Afrocadetjeunesse, a troup very shock whom the leader is a Rastawoman! Mamadou Diabatè, a djimbèfolà burkinabè, that you see in the photoes talking to Ernest, a commedien burkinabè; then the big family “Theatre du progres” and Spiritthing, a reggae singer. My “maman africain” Fofanna Bibata, a strong women that manage an association of women's rights at Kokodogò, a village burkinabè (most of all she's a great cook as you can see in the photo). Ali, (I yet introduced you the Troup Zen Thuwa who he dans) you can see him in the photoes with is paintings... but most of all the Troupe of musician Sijnikama a family of griots that came from Bobodioulasso. Here the Art and most of all the Music play an important role, it's very very important; so it's considered as a richness to preserve. For this reason it's very common and easy to meet artists and crazy people of all kind. I'm still here at Ouaga but I yet imagine how I will miss them before my departure. If someone is interested to their activities, or have some ideas to plan meetings to African or intercultural Festivals, don't hesitate and I'll give you more news and contacts..
Then, don't forget that this months David Tonon and Pablo (Nexes) came at Ouaga to join us and MJCA staff!! They're been here just few days but very very intensive. I take advantage of the Euroafricain Blog to thanks them and say them a big “Ciaoooo”.
Kisses kisses, and Bill fu my Euroafricain zoà!! (a bientot).
Cristina

The photoes from Ouaga..

Hello dear voluntary friend! Wherever you are I hope that everything takes place well for you? When to me, for one and a half month, we have to work with the young people of my structure, of the animations of holidays, summer camps in stay. During this July-August, we have to liven up with approximately 120 young people and all this very well took place. And afterward I had 2 weeks of vacation, and I get ready now for the mid-term seminar with all the present volunteers in France next week. I wish you all good courage in your activities. I kiss you!!!
Modeste en France salut!!!

hello fellow bloggers,entao finalmente percebo quando as pessoas falam português,meaning just 3weeks ago i was helping an oldwoman down on to the elevator,she started talking to me and i realised i could understand her very well.After almost 5months of frustration out of no where i could clearly understand when portuguese people speak,im so excited and wanted to share that with you. so 15weeks before i go back home and im a bit scared,i want to make my time in Portugal count in a big way,i dont want to look back and wonder what did for 9months,i want to feel that i left a piece of me with my association and everyone i was in contact with. I know from here i have learnt a lot and matured a lot,the experience was not all smooth i had challenges and frustrations and still gained a lot.

anyway this week we there will be an event called festas do mar,festivals by the sea and gues what our association will have its tent there and i will be volunteering there while enjoying the festivals for free.my other regular tasks are going well.so in short i am well and having a great time here in PORTUGAL and promise u more photos.ciao for now

Hola à tous le monde! Ny Zabrè, Hello, Ciao, Aye boe, A nj sogma, Djam iri…
Finally I give you some news from Ouaga…
This months MJCA gived the best as it can ; the programs and the activities planned by the DUNIA LA VIE had been very charged. The schools closed, also ‘cause the rains start to fall very hard and frequently. The street here are not asphalted, children often make long distances to reach the schools, and now with the mud it’s not easy to shift.
So the children are in holiday, and MJCA organised a lot of different “club de vacance” to them; they can have fun and gain educational project at the same time. Then the Association go on travel to satisfied all kind of their needs; so they leave the streets and learn to grow up together. MJCA is just a small building, and the children that wants to participate at it’s games and activities are more than the Association can reach or host.. So in this months we bill the classroom of some different lyceum and schools of the sector 19 of Ouaga, (Aurema, Wagadogo C, etcc..); there we developed all activities as it’s possible. Seven different groups of French volunteers came at DUNIA LA VIE to exchange friendly and new skills to burkinabè animators. Estelle et Frederique, then Anais and Emma, then Jeanne et Carole; then Joelle, Charlotte et Pauline, then Alexandre, and finally Stephane, a French teacher that live in Italy.. They planned courses of informatics, plays and games, writings, French and English, courses of music with traditional instruments burkinabè.. But it’s not finished! At the same time more than 12 animators burkinabè continued their activities of social welfare, educational, games, for other groups of children. It's clear that African and europeen animators works together to exchange and developed their activities. Then the 23th july, finally, me and my friends Ali, Ouda and Dioss (musicians and dancer) presented “JAMUEKRE”, a special musical with about 30 children. We’ve choose them between more than 150 children, after a long, long casting during 4 months...We played a piece that talked about “Tenga” a young boys that leave his village and start to travel to reach adventure and gained his dream: became an artist of modern-traditional music. Thanks to his success, Tenga finally will have the chance to open an Association to help the children of the street, as DUNIA LA VIE/MJCA: it's a sort of Samarcanda or African Macondo ... At the end of the show we make a little party, and we eat all together with the children and inhabitants of the sector 19. It’s been a crazy and joyful experience, as usual here..
I show you some photos, and I hope that a bit of joy that I have the chance to gain here can reach all of you!! A special thanks to my tutor Yasmina, David Tonon and Emiliano Bon of Xena, and a big kiss to all euroafrican volunteers and friends,
A bientot
Cristina