Day Four
8.4.2017
Today, everyone is celebrating the end of Ramadan, so not much work can be done. Gary and I are on our own, and without a truck to haul equipment!
Gary has many rolls of fence to lay out and posts to bring to the corners, which was very strenuous work without the help of the truck.
I was able to get the shade house up and the cloth on after the sun went down. Warmed by the sun and cooled by the wind, this hoophouse will help create a more amicable environment for crop growth.
We showed Gorgui the fence and the hoophouse. He wants to grow tomatoes in both and start seeds someplace else.
That evening, we joined Gorgui and his family on the roof of their home outside of Kebemer. A large plate of lamb, rice, chicken and a crab was brought out and Gorgui sat us down with his brothers. My fingernails were filthy from the work at the farm, and the small pitcher of water I was given to wash didn’t quite do the job.
Momar, Gorgui’s two-year-old son, ran around yelling and jumping while being egged on to splash water on the men reclining on the rooftop. Gorgui’s mom sat with us and was tickled by my Wolof attempts.
Tomorrow, we leave for Dakar, but we still have a few loose ends to tie up on the farm.
The second of two shipments of sustainable farming equipment has arrived in Senegal! And Our Farm In A Box Program Manager Chris Newhouse is hard at work with Gorgui Dieng of the Minnesota Timberwolves to expand access to health in the player’s home country. This journal entry is part of a series that depicts Chris’s personal experiences as MATTER and the Gorgui Dieng Foundation dig in and begin to start constructing a demonstration farm for sustainable agriculture outside of Kebemer. The project will save lives, improve community livelihood, and help build a sustainable future for Senegal.
