A State of Liminality

Moments ago I gave a printed proposal to the chairman of Naama's council of elders. The proposal asks the Municipal Government to fund our project to bring water to the village of Naama. We have offered to provide a solar-powered water pump and oversight and management of the project, and we are asking the government to provide about 7,500 cedis, which is about $5,500 USD. Right now it feels like a long shot that they will approve our proposal.

If I've gotten used to anything during this project, it's the feeling of being in limbo, a state of suspended liminality between certainty and uncertainty. I know what the task is for each day, but the greater scheme of the project remains obscure. Right now, if the government approves the project, it will most likely be done in a week or so. If not, we'll postpone the project until the next time we come to Naama for more development. Even if it were approved, I wouldn't see it happen. I leave the Ashanti Region on 28 August, which is this Saturday. My role in this round is almost complete, after almost four hectic weeks.

School construction is going well. The roofing was completed yesterday, and today our workers began plastering the walls in earnest. After that come the floors and then painting. Our funds are extremely tight right now. We are banking on a donation that I have no control over. If it doesn't come, we could be in trouble. Like I said, a constant state of uncertainty and certainty. This has been complicated by the fact that my wallet was stolen this week, making me quite broke and eliminating our insurance if the donation doesn't pan out. It's been chaotic, but I think we just might be ok.

The school looks amazing already. The structure is way more impressive than the old one, and the people in the village are very excited about the building. It is remarkable how much money is needed for this, compared to the resources that the poor community members actually have. $7,000 can build a structure like this if planned, but those resources are way beyond the means of the people here. Drilling a well is an analogous case of this.

I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but we're not out of the woods yet. We have hope, but in the meantime we can only struggle to stay afloat.