Communuty Based Primary Health Care Program, Wakka Leaders Meeting April 14

The plan was to leave by 6:00 AM. We did pretty good. We got off by 6:30. Yakubu was driving the Hi Lux. Dr. Chidama Barka (local Consultant to the CBPHC Program) got the front seat, Albetha Yakubu (Community Health Extension Worker who is going to be assigned to Wakka as one of the Mobile Leadership Team) and I were in the back seat. We drove from Jimeta/Yola to Numan where we picked up Manzo Gaji (Community Development Officer to be assigned to Wakka as the other member of the Mobile Leadership Team), some cold bottle water, some fried bananas and some bean cakes (Yakubu did not have any breakfast). He squeezed into the backseat with Albetha and me. From Numan we headed west on the Numan to Jalingo Highway to near the border of Adamawa and Taraba States.  Driving this highway you have to choose which pot holes to hit and which shoulder to drive on. 

 

Just before Mayo Lope we turned onto the dirt road leading to Wakka and waited for the  Bishop Denhem Abba (Todi Diocese) and Fidilus (the Secretary of the Medical Board and a Community Health Extension Officer for the LCCN). From here we headed into the bush on a dirt road (one lane but wide enough for two vehicles to pass in most places). Crossing 4 dry river or stream beds and bouncing up a trail between two large hill, we arrived in Wakka new District Church a little before 10 AM.

This was not a “Water and Sanitation Hygiene” visit, I tried to blend into the background so the Community Based Primary Health Care Program would get all the attention. Of course being the only white person in town running around like a Japanese tourist taking pictures, I did not blend well. The purpose of this visit was to meet with the leadership of the area and introduce the CBPHC team. The concept of community based development is to have a bottom up program where the community is responsible for developing their own community. The CBPHC team is there to help them. This is a slow process. The team spends a lot time meeting people, gaining their trust and learning about the area and the people. During this time they are making notes about resources, talents, leadership, and needs. After a time they will start having meetings with different groups to see what the people think their needs are. They will not just meet with the leaders but will seat with the youth, with the women, with families, with clans, with business people. Most villages have formal and informal leaders. The school headmaster is a formal leader. But the women may consider a woman teacher as a more important leader for them. There may be a village member who is a businessperson in Yola or Lagos and is the person that provides much of the financial support to the village. It is these relationships and more that the Mobile Leadership Team (MLT) will be seeking out during the first month they are in the village.

The meeting was mostly in Hausa and also in the local tribal language so I clapped and laughed on queue. The meeting was held under the shade of a group of Neem Trees in front of the primary school. The temperature was in the upper 90’s with a nice breeze. The local leaders included the Lutheran Pastor, Lutheran Evangelist, Baptist Pastor, 4 Imams, the local chief (pictured standing in green), the women’s leader, the youth leader and various other people. The Women Group from the church sang a song. After many introductions and song the concepts of the CBPHC were explained and that this visit was to meet with the leadership to get their input and answer the best we could their questions.  The next meeting will be for the whole village to meet the MLT. We closed with a prayer from the pastor and from the senior Imam. Followed by more singing from the women.

After the meeting I went over to the primary school take a picture of the sign saying it was a polling place and I found this black board on large tree.  

A new larger LCCN church was being built at Wakka. When we arrived the walls were up and the steep rafters had been built. A truck load of metal roofing arrived just after us. When the meeting ended half on one side of the roof was on. By the end of the day the roof will be complete. The church sung at the meeting were standing in the shade signing praises to the new roof.

We had lunch at the District Pastor’s compound and then left by the trail to the north and east to Mayo Belwa. This was a one-time experience. Everyone in the truck agreed that as bad as the road was leading to Wakka from the Numan-Jalingo Highway. The trail to Mayo Belwa was much worse. Coming to Wakka we crossed 4 streams or small river beds (this is the end of the dry season). I quit counting the streams beds and rivers we crossed at 8 on our way out to Mayo Belwa (most with steep drops).  The route may have been a little shorter but is was much longer in time and bruises as we bounced through the deep sided stream beds.

 

The only interesting thing on our way out were three balanced rocks. I asked “Who put those rocks up there”? Everyone laughed with me and said God put them there.Then we stopped to take pictures.

For the Google Earth users. 

Numan Market area where we stopped N09.45654, E012.03530,

Wakka turnoff from Numan-Jalingo Highway. N09.24920, E011.68746

Wakka Church N09.15868, E011.81334, 

Wakka Primary School N09.15738, E011.81328, 

Three rocks N09.15063, E011.82450

Mayo Belwa where we entered from the bush N09.05858, E012.05044

Does anyone use the coordinates that I give? If you do please hit comment and tell me. Otherwise I might stop adding them.