Although our visit was short it did give us lots to think about.

We saw that the village people of Igourdane do not have any of the everyday luxuries that we have. They have no year round source of water, even for drinking. There is certainly no electricity to power a fridge to preserve their food. And there is no road to bring building supplies up from town, although teh ttrack might be good enough for a bulldozer, Dave! By contrast, there was an amazingly strong mobile phone signal up there!

There is no school for the children. So the children do not have the opportunity to learn to read or write. Instead they spend hours travelling on the mules or donkeys to simply fetch water. But they were avid for knowledge. We saw how, when we started learning how to survey, one young man was fascinated and joined in, learning very quickly.

When talking to another young man, on the farm where we studied, we heard there was not only a shortage of water but a shortage of manpower. The head of the household is sometimes tempted away by the promises of riches abroad. People traffickers extort large sums (as a debt) from impoverished farmers, promising inflated wages for imaginary or illegal work in Europe. The farmer becomes so trapped whilst paying off this huge debt and living as an illegal worker that he may never be able to return home to visit his family and somtimes disappears from their lives.

We had little contact with the local women, partly due to lack of a shared language and partly perhaps due to their reticence when meeting a group containing men who were not from their family. When we visited Igourdane there were no women present, although they sent us delicious tea and bread with olive oil for refreshments. The best they had, I’m sure. I wonder, where do they fit into the pattern which will be Permaculture in Igourdane?

Thanks to the dedication and generosity of the course leaders and organisers, there will be funding for a borehole for Igourdane. That will be the first step toward greater self reliance for the villagers. It is also an essential prerequisite for the planned Permaculture Garden. It’s a huge investment and needs careful management and it seems that the village elders will take pride in doing this.

A school is planned …..

I would like to wish the project every success. And the people of Ourthane and Igourdane an abundant future.