Festivities started mid-day when women gathered to prepare the food (delicious meat benachin). They were joined by friends and a group of drummers from neighbouring villages, and dancing began under the mid-day sun in the daycare compound next to where the food was being prepared. Yes... I did join in. Just a little bit. :-)
More guests from the coast started to arrive just in time for lunch at 3 pm, and what a treat! It was delicious. My staff, friends and I ate in the school. Afterwards, Ebrima and I were interviewed by a reporter from one of the Gambian newspapers, The Observer, and then started gearing up for the opening program with the master of ceremonies, Sidi.
I was blown away by the number of people who had gathered for the opening program in the clearing right next to the house. There were hundreds of people, both from Penyem and beyond, who came to listen to the speeches and celebrate the opening of the house. Ebrima and I were surprised by matching batik outfits (my mom received a third one in absentia) from the women of the village and changed into them right before the program.
The alkalo (village chief) gave the initial welcome to the guests. He is a fantastic speaker. His key message was: this house is yours. Take care of it like you take care of your children. It was very moving. The imam then gave a welcoming prayer and made a blessing on the house. Next up... us!
Ebrima and I did a joint speech, giving the guests the background on the project: both the fundraising powerhouse in Canada and the work on the ground to build the house starting last fall. We were both a little nervous and I felt overwhelmed - in a good way - when I first began addressing everyone present. I thought it was fitting that we spoke together, as we have worked side by side here since the project began. Ebrima ended our speech with a huge thank you to my mom and all of the donors in Canada, and everyone burst into applause. They are so grateful for the support their dream has received from people on the other side of the world.
Bubacaar Jallow, the fantastic community health nurse responsible for Penyem, spoke next. He emphasized local ownership of the home, and encouraged all women present to manage it with pride. He also emphasized the men's role in safe births, and pre- and ante-natal care. His main message was that children are the future and Gambia's development depends on their health and education. Finally, he discussed the birth and death registers and how thrilled he was that they were included in the birthing house project. The information they collect is vital.
Next, his colleagues from the Regional Health Team spoke. Juma Jallow and Alhagie Sankary also emphasized the tremendous impact a clean, safe, private and confidential space for deliveries will have on the women of Penyem. They also underscored the place of the birthing house in the Gambian health system, noting that government can not do it all, and that this is a wonderful example of 'bottom up' development: the village had an idea and made it happen. This wasn't a development project imposed on them by government or a donor.
The traditional birth attendant, Nima Colley, and her assistant, Jainaba Sanyang, spoke next, followed by the Lady President of the women's association, Fatou Saidy. All three women expressed gratitude for the house and invited women from neighbouring villages to come and use it for their births. How generous of them! The house can be used and benefit women beyond the borders of Penyem.
Finally, the chairman of the village development committee (VDC), Ansu Kujabi, spoke and emphasized good maintenance of the house. With the opening, responsibility for maintenance of the home has transferred over to the VDC and it was clear from all of the speeches that the villagers of Penyem really do 'own' the house.
All of the speeches were translated into both English and Jola, and of course there were lots of dancing breaks.
Ebrima and I were then presented with certificates from the alkalo, and two of my friends accepted certificates on behalf of my mom and the donors in Canada. Then Bubacaar handed over the birth and death registers for Penyem to the alkalo. He will be coordinating the handover of the registers for the remaining 12 villages this week.
The sun was starting to set at this point, and we all made our way to the front of the house for the official ribbon cutting, which was done by a local government representative who honoured us with his presence. After the ribbon was cut, the guests stormed through the front doors and there was a tremendous amount of excitement as people toured the house. I can't believe how many people could fit in the house at once! The women were dancing and signing, and everyone was really impressed with the facilities, including the standard and the attention to detail. They loved the art work on the walls (my mom's students sent photographs with a birth theme, and we had them framed and mounted on the walls). It was... simply awesome.
In the dark, I planted the commemorative tree (it's an avocado tree, which people here call 'pear') and that marked the end of the opening, which really is the beginning of a new chapter for the women - and men, and children - of Penyem.
Meanwhile... on the other side of the pond, my parents and family friends had a celebration of their own, and stayed connected during the opening thanks to my friends Katie and John, who braved the bad internet connection to send a typed play-by-play of the ceremony to them over Skype.
It feels pretty great to have pulled this off... with and for the people of Penyem. I concluded my speech with: this house is for all of you, for every woman in the village. And you deserve it. It would not have happened without the generosity of so many people in Canada and my parents consistent, quiet cheerleading and fundraising. Abaraka, abaraka, abaraka (thank you, thank you, thank you) to everyone who has supported the project. Now we can kick back a little bit and wait for the first births to grace the house!!
(And we are still collecting donations for the 'sustainability' fund for the house. Just get in touch if you are interested.)
