Jos Field trip

I had the privilege of traveling with a CRS consultant from Baltimore and a CRS Nigeria team leader to assist us integrating water, sanitation, and hygiene into our country program, specifically within peacebuilding. We headed to Jos where we have a pending proposal to talk with community members and other key stakeholders. Jos is in Plateau State, "on the rock," providing cooler temperatures than the rest of Nigeria.

Due to the mild climate, Jos supplies much of the country with a wide variety of fruits and vegetables throughout the year.
 

Hanging the clothes on the line of cacti to the houses...

 Selling boiled peanuts... note the hills on the horizon :]

Some things I took away from all of our various meetings with individuals from NGOs, our beneficiaries, and other community members... 

• Water is an urgent need. The government has not followed through on promises to provide pipe-born water to the majority of rural communities. And even if there are pipes, they are not maintained and often not functioning. Water has, on occasion, been targeted in conflicts amongst rival communities. Most communities have to walk over 1km to collect water from a well or bore hole, which frequently dries up during the dry seasons. It's impossible to be healthy and live in a healthy environment without water.
• The proliferation of cell phones and internet have accelerated incidents of violence due to the rapid spread of communication. Messages via SMS text spread like wildfire in minutes leaving little time for deescalating and reflecting on situations before acting.
• One resounding conclusion: the vast majority of people desire peace.
• I was grateful once again to experience the hospitality of Nigerians. I have also come to appreciate their straight forward nature- there's no beating around the bush! For example, when asking sensitive questions regarding community dynamics, people willingly responded by admitting their faults. In another vein, I had someone tell me, "Wow, I am just admiring your long nose."