When we were but naïve little trainees, long before we arrived in our PC villages, we Small Enterprise Development (SED) volunteers were taught how to begin and manage a savings and credit club (SCC). Somebody shake me . . . I'm falling asleep from boredom (sorry, Rooney). I couldn't imagine anything more tedious than gathering a group (usually women) to toss into the weekly or monthly kitty 100 CFA each (about the equivalent of 18-cents U.S.). What's worse, we were told that the best SCCs were those with about eight to twelve members. I envisioned years before one could borrow any significant amount of money from such a club. Plus, I'm neither a math whiz, nor do I have the inclination to devote hours to teaching bookkeeping. So maybe I should have re-thought my placement with SED. Or maybe not.

My boys! Martin, Louis, Nestor, Sylvain . . . and all the rest. Several weeks ago I paid each boy 100 CFA for every five buckets of compost that they'd locate and bring to me in the courtyard. And young Martin, genius that he is, asked if I'd guard the money (a grand total of 500 CFA, or about $1 U.S.). Seems the boys wanted a new soccer ball and they knew that if given the money, they'd spend it and never save for their new ball. Voila! My first (and only, I hope) savings and credit club. In fact, not long ago the boys found a sad old soccer ball that needed its inside rubber repaired and leather cover re-stitched. They asked for 300 CFA of their savings for this repair. Good thinking, guys!

In addition to bringing me odds and ends (like compost for my garden), my boys can also be counted on to remove any old bottles from my home. Gin, vodka, rum, L'Eau de Vie . . . and that case of empty beer bottles that's been here since Thanksgiving 2010. To quote a favorite line from Grey Gardens . . . Well things just tend to accumulate after Labor Day, what can I tell you? So the boys take these bottles to the ladies that sell gasoline. Gasoline here is sold by the liter (just as it is in Europe), but it's not pumped. It's placed in old alcohol bottles. I believe that we PCVs do our part to ensure an ongoing supply of these essential bottles. Anyway, the going price for an empty bottle is about 25 CFA. Beer bottles bring a bit more since they are returned to the bottling companies throughout West Africa. So in addition to doing odd jobs, selling bottles is another way for the boys to earn money.

And look what they've bought with their savings. Not only do they have their ball, they have new team jerseys. OK, we're still a few short, nor do we have one for Akaba, the coach. This photo shows Nestor holding the ball, directly above Nestor is Louis, and almost directly above Louis (a bit to the right and looking left) is my best friend, Martin.

This is definitely not what the Peace Corps had in mind when I was taught about SCCs. But Martin gets it! Of course, his mother, Elizabeth, runs a local bank called the Caisse Populaire, so he comes from a family that well understands savings and bookkeeping. I think that probably gets me off the hook. And, with their brand new jerseys, they actually won the match yesterday . . . one of the few wins in the past month. Could it be that new soccer jerseys equal a win? We can only speculate.