Formatting got a little screwed up on the wiki so I'm emailing you guys the word document also. YOU GUYS BETTER LOVE US 
. Lily and Sumi, sorry you weren't awake and didn't get to ask your questions. Ginger said that she'll be on all day since she'll be at home sorting stuff out. Owen, you can talk more to Wil (his contact information is at the bottom) about technology if you want.
Mary and I would like to sleep .
Notes: 3+ hr Skype Conference with Ginger, Wed Mar. 25th 3:30~6:30 AM
Debate on Bababe vs Bogue
Essentially: Bababe because Bogue already has computers
• Has potential impact on
• How to write up a program for Peace Corps in the world
• Potentially will impact Peace corps internationally
Summary:
• Ginger talked to Zach for about an hour
• Hadn't checked his email since he emailed in his description of Bababe
• People in the office had various opinions.
• Some people thought Bogue would be better: once you get into the regional capitals, it spreads better into the smaller towns
• But Bogue has gotten a lot of computers: fairly known. The lycee just received 14 computers, which is accessible to teachers and students
• Girls mentoring center has 4 computers
• Village or urban site? Woman who works with ICT and small enterprise development. In cities, you get a bunch of different international groups working there. If you can get it to rural areas, you can give computers to students who have never seen computers anymore
• More encouragement to learn about computers, adapt to the environment
• Bababe is the better choice, we just need to make sure that everyone is on board
• Zach will need to make sure that someone is there all the time in Bababe to keep an eye on this project
• The 10 weeks under mostly just Zach will be hard---but Peace Corps is there to support it and keep it there
• Getting funding to send 2 people with us to Rwanda. One of them is ICT specialist volunteer who works with gmcs, knows networking and programming, works out of the capital. He comes highly recommended. has 2 years expereince in Mauritania (problem solving), where they need help. Would also send a first year (3 ICT guys, trying to decide best one). Guy from Kaedi Matt or Mark (Bogue) and one other guy.
• There will be 2 guys with us in Rwanda to help us learn about culture, what is the reality on the ground, know where the community is at. They can walk us through it.
• Zach is definitely willing to stay there for 10 weeks and another year, and will definitely find replacement for him when he leaves.
Internet / Languages / Sustainability after Zach leaves
• International NGO partner in Bababe. They have satellite internet. 2 guys who use the computers. They are overworked. But the satellite internet has wireless connection. Can reach up to 200 meters. There is a school nearby--we could get free, fast internet! Each primary school has 500 students. 1st-6th grade. 5th and 6th grade= 11/12 year olds.
• Thinking about targeting 5th and 6th graders. They could go to middle or high school in Boghe (the capital), where they would be exposed to computers.
• We would be using the facility since the kids are out of school for the summer.
• People to help out: guy from Spain (speaks english), he will be involved, but won't be there every day. School director there: wants to learn how to use a computer. Isn't English speaking, but is French speaking--he is pretty good; our strongest mentor. another guy: teacher at one of the elementary schools. Third person: very energetic. Three potential people to work with.
• Languages: Pulaar and Haseneem. We would need Zach and/ or another volunteer. Zach has three volunteers fairly close to him: 2 pulaar and one hasaneem speaking within. In Bogue, there are 4 volunteers, 40 min away. Strong number of volunteers who could come help translate.
• Zach will be in Bababe for a year. Will be replaced. Pushing to get GMC after he leaves. Definitely going to be sustainable. This community has 20+ years experience with the Peace Corps. Used to Americans walking in who have no cultural sensitivity or language knowledge ☺. really patient/ nice.
Power
• School building; power is on noon-midnight, same time the internet is on (internet relies on power).
• Power: school has some power because director has 2 lights on, but probably only in his office...don't know if we could plug in in the classrooms. Not sure if this is same school near the satellite. ** Ginger will check. **
• We need to maybe get a generator. They just got power in Bababe in the last 6 months. They are running lines (getting things hooked up). 20,000 um = $200 to get a line run to a house. Theoretically, we could pay them to lay a line down? But Ginger says power is not that big of an issue and that we probably don't need to bring a generator. Hmmmmmm.
• Will meet with the ICT guy this morning and he will know about the voltage that's coming out.
• Regulators: definitely need. Can buy in Mauritania. Power is set up: diesel plants. Not great. 9/10 times you plug something in, you get sparks.
• Schools are probably not getting power. Zach has power at his house. Storage?
• Power costs money.
• Will not leave her house today, so Owen will ask her
Good things about Bababe & Kaedi
• Destination: Kaedi and Bababe. Guy in kaedi is really good with computers. Maybe the guy who is going with us to rwanda. He is super excited.
• Guy who teaches english in Kaedi has organized a thing next month: 2 teachers coming in from each college. 53 people coming for a workshop: 2 teachers from each school+ director. They have 17 schools in kaedi. A lesson on how to teach health, computers, etc. and also get a general idea of how the schools think it could be administered. Instead of going to the ministry. We are targeting 5th-6th grade. Matt could ask about which school we could bring XO's to. Teachers could all vote or something.
• After summer, Zach would be able to integrate XO's into the normal school curriculum. They are not allowed to teach (potentially derailing Qur'an studies). He works with the teachers themselves, encouraging them to write their lesson plans to integrate environmental stuff into lessons. Can do the same with XO's.
• Also the people in kaedi--already a bunch of people integrating technology with the schools. Mark could do.
• Kaedi-long standing relationship with Peace Corpsgreat compound. Central location, a lot of places to lock up stuff. Best schools they've seenpower there. Buildings that have power there-can charge the laptops and then use the classroom. The school director can help with the storage. The GMC is located in the high school. We'd open it up to all kids.
• GMC girls there, but also we could get the girls in the GMCs to be mentors (high school age girls). Most have been working in GMCs for 2/3 years, they are close to graduation. They will be good mentors for kids younger that them. That has a lot of potential.
Flights
• Flights: should be able to round trip JFK (NYC) to Dakar= $1400 maybe to Iberia Airline. Prices may be going down?
• $1400 round trip dakar to Nairobi (kenyan airways)
• Nairobi to Kigali is $350 round trip
• Cheapest way to get to Kigali is through dakar. (they looked through dubai, uganda, paris, etc.)
• We will get tickets with the other teams going to Mauritania with Peace Corps (perhaps we can get a discount if we buy all together)
• Paul has been really good: wants Mauritania pilot program to work out
o Will have 5 teams, 4 schools
o Will want us all together
o Can have a few extra days for the letters from NGO
• Try: kayak.com best flights for Africa
Schools
• Zach: at site, has 2 environmental clubs, one with each primary school--works with 25 kids in each club. Trying to get another club started at the third school. Traveled to Ghana with Zach for conference on biodiversity. He's really motivated, good experience. worked with youth NGO where they are organized to send youth delegation the climate talks. He was with a group of other kids and they did a 6-month process to raise money to send kids to delegation to meet other delegations, really pushed for their voices heard. They managed to be part of the discussion by the end. Anyway, Zach is GOOD and will work hard and is motivated ☺.
• Bababe: 3 primary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school. You have 1st-6th grade in primary school. Middle school is 4 years, hs is 3 years. HS received computers at one point, but they have no power. ???? (Maybe we should try to help set this up?) They don't have youth center, but they have a Reseau (French for network) des jeunesse--youth center with a different name. Teams for sports and they do evening activities: music groups, theatrical performances by the kids.
Recommendation letter
• How will she be submitting her letter of recommendation for us?
• Proposal will be online, need to email in. Email Paul about that. Letters will be emailed directly to Paul by Ginger.
• 20 girls at the Kaedi GMC. This GMC is in the high school, the high school is out of session. One mentor. We could have the 20 girls as mentors--could get a few of them/ all of them. 100 twelve year olds are really hard to control. The more mauritanians involved, the more respect.
o The high schools computers still didn't work. Desktop computers.
• NGO that's going to give us satellite internet...maybe working out power with us. Maybe figure out how to charge laptops.
• Cell phones: bababe, all have phone reception. Cell phones can always text. 8000 um= $32 for cheapest. SIM card= 2000 um= $8, phone credit: text messages= 1000 um week, 4000 month ($16).
o To call home, use Skype (calling is a lot more expensive).
o We can replace SIM cards on some phones. Have to call service provider in US and get special code. Works with Motorola razors
• Call phone service providers/cell phone manufacturers to see
• 3 providers in country: most people use Mauritel (Zach's) (should use this one), also Mattel, Chinguitel in country.
University
• Angela (works with university)--said she would mention it to her class. Chances are that it would not sell. Maybe people are going back to Bababe anyways, they could learn about the computers anyway.
• They probably wouldn't take to the idea if they didn't get any money out of it...
Some Peace Corps feedback
• Ginger talked to all different sectors in peace corps to get feedback/opinions
o Went to guy in charge of training all Mauritanians in office. Education: ministry, environmental education, country director, woman in charge of program of small enterprise development in ICT.
o Work with different ministries, different local partners, volunteers (English education, health, and GMCs)
o Also talked to Will (ICT)
o Education guy (works with Angela at University)--got curriculum books for 5th and 6th grades for French teaching, math, science, physics, chemistry.
• In terms of integrating lessons---we will be able to tell what the teachers will have to be teaching. We could think about integrating
Language
• Will support their wanting to learn French. Depending on student, might be better in French than in Arabic (because it's in the south).
• But we should teach in French. And can teach English classes.
• Pulaar is in Latin alphabet
• Mauritania, schools are taught in French and Arabic. Based on subject in taught in one or the other. All kids are taught every day in 2 languages. Neither Arabic nor French are their native language. They don't speak Arabic, they are speaking Arabic dialect.
• Math, science, French language, physics, chemistry in French
• English language obviously in English
• In Arabic: history, religious studies, philosophy, civics, geography
• # 1 spoken language is Hassaniya (dialect of Arabic)
o 95% understand although they say they don't. They are a Muslim country, so their kids are learning the Koran at a very young age (it has to be taught in Arabic).
• We should make keyboards Latin-based as usual, but we could consider pasting Arabic symbols on keys on some laptops, to be used when writing in Arabic for humanities classes...
Housing
• Housing in Bababe and Kaedi-housing: unfurnished. We would have to buy things to sleep on. Cook-can have small gas tank.
o Kaedi= 5 volunteers can divy up amongst them: a married couple has a lot of space (own home).
• We would be like rural volunteers--all chip in to pay for single house in town. (but comes without any furnishings: i.e., beds or gas tank or pots/pans.) One person who lives there and look over.
• 3 solid options.
o Could stay at the lycee in Kaedi, keep guardian around.
o Could get our own house / live in houses in local community
o Could stay with Zach/volunteers--all sorts of possibilities
• Should budget for 20,000 um/ kaedi and 15,000 for bababe for whole summer
• 5000 um for water and electricity
• *Ginger will call Sam and see what he thinks*
Miscellaneous
• Vegetarian→Kaedi.
• potable aqua www.pharmacalway.com
• 5 mosquito nets.
MORE LOGISTICAL THINGS (Health, Visas, Tech, A bit of budget)
WATER:
Iodine tablets: 2 per ¼ liter of water. http://www.pharmacalway.com/
Volunteers use water filters
Could also use bleach...certain number of eyedrops per some unit of water
1.5 liter bottle of water = $1 (3-5 bottles a day). A gallon a day probably.
http://www.potableaqua.com/
Product we want (not just ascorbic acid after-purifying thing): http://store01.prostores.com/servlet/wisconsinpharmacal/the-Potable-Aqua/Categories
Water filters are very effective: top has chemical "candle"-like things: water filtered through these clay candle-things, ionically-charged, worms are filtered out even before this water filter; we can probably get access to water filters most of the time. Use water treatment tablets in emergency cases.
Eastern Mountain Sports/REI = outdoor camping stores. They might be able to know where we could find things like mosquito nets (2 for Kaedi, 3 for Bababe---Ginger will ask around if we can get them w/o buying), water filters...
--or Army/Navy supply stores
Budget
• screwdrivers (multiple)
• two servers ** server= $2000
• ask Ginger about
• access points
• regulators
• routers
• hardware ~$300-$500 per team
• food
• living expenses
• travel
• airplane tickets
• taxis/buses, ground transport
• ferries? along senegal river
• malaria medication
• immunizations
• MIT med will cover immunizations, $20 copay for each
• checking baggage?
• Delta has free 2 check-ins < 50 lb and 2 carry-ons
• we should talk care not to bring too much--we will have to transport from Senegal to Mauritania
• clothes
• Long sleeves and long pants, will need to buy clothes there
• Ladies: skirts - wrap skirts. WEAR SKIRTS (get more respect). Material is sold in 6 m length (<2000 um, $8-10). One wrap skirt takes 2 m. 1 shirt takes $2 to make. $6 to make full outfit (tailoring) - 6 m of material.
- Shirts: 2 m. $2-4 to make. $4-5 to make guy's button-down.
- Guys wear khaki, grey, black pants.
- Probably not going off paved road, unless we want to take a tour... so bring sports bras. Camisoles work in general if we're not going anywhere really.
- YAY! Get to dress like locals ☺. One of the few places in Africa you can still do this.
- Don't have to wear veil in Pulaar area, since it's obvious we're foreigners.
- Volunteers typically own 2/3 outfits, can wear each 2-3x before washing.
- Should get all this clothing done in Bababe/Kaedi, because we won't really know how to make this anywhere else...have salvation army-type things for volunteers' throw-aways to look at ☺
• bug spray / needs to be >50% DEET
- Cutter: buy in states
- http://www.cutterinsectrepellent.com/
• Walkies-talkies for our team and collaborators: not needed since we can text
• visas ~$150 per person
→Immunizations: what will we require? how much will it cost?
- From Mary's research: Recommended Malaria Medication: Prophylaxis with Lariam, Malarone, or doxycycline is recommended for all areas except the northern areas of Dakhlet-Nouadhibou and Tiris-Zemmour.
- Go with cheaper malaria medication: there are two that are promoted
o Mephla(o)quine / Larium is what Peace Corps takes (once a week only! Once every 7 or 9 days) → but not good for psychological disorders/problems (take doxycycline instead---EVERY DAY)
o Take ALL THE TIME even though it's hard on your liver... but it's better than getting malaria
o **Ginger will call medical people and tell us prices****
Health issues:
- One of biggest problems because of problems with food preparation. FLIES ☹
- USE SOAP!
- Bring purell
- WASH YOUR HANDS ALL THE TIME! AFTER PLAYING WITH KIDS! EVEN THOUGH THEY'RE CUTE!
- Wipe down laptop keys or something...can bring rubbing alcohol.
Bring a shitty pair of glasses because they're probably going to get scratched up from sandstorms. It sucks that your glasses will get destroyed but that's better than getting your eyeballs destroyed.
Bring drink mixes - vitamin C ones? Ones that promote health, have vitamins...etc. Don't bring ones that have too much sugar, though. Just because we're probably going to get tired of water.
Guys can wear hats. Everyone should wear sunscreen, sunglasses.
INSECTS:
Flies, mosquitoes, ticks, lice. Keep food covered. Mosquito nets. Blister beetle in Kaedi and whole region...urgh probably at least one of us will have an 'encounter' with it. If it gets scared, it'll pee on you, which causes a blister to form... if you pop the blister, the fluid will go everywhere and it will be very painful. Just be a little careful. Happens at night. GET UNDER YOUR MOSQUITO NET.
Toilets: No toilet paper. Can pee like the natives or buy Kleenex there.
Water-transmitted diseases: Cholera/Typhoid fever/Amoebas/Dysentery/Viruses
- Use purified water for most obvious things, but also brushing teeth and making eggs
- Filter should be followed by treatment of chlorine because it does not kill tiny microorganisms like bacteria/viruses
People get colds, throat infections. No bronchitis that Ginger's heard of.
Menstruation:
Think about menstrual cups instead of tampons/pads: much more environmentally friendly! (Nowhere really to dispose things...just in latrines, i.e. holes in grounds.) $30 each, lasts 10-15 years.
http://www.divacup.com/en/home/diva_cup/
Budgeting for food:
$10-12 / day, especially since vegetables are imported during hot season, not grown.
Snot-rag:
Handkerchief vs. tissues. People pick noses openly so don't be shy. Sandstorms make your noses run all the time.
Diarrhea:
People frequently defecate around their house, in fields....then diarrheal diseases can be transmitted by flies or cockroaches. ☹
Usually resolves itself after 5-7 days. Just make sure the patient is kept hydrated.
Medications: bacterial - cipro; giardia (pretty common--parasite from well water) - flagyl or fasigyn; amoebas (not that common--don't worry about them hopefully) - flagyl or fasigyn + yoyodoxin.
Probably get 7 treatments of Cipro and 7 of Flagyl (250 mg doses). Each person should bring at least 18-20 250mg pills of Flagyl. Cipro: take 4-5 days, 1-2 pills a day: week's supply for each person. Worms not seen very often in volunteers; more in children through fecally-contaminated food or water (Ginger has not seen this ever in volunteers). Look at prices but probably can share with volunteers' medical kit since they never get them anyway. Vermox / niclosomide / mintezol. If not super expensive, can bring one of each...but probably not going to get worms.
From Mary's research about traveler's diarrhea:
Antibiotics which have been shown to be effective include ciprofloxacin (Cipro), levofloxacin (Levaquin), rifaximin (Xifaxan), or azithromycin (Zithromax).
Either loperamide (Imodium) or diphenoxylate (Lomotil) should be taken in addition to the antibiotic to reduce diarrhea and prevent dehydration.
DO NOT swim here. DO NOT bring swimsuits.
Can get schistosomiasis---not worth it. Cycle is through snails that live in water; transmitted through animal waste. Can be detected within a year (takes 6 months to a year to show up); but long term if left untreated (5-10 years perhaps), can attack various organs - kidney, liver problems. AHHHHHHHH. DON'T touch open sources of water!!!! NO SWIMMING! Can get tested 6 months after we get home if you walk through a puddle or something... but that very likely won't happen. Can avoid it except in the rainiest/most floody of times.
Alcohol:
Illegal in Muslim country. Can buy beer at capital, fairly expensive--but nice treat. Volunteers smuggle (crappy) alcohol across the border. Make own "bush wine"--interesting. No alcoholics allowed.
Ethnicites:
Sumi might look like White Moor---be careful! Might consider wearing veil otherwise people might be confused.
Asians are not seen very often---we'll be a novelty. Hmmm. Apparently boys will be all over you. MARY, CONTROL YOURSELF!!
VISAS:
Country director will write letter directly to Mauritanian Embassy, even though they are sketchy right now about people coming here because of the coup last year. But one of Ginger's friends just did this and it took a week. Give ourselves a month. Ginger will CC us on this email. We should probably send in paperwork as soon as we know that our proposal is funded.
Laptops:
Maybe bring one laptop per team... Write journal entries or skype or whatever, or write up stuff for making lesson plans, etc. Can use volunteers' computers, but Ginger's not sure how many exist... only a handful in Kaedi / Bababe. 1 in 4 or 5 volunteers has a computer. Bring flash drive for everyone who's not bringing laptops, just to have pictures or music...
Dakar to Kaedi (Mirosso): shared taxi. Costs about 15,000 sega (Senegal currency - 2 to 1 for um) = 7500 um = $30. EACH? Hmm. PAIN IN THE ASS to cross from Senegal to Mauritania. Best would probably be to go through Noukachott. But Ginger will think about this more, because she has to think about this for all the groups. Trying to think of cheapest, best, and fastest way to get us over.
COMPUTERS: Wil (ICT volunteer)
Questions:
• access points
• regulators
• routers
• hardware ~$300-$500 per team
• coolers for servers/laptops?
Answers:
Wireless router for satellite internet in Bababe - fast and free!
Kaedi: Chingitel wireless card, Noukachott (ISB) - USB stick. DSL in Kaedi also. The problem is that DSL can take a very long time to hook-up unless you're in a place with an existing phone line.
- The GMC in Kaedi probably has good DSL, not wifi though
- We could get modem-phone line-USB port to get internet on laptop
o Have to install software, drivers, to make it work
- Or just bring wireless routers... would that work?
o Must be compatible with laptops 
o Still have to install drivers?
• Setup username and password and enter every time
o Not sure if all routers/modems in US would be compatible with Mauritanian system or XO's
Outlets there are 220 V (AC): XO's should be fine
Bring plug converters, extension cords
Could also buy regulators at Nouakchott because they're heavy
Cooling: Fine up to 50 degrees Celsius (122 F) so we probably don't need a cooler
Electricity: Zach has it at his house... worst comes to worst, we can charge laptops at his house
Wil's email: wil_ryan@yahoo.com
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