Nine Hills to Nambonkaha Two Years in the Heart of an African Village Sarah Erdman Health Worker, Peace Corps Volunteer Ivory Coast Video 101 0:59:00 - 1:50:40

From the Jimmy Carter Library & Museum in Atlanta, Georgia Sarah Erdman talks about her book "Nine Hills to Nambonkaha: Two Years in the Heart of an African Village." In 1998, the author went to the northern part of the Ivory Coast as a community development volunteer. Ms. Erdman, who now works for the Peace Corps, discusses her work in maternity wards in Nambonkaha as well as educating the village's citizens on birth control and AIDS prevention. After the discussion, the author answers questions from the audience.

Sarah Erdman worked two years as a health worker teaching about child care and treatment of diseases such as dehydration, meningitis, parasites, and malaria.

She read from her book on scenes from life with her host family. Many women are circumcised. Many women die in childbirth.

In another reading she described the village band. Lots of problems with the villagers teeth. People are always coming and going. When a husband dies the widow becomes the wife of a brother. Consequently, some men have three wives. She described an infant too small, unbelievably small. So little flesh on him. She described treating a case of pink eye. Bumps on his skin are observed. The bumps spread. She watches as AIDS infect the village. If the brother-in-law didn't consummate the marriage it would be an insult to his dead brother. AIDS spreads because of this tradition. Their blood is infected.

In another passage she describes day-to-day life as joyous in spite of AIDS and female circumcision. She read a passage about Sarah and three children playing. Sarah described a culture of respect for elders even seen in a 5-year old child expressing respect for a 6-year old child.

Sarah described a well baby clinic where the village women demonstrated that they learned what they had been taught. These women couldn't read, but they did remember. She was concerned about recall from the women, because the word for yesterday is the same as the word for tomorrow, but they did learn.

Sarah didn't adjust well when she visited East Africa. The rhythms were different from what she knew in West Africa.