Weather.... gone mad

Whether the weather be cold,
Whether the weather be hot,
Whatever the weather,
We'll weather the weather,
Whether we like it or not.

The weather is confused. Or we are. Or both. This the MAJOR dry season. It does not rain. Then, out of the blue, or rather dusty, sky, comes a physical line of rain across the country.

Rain can move the harmattan away - or it can draw it down. Either way, the belt of rain shown here is bizarre to say the least. We hope it is a good sign, since we plan to fly towards to that area, where the belt of rain occurred, as soon as the visibility permits to scout for potential development areas and drop sites.

The Dry season is apon us...

The dry season has the runway in its grips. Grass browned, soil cracking, hard as concrete. The dusty, limited visibility, coupled with crisp sound of grass crunching beneath your feet, as you inspect the runways and safety areas, hoping that visibility will increase and flights resume, is like walking through a Martian wasteland. The occasional rabbit or Partridge suddenly crosses your path reminding you that this is a temporary state. Soon the rains will come, and with them the sky will clear and the grass regenerate overnight to soft green, and the cracking earth will heal. It just takes time. We must make the most of that time when it reaches us.

Fire..... An ever present danger....

An unexpected bush fire is keeping us all rather busy.   Keeping the fuel depot cool is priority.

Harmatten brings dust and more......

Harmattan cloaks us, and flights are stopped for the first time this season. This pushes us more into the offices to clear up the paperwork for the year and the design areas as we work on the new engineering challenges for 2013. The dust is everywhere and people are falling sick with sore throats and 'Apollo Eye' a sort of conjunctivitis that runs rampant at this time of year. This is also the Meningitis season, especially in the Northern parts of the country.

Tomorrows forecast... your guess is as good as mine?????

It rained yesterday. The Harmattan is in today... Visibility dropping fast. We never mow in December, rain in December is rare.

Today we are mowing for the third time this month...unbelievable!

The daily effort to keep the site operational seems to be increasing, especially as the abnormal climatic conditions appear to be lasting....'Abnormal' and ' unpredictable' are the new normal, so we had better get used to it!

A long list..... not for Santa...

The Harmattan is in the air, light, but clearly on its way... with it, we will be restricted in our airborne operations until March. The wind is coming from the North, the day time temperatures are rising and the night time temperatures are dropping... Furthermore, with ten days to the Presidential Elections, and with Tony heading back to the states this week, plus the end of term for the AvTech girls, we have a long list of challenges to shake our collective sticks at.

1. Work on a new drop system (more details in the new year)
2. Preparations for a major drop schedule in March 2013
3. Ongoing work on the fuel system for our CH701 to ensure the long range capability that will be needed for the planned drop schedule in 2013.
4. Constant work towards our funding needs, and seeking alternative revenue streams.
5. Many meetings about collaboration around the Volta Lake for the coming year
6. Planning the training programme for the Clinic and air operations.

PLUS the ongoing, seemingly endless paperwork challenges that seem to be a growing burden in this part of the world.

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Thank you all for your support and reading about us, we value you all!

The end of Harmattan

Submitted by Michaela Sholes

At the risk of sounding like a Toto song...there really is nothing in this world quite like the rains in Africa! The sound on a tin roof is more calming than any lullaby soundtrack for kids, the smell of fresh rain mixed with dusty earth is more intoxicating than any French bakery, and let me just say that there are few things more refreshing on a hot humid afternoon than.

One might say, "These lovely words are pure poetry but...how does this relate to Medicine on the Move?" Simple answer. With the start of rainy season comes relief from the heat, but also new challenges. The rains signal a new growing season and represents opportunity as the rural communities are often dependent upon good rains to ensure a bountiful harvest in a few months. At the same time, rainy season also contributes to increased mosquito activity through increased stagnant water. Rainy season can also make even short travels difficult for many isolated communities, thus increasing the struggles to access health facilities.

There are challenges, opportunities, and rewards in every season and we at Medicine on the Move are appreciative of the rain that brings all three!