Sarah Erdman's 'Nine Hills' stirs emotion



"I came here with three months of training under my belt. I was packed off to this village with only a collection of health-education books and a head full of vague ideas. I wanted no direction, no preconceived mission, and that's what I've gotten. I am here to see what I can make starting from scratch, and the tiny village of Nambonkaha is my ready canvas."

Sarah Erdman's 'Nine Hills' stirs emotion

'Nine Hills' stirs emotion

By Emily Duus
The Mirror
Greeley, Colo.
October 10, 2005

Off and on for many years now, I have thought about joining the Peace Corps. It would give me a chance to help people and travel -- the two things I love most. One of my mom's sisters was in the Peace Corps and taught math for two years in a village in Swaziland, Africa. The whole thing has always sounded appealing.

These thoughts unconsciously led me to "Nine Hills to Nambonkaha," by Sarah Erdman, as I was wandering through the bookstore.

I'll admit that despite the popular saying, I sometimes judge a book by its cover -- but who doesn't, really? Some book covers just cry out: "Read me!" And who can resist a book with a picture of a child mischievously peeking around a wall on the cover?

"Nine Hills" follows Erdman's two-year Peace Corps experience in the tiny African village of Nambonkaha (Nam-bong-Kaa) in Côte d'Ivoire:

"I came here with three months of training under my belt. I was packed off to this village with only a collection of health-education books and a head full of vague ideas. I wanted no direction, no preconceived mission, and that's what I've gotten. I am here to see what I can make starting from scratch, and the tiny village of Nambonkaha is my ready canvas."

Erdman's main points of focus were the health of babies and educating the villagers about contraception and the danger of AIDS. Knowing nothing but poverty, villagers did not have the knowledge or resources to keep themselves or their children healthy.

Although cut off from most of the world, many of the people in Nambonkaha also had AIDS, and it was spreading more through prostitution and polygamy. Many were not aware of the disease, but still more were not too worried. They did not really believe in using protection.

Although she generates quite a deal of curiosity -- especially from the children -- Erdman has to work to overcome the villagers' prejudices and lack of faith so the village of Nambonkaha does not become just a memory.

She organizes a sort of health fair on market days, where babies from Nambonkaha and neighboring villages are weighed to show mothers how malnourished their children are. Unfortunately, most mothers thought weighing was a sort of cure, and they did not have to do anything to keep their babies healthy:

"I imagine they believed weighing would somehow shield their children from mysterious illness. Maybe they thought that sitting on the scale would help make their babies pudgy. Maybe they hoped their good intentions would be enough to warrant good health."

Eventually, the villagers' faith in Erdman grows and mothers begin asking advice about how to keep their children healthy.

It takes amazing courage and strength to be uprooted from a comfortable life in America and thrust into a culture so explicitly different from ours.

"Nine Hills" is a book that will truly reach out to you and touch your soul. Not many of us will get to travel to such places in the world, and even fewer of us will do anything to help. But hopefully "Nine Hills to Nambonkaha" will stir something deep inside you that you didn't know was there. Even if you don't choose to face such an experience first-hand, you should read this book. Aside from the actual experience, nothing will impact you so greatly.

When this story was posted in October 2005, this was on the front page of PCOL:




Peace Corps Online The Independent News Forum serving Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

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'Celebration of Service' a major success The Peace Corps Fund's 'Celebration of Service' on September 29 in New York City was a major success raising approximately $100,000 for third goal activities. In the photo are Maureen Orth (Colombia); John Coyne (Ethiopia) Co-founder of the Peace Corps Fund; Caroline Kennedy; Barbara Anne Ferris (Morocco) Co-founder; Former Senator Harris Wofford, member of the Advisory Board. Read the story here.

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PC apologizes for the "Kasama incident" The District Commissioner for the Kasama District in Zambia issued a statement banning Peace Corps activities for ‘grave’ social misconduct and unruly behavior for an incident that occurred on September 24 involving 13 PCVs. Peace Corps said that some of the information put out about the incident was "inflammatory and false." On October 12, Country Director Davy Morris met with community leaders and apologized for the incident. All PCVs involved have been reprimanded, three are returning home, and a ban in the district has since been lifted.

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Military Option sparks concerns The U.S. military is allowing recruits to meet part of their reserve military obligations after active duty by serving in the Peace Corps. Read why there is opposition to the program among RPCVs. Director Vasquez says the agency has a long history of accepting qualified applicants who are in inactive military status. John Coyne says "Not only no, but hell no!" and RPCV Chris Matthews leads the debate on "Hardball." Avi Spiegel says Peace Corps is not the place for soldiers while Coleman McCarthy says to Welcome Soldiers to the Peace Corps. Read the results of our poll among RPCVs. Latest: Congressman John Kline introduces legislation to alter the program to remove the Peace Corps as an option for completing an individual’s military enlistment requirement.

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Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger.

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Top Stories: October 10, 2005 Carl Pope says the looting of America has only begun 2 Oct Report of PCV Misconduct in Zambia 7 Oct Chic Dambach speaks in Oklahoma 6 Oct Murphy to give papers to Heinz museum 6 Oct Mike Honda speaks out on Katrina 5 Oct Kinky Friedman could be the next governor of Texas 5 Oct Peter McPherson urges new nuclear weapon designs 5 Oct Doyle and Green in dead heat for Wisconsin Governor 5 Oct NPCA Membership Directory ready in late November 5 Oct GOP hopefuls avoiding Taft 4 Oct Ask not 4 Oct Russell Carollo wins journalism prize for "The Toll of War" 4 Oct Mark Gearan says provision was a mistake 4 Oct Mike Tidwell says Bayou has been sinking for years 3 Oct Carl Pope writes: Preparing for Global Warming 3 Oct Director Vasquez Meets with Volunteers in Gulf Coast 3 Oct John McCain's call to service 3 Oct Joshua Berman wins Lowell Thomas Travel Writing Award 2 Oct Operation Offset proposes freeze in Peace Corps Funding 1 Oct

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Returned Volunteers respond to Hurricane Katrina First and foremost, Give. Then volunteer with the Crisis Corps. Carol Bellamy says "In situations such as this one, money is needed the most" and added that Hurricane Katrina's impact on New Orleans is comparable to last year's tsunami. Thailand RPCV Thomas Tighe's Direct Relief International has committed an initial $250,000 in cash to assist hurricane victims. Mayor Tom Murphy (RPCV Paraguay) says Pittsburgh is ready to embrace refugees from devastated areas. Brazil RPCV Robert Backus is among the first Vermont doctors to volunteer to travel to Louisiana to treat victims. Latest: FEMA requests RPCVs to assist in recovery efforts through the Crisis Corps and the Peace Corps hopes to send 400 RPCVs to the Gulf Coast for short term assignments to assist victims with their applications for federal aid.

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The Peace Corps Library Peace Corps Online is proud to announce that the Peace Corps Library is now available online. With over 30,000 index entries in 500 categories, this is the largest collection of Peace Corps related stories in the world. From Acting to Zucchini, you can find hundreds of stories about what RPCVs with your same interests or from your Country of Service are doing today. If you have a web site, support the "Peace Corps Library" and link to it today.

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Friends of the Peace Corps 170,000 strong 170,000 is a very special number for the RPCV community - it's the number of Volunteers who have served in the Peace Corps since 1961. It's also a number that is very special to us because March is the first month since our founding in January, 2001 that our readership has exceeded 170,000. And while we know that not everyone who comes to this site is an RPCV, they are all "Friends of the Peace Corps." Thanks everybody for making PCOL your source of news for the Returned Volunteer community.

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