David Begin:
CLASS OF 1966
Redvers High SchoolClass of 1966
Redvers, SK
David's Story
1986-7: Applied Environmental Scientist for the Subsahara, as Professor of Environmental Engineering at ECICA college in Bamako, Mali, West Africa.
1989 -1992ÃÂÃÂ : Research on how to implement Brush-Fire control in village environment. From Canada, discover that the warthog is the natural enemy of the snake which is the prime force driving the Brush-fire syndrome.
2001-6: Return to Mali, as a Freelance Environmentalist, see below.
PROJECT:MAKE THE DESERT BLOSSOM MALI 2001-6
With funding from Wild Rose Foundation of Alberta.
Influence the villagers to see the benefits of stopping the Brush-fires to their environment, the principal being infiltration to raise the water table.
Summary of my research and application:
What the project brought to the Village:
1- stop the brush fires.
2- free range domestic hogs during the dry season. Why? Hogs are natural predator of all snakes & are immune to snakebite. Hogs will eat and devour any snake they come across.
Benefit: Remove the major driving force behind the brush-fire syndrome.
Project was not successful till after I left in four years but was successful in all 20 villages of the commune and now substantially further as t...Expand for more
he news travels between villages.
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In 2006 in Mali, I met & married my wife, Marguerite Diarra in Bamako at the largest conference centre in the city, Palais de Congres. Both of us had not married till we met. Marguerite had been with YWAM, Youth with a Mission, a Christian missionary organization for 15 years. Marguerite travelled with YWAM to Brazil, became fully proficient in Portuguese, Spanish, she is fully conversant in French & English. Has travelled & spent time in England, France, Netherlands and other African countries in ministry.
Returned in 2011 to Mali, West Africa. Personally checked on project. The villagers warmly greeted me and said how they valued my effort to stop the Brush-fires. Many told they now understood the benefits to them of not burning. The mayor of municipality now stated that the entire 20 villages had all adopted the Brush-fire controls.
2016 March 29
Have been doing the snow-bird trip to Mali, last year & this year for 6 months, this year still have a month to go. Have simply been staying with my host Pastor Mathew Fané and his family. Lots to keep me occupied and expenses are more than I anticipate.
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