Twentieth Anniversary of the Earthwatch Expedition to Djohong, Cameroon, to volunteer

Since this is the 20th year (Dec. 2000 - Jan. 2001) since I participated in the Earthwatch Expedition to assist Phyllis Jansyn in helping the villagers in the rural northeast village of Djohong cope with some of the challenges they faced. Intestinal parasites were one of the major health problems that could be treated with proper knowledge and medications.

Therefore, our mission over the two-week long expedition was to assist Phyllis and her staff of local men to conduct health checks and conduct classes in basic hygiene and prevention of disease due to poor sanitation. Some of us used a microscope to examine feces sample brought by each villager to looks for evidence of intestinal parasites. Others of us keep records of the villagers who attended. Still other conducted basic health checks for infants and small children brought along with their mothers to the impromptu clinic, held in either Djohong or in outlying villages (about a 5-7 hour walk from Djohong).

 The video is a compilation of excepts taken with an old digital video camera. It shows a few different scenes, including a New Year's Day dance done by the children of Djohong Village, scenes of Phyllis' compound where she lives and where we lived while in Djohong, our walk to another part of the village, where we encounter villagers on holiday, Phyllis talking about a first excursion at a informal meeting at her compound, and the local adult villages engaging a spontaneous dance, and other scenes.