It doesn't begin with a P... but come to think of it, Life in Lomié would make a great musical. I can hear it now, complete with Baka water music. This goes right up there with my Gay Quarterback in the NFL busby berkeley musical. Sigh, what I could do with a large fortune. Alas, money makes people really boring.
Speaking of money, that is what this trouble I was referring to is all about. GECEC is having problems. I'm not sure how much I've written about this, but for the past two months the problems have started surfacing at GECEC. The first being Thomas. Thomas has been stealing money. He's stolen about 2 million (which would be about 4 thousand dollars or about 5 or 6 years salary) in the past year. He did it by taking money for deposit, and then ripping out the record of it. Basically, he's bought a few things with it, but he's probably spent most of it on stupid stuff like beer for everyone. The auditor discovered the gap before the general assembly. He agreed to not go public with it, as the auditor hadn't shown up in a year, and that was thier job. So, after they studied the books, they found that Thomas had been stealing. They also discovered a larger almost 5 million CFA gap in the books. But they aren't sure if it really is a gap, or just bad bookkeeping. I think it may not even be missing, but Charly is making sure that he can take his share if the whole thing falls apart. So, day before yesterday, they confronted Thomas with an offer. Pay back half, and you can keep your job,and not go to jail, as long as you make monthly payments. I'm still not sure the outcome. The police commissioner was on standby... I have not been wanting to be there for this, and I was specifically not invited. So the implicaitons of this are legion. This is the only funcitoning savings and loan for hundreds of kilometers, if it goes down, there is nothing. Not only that, it will be the second attempt in Lomié. I'm not sure there would be another. If word gets out that the empolyees have been stealing there will be a run on the bank.. and there aren't a lot of funds in the bank currently (loan repayment is in the low 40%, and viability for a bank needs to be in the hight 80%). So, the mayor, and the other elite in town would be sure to get thier money out.. which means.. that's right. The regular people who do the bulk of the work supporting an institution like this, repay thier loans, and follow the rules are going to suffer.
Jen has a friend named Ange. She got a job a few months ago cleaning house for a petty functionary. She worked about 10 hours a day, 5 days a week for the whopping sum of 10.000 CFA a month. That is about 40$. She was putting half of it in her account at GECEC, so that she can go to school in the fall. She got fired because the wife was jealous, and the man has not paid her for her last month of work. She is going to lose all of her money at GECEC if there is a run. Ange is 18 and ran away from Batouri and her abusive husband with her baby about a year ago.
Two closing notes. One, GECEC's survival is dependant on me finding money to prop them up. Now that I know that what I can bring in is just going to paper over holes in the books, I am less motivated to work hard on something I don't really want to do (namely, write grant proposals). I don't realy feel obligated, or responsible, really, more annoyed. I mean, it is really going to suck for a lot of people if there is a run on the bank, but I didn't steal the money from the till. I will continue to work on it, and if something comes of it, great, if not. Well, I will probably be chased out of town with the rest of the GECEC crew. Hell, maybe they will even blame me. Two, it is like working with the sword of damoclese hanging over your head here. It seems like, instead of putting the sharp objects away and getting to work, they throw them up in the air, and try to get work done before they have to dodge them coming down, pick them up, and throw them up in the air again.
oh, and the puppy i didn't get just bit my penis.
Posted by mrsclean at May 20, 2004 06:40 AMOh man... that was beautiful. That whole thing.
I thank whoever brought you the puppy just for this entry.
Sorry that your penis had to suffer, though.... And I really hope that all of those (possibly) honest working stiffs don't get fucked like they always do.
Posted by: Eeno McBeano at May 21, 2004 08:24 AMSo the operation works exactly like they say in the glossy brochures, eh?
This is indeed another beautiful post. I hope you don't get run out of town ...
Posted by: locke at May 21, 2004 02:31 PMum, why was the puppy near your penis?
Posted by: gwinn at May 24, 2004 07:50 PM