アブドゥライ

アブドゥライは二十歳のMamou（首都コナクリから車で５時間）の田舎出身の男の子だ。先天的にメラニンが欠乏する遺伝子疾患をもつアルビノ（ス）として生まれてきた。事務所の前の道路で朝から晩まで電話のカードを売っているので、いつからか挨拶し、話をするようになった。一年ほど前に田舎に戻ってしまい、もう会えないかと思っていたが、最近また戻ってきて、再会を果たした。その際、事務所のガードマンが、「君のことを一番最初に聞いてきたよ！」と言ってきたときは、嬉しかった。

昨日いつものように事務所前に駐車すると、アブドゥライがいつものように「Cellcom（電話会社）のCinquante mille（５万ギニアフラン、約７００円）あるよ！」と笑顔で話しかけてきた。しばらく話していると、彼の左足の甲に直径３ｃｍくらいの、まだ新しい（乾燥しきってない）真っ赤な傷があるのが目に入った。聞くと、２日前、カードを売ろうと車に近づいたところ、車が停車しきれず、自分の足にのっかてきたとのこと。いつ見ても、通り過ぎる車に一生懸命商売しているので、いつか事故に遭わなければいいが、と危惧していたので、やっぱり、と思った。

私だったら大げさに包帯を巻いていそうなこの傷、まだ病院にも行っていないという。毎朝きれいな水で洗っているから大丈夫だ、と。でもこんな口がぱかっと開いた傷にゴムぞうりだと、ばい菌が入って化膿するかもしれないし、実際左足は赤く腫れ上がっている。病院に行ったほうがいい、とCinquante mille渡した。ひどい傷を負わされたにもかかわらず、それに対し怒りのひとつみせず、「仕方ない」と現状を受け入れる態度は、お金のないギニア人一般に見受けられる態度だが、なんともやりきれない気持ちになった。あの傷がひどくなって（大げさだが）例えば足を切断しなければならなくなったとしても、「仕方ないや」と受け入れるのだろう。

アブドゥライのように出稼ぎで働いている青少年は毎日道路脇に見る。アブドゥライ自身は、毎日朝７時から夕方６時まで太陽の下でカードを売り、一日、50万から70万フラン（7000ー10000円）のカードを売ったら、1万5千から2万フラン（200ー300円）の稼ぎがあるらしい。そのお金は田舎の実家に送っている。5年生の弟がいて、父親がもう年老いているため、自分がコナクリに働きに来た、と言う。彼は学校に行ったことがない。

彼らのような出稼ぎ者に限らず、ギニアには（そして世界中に）、病気になったり怪我をしても病院に行ったり薬を買うことのできない人が信じられないくらい沢山いる。すばやく治療できなかったため、命を失う人が、沢山いる。私たちの昼食代で払える病院や薬代、である。

Ces enfants n'existent pas ici (Those children don't exist here)

^{As part of the joint education sector review that takes place twice a year, the Government (Ministries of Education) and the technical and financial partners conducted a field mission. We visited, among other sites, one of the schools constructed by us and that has been handed over to the Government, and has been used already. I was looking forward to seeing the children learning in the newly constructed classrooms.}

^{We arrived at school. This school had three old classrooms, and the project has constructed three additional classrooms, so that the school can have a full cycle of primary school (from grade 1 to grade 6). We were introduced to a crowd of men including the local education administrator called Delegue Scolaire de l’Enseignement de Base, DSEE (most decentralized delegate of education administration), school director, teachers, and community leaders. Women and children were standing about 3 meters apart. After a brief introduction, we toured around the school. All of the three newly constructed classrooms were used. Among the three old classrooms, only one was used. They explained to us that the school offers 4 classes: grade 1, grade 2, grade 5 and 6.}

^{Where are the children of grade 3 and grade 4?}

^{I asked the DSEE.}

^{An unthinkable response came back.}

^{Ces enfants n’existent pas ici (Those children don’t exist here).}

^{(How on earth can it be possible that the children do not exist in these villages???!!! You mean, there was no love-making or child-making for two years in the villages???!!!) (my heart beating and silently shouting)}

^{Shortly after, the Ministry colleague standing next to me asked one of the children crowding around us how old he was. He did not respond, but instead his mother who was standing behind him responded that he was seven years old, and that he could not start school because they were told that the classroom was “full” when he came to register in the new school year in October. “Your child can come back next year to start the school,” told the Director to the mother. Being refused by the school Director, the child and illiterate mother could say nothing. They went home, and the child has stayed at home since.}

^{Guinean children are supposed to be enrolled in primary school from age six.}

^{The extreme dichotomy between what the DSEE just said and the faces of the children who have been refused to start school as the classroom is full, and who do not even know their right to education, squeezed my heart. I started feeling my eyes hot.}

^{Despite my colleague’s consolation, I decided that I would let my tears continue to fall as I was very annoyed at the situation, and wanted the local education administrators to realize that this situation was not acceptable by any means.}

^{One week after we returned from this field mission, my colleague who accompanied the mission brought good news. The local education administrators and the community took the initiative to identify all children of age 6 and beyond that were out of school. They also identified two teachers—one retired teacher and one university graduate. They will be paid by the community members, until the government can find and allocate additional teachers to this village. Today, over 70 identified children were enrolled and are learning in the two classrooms that had been unused.}

^{I can bet that this situation exists in many other villages in Guinea. I cannot visit and cry in every one of them. Need to think of how to tackle this.}

Candle and fire

^{My colleague looked distressed today. In the afternoon, he told me that he was leaving early to go to the hospital, to see his neighbor who got burned last night.}

^{He continued.}

^{Yesterday early night, his neighbor girl, a 13-year old, was reading for her course review in a house with a candle light as the power was out as usual. She then fell asleep. The candle then fell, and it did not take much time for the candle to reach the bed mattress which incited a fire. Her family members were outside the house sitting and chilling, as Guineans usually do when the power is out. By the time her grandfather noticed the fire, ran into the house and took the girl out, the girl was badly burnt. My colleague took them to the hospital. The girl died the following morning. The grandfather was hospitalized.}

^{Just because the government cannot provide continuous electricity to all citizens; just because the households either cannot afford or does not have the consciousness to buy a safer torch, a young life had to be sacrificed. And they say this is not a rare news in this capital. Too sad, and too frustrating.}

^{同僚が疲れた顔をしていた。午後になると、今日はお隣さんを病院にお見舞いに行くから、早く事務所を出ると言って来た。}

^{同僚は続けて話した。}

^{昨晩、隣に住む１３歳の女の子が、学校の復習で読み物をしていたらしい。いつもどおり停電だったので、ろうそくの火で読んでいたらしい。そして女の子は居眠りしてしまった。その間ろうそくが倒れ、ベッドのマットに火がつき、あっという間に燃え上がってしまった。女の子の家族は、庭で涼んでいた。火に気づき、女の子のおじいさんが、燃え上がる家に飛び込み女の子を見つけたときは、ひどいやけど状態だったらしい。そして車を持っている私の同僚が、女の子とおじいさんを病院に連れ込んだが、女の子は翌朝亡くなってしまった。おじいさんのほうもやけどがひどく、入院が続く。}

^{政府が国民に電気を提供できないから、家庭が電気ランプ・懐中電灯を買うお金がないから、親がろうそくの危険性に対する意識が薄いから・・・若い命が犠牲になってしまった。そして、この首都ではこれは珍しくないことだと聞く。悔しく、悲しい。}