We've been amidst some politically weighty world news during our time here. Here's a running list from whatever random news sources I could scrounge up that represent some of the big events that have affected our lives and work:

Nov 26, 2010 - Blaise Compaore re-elected in Burkina Faso landslide - He has been the president since the eighties.

1 January 2011 Burkina Faso Ranks 176 out of 178 on UN Economic Human Development Index

10 January 2011 - Al Qaida 'behind Niger kidnapping'  - This led to Peace Corps Niger closing.

Tunisia
14 January 2011 - Tunisia: President Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali forced out 
 14 January 2011 - Tweeting Tyrants Out of Tunisia Only a three countries north of us, Tunisia's government was overthrown and the revolution set off a chain reaction for the Arab Spring.

Egypt
25 January 2011 - Anti-Government Protests Continue in Egypt 
28 January 2011 - Egypt's president imposes nationwide night curfew
5 February 2011 - Egypt ruling party leaders resign but regime holds  -The revolution in Cairo that led to Mubarak's fall. We listened live on BBC World Service with our shortwave.

Cote d'Ivoire
6 April 2011 - Gbagbo negotiating exit from Ivory Coast 
7 May 2011 - Ouattara takes oath months after Ivory Coast vote 

Burkina Faso
18 April 2011 - Students Burn Buildings in Burkina Faso Protests 
15 April 2011 - After Protests, Burkina Faso’s President Dissolves Government 
18 April 2011 - In Burkina Faso, military mutiny spreads 
19 April 2011 - Burkina Faso gets new PM as mutiny spreads
22 April 2011 - Burkina Faso pres. names himself defense minister 
27 April 2011 - Merchants torch buildings in Burkina Faso 
28 April 2011 - Police in new mutiny in Burkina Faso
23 May 2011 - Protesting students ransack Burkina ministry building 
25 May 2011 - Burkina Faso averts crisis - We also wrote about being stuck inside our transit house in the city during all the April protests. During the heat of the unrest, we were put up in a nice hotel far from the protests where we played kickball and ultimate frisbee and had a delicious Easter dinner.

2 May 2011 - U.S. kills Osama bin Laden decade after 9/11 attacks 

10 May 2011 - Peace Corps Volunteers Speak Out on Rape
21 November 2011 - Obama Signs Kate Puzey Peace Corps Volunteer Protection Act 

20 August 2011 - Nigeria leader, UN vow to work on after HQ bombing 

6 September 2011 - Libya convoy enters Niger, Gaddafi not aboard
3 October 2011 - Residents flee Gaddafi hometown
21 October 2011 - Gaddafi dead 

18 November 2011 - Benin: Pope Heads to Voodoo Heartland On Africa Visit

15 December 2011 - Victoria’s Secret Revealed In Child Picking Burkina Faso Cotton 
13 January 2012 - Child Labor For Victoria’s Secret Cotton Examined By U.S. 

16 April 2012 - Charles Taylor convicted of war crimes in Sierra Leone

Mali
3 April 2012 - 200 000 flee fighting in Mali  - By September 18, 2012 there are still 108,000 Malian refugees in Burkina Faso
6 April 2012 - Mali coup: al-Qaeda linked rebels declare independence 
12 July 2012 - White House offers $10 million for Mali refugee aid 
29 July 2012 - Mali's Interim President Outlines Political Transition - Peace Corps Mali was suspended and we began to see more ex-pat development workers and missionaries around Banfora and Bobo staying at hotels.

16 July 2012 - U.S. Peace Corps volunteers questioned in Ghana over death

25 July 2012 - Ghana VP sworn in hours after President John Atta Mill's death 

6 September 2012 - Burkina Faso's Paralympic team overcomes bureaucratic/logistical obstacles to compete

14 September 2012 - Widespread protests against U.S. over anti-Muslim film - Due to a slanderous film targeting Mohammed produced by an American ex-convict, there is outrage in the Arab Spring: enraged extremists react violently in Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Afghanistan, Yemen, and Lebanon.
16 September 2012 - Burkina Faso: President deplores Muslim violence

18 September 2012 - Burkina Faso ambassador to France  resigns after being accused of embezzling $518,000

Behold Siaka reigning supreme over his kingdom of cassava plants. All through late July while his neighbors were harvesting their yields, Siaka lay in wait, counting down the moments until his master plan could be hatched. You see, he and his wives are locally known for their business of manufacturing and distributing attiéké, a delicious starchy dish, like rice or couscous. Siaka is a beloved community luminary, one of the few non-city-dwellers I've met here proficient in English. He's also our village's own farmer version of Warren Buffett, dedicating countless hours to writing out business plans and plotting out how to get some sort of foothold on his future.

Today Siaka took the first step in his ascent to becoming the business tycoon he's destined to be. He took a microloan through an online microcredit institution called Zidisha. And it's all thanks to his own persistence as well as the awesome legwork and string-pulling of friends (previous volunteer Amanda and her family, former assistant PC director Dan Rooney, and James and Julie alongside their entrepreneur friend also named Siaka).

On the Zidisha website, Siaka made a profile and within a few days, generous donors from all over the world chipped in. Before he knew it, the money was wired to the Banfora Ecobank: a thousand bucks for a gas-powered cassava grinder and some sifters. On a first-come, first-donate basis, a group of philanthropists (most of whom had never met Siaka before) pitched in their pennies, which he'll pay back each month as he builds his empire. Today, Siaka has the honor of being the second Zidisha loan in the country and has further invested in solar panels so that his village women employees can work into the night. Here's a look at the online system that made his loan possible: