Malesh

Malesh is a handy person to know in the market, for changing money and for buying all manner of things: gumboots, machetes, raincoats. His sister Biyo is also helpful.

She has six kids of her own and lives not far from our compound. Malesh's wife lives with Biyo rather than him, and when I asked why they live apart he said 'if I am there more children will come'.

He told me the first was an accident.
'But you're happy about it now?'
'Not really'.

He was envious of the practice of family planning in the UK, and I explained that while we have access to good contraception, much of reduced family size is related to the exorbitant cost of childcare and no social acceptance that kids can be left to their own devices.

In Europe Malesh tells me we have 'little work, much money' and that in Africa 'we are hospitable not like in countries like Russia and Spain. In Russia they are racist'.

Pictured is a different stall where I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time buying rations for the field patrol teams.

I had a final meeting in Yambio with Charles of the Wildlife Service, who we're working with on moving one of the ranger posts closer to the forest, where it can be more effective. Charles is politically astute and has an impressive work ethic. On the recent field trip he had all the rangers practising their marching on a Sunday evening. He has also shunned the tradition of taking more than one wife, which I like to think is women's lib but probably more likely because he's often in the bush.

His appreciation of dates and timelines is more shaky. He said he was approaching 40 but his ID card says he was born in 1974. I didn't want to burst his bubble that he's well into his forties. He also confirmed he married his wife in 2000 and that she is now 25, which he later upped to '30 or 32'. I like to think these nuggets are poor numeracy rather than a child bride.