Whoa, busy lately. After a few weeks sitting around, chatting, and reading lots and lots of books, I feel like all of a sudden people are approaching me with all sorts of ideas. I must say I’m feeling pretty overwhelmed. How do I know what’s a good project to put my energy into? How do I know if someone is full of bull? All of a sudden people seem to have all these expectations, and while I may be enthusiastic, and I do fancy myself mildly creative, but I’m not magic! Anyway, here is a short overview of what’s going on, and how things have changed from my last “what are you doing?” update.
I know I mentioned a local headmaster who wants to build new pit latrines. It is an issue, the current pits are nasty, and there are far too few of them for the population of students that the school serves. However, we really do have very different ideas on how to accomplish this goal, and I’m not sure if we can work together. He wants to ask the American Embassy for money (and they do grant money for such projects), and is so sure that because I’m involved the embassy will give him the funds, that he sees no reason to get the community involved, either to donate money or labor towards the project. I’ve explained over and over that the embassy will not give any money unless the community contributes as well. He insists over and over that the community will not contribute, and its pointless to ask, and even so, if they did do some labor, they would undoubtedly mess it up. So I don’t know if I should be focusing on community education on why proper waste disposal is important, or what exactly, but often it seems as if the headmaster actively DOES NOT want me to talk to parents…which feels weird. So, while it is a worthwhile venture and I‘m going to keep my ears open, I want to work with someone, not in spite of them.
On the other hand, a teacher from the same school approached me about doing a school wide project around pollution and proper trash disposal, including lessons and activities, that culminates in a community-wide used-battery collection and disposal. This is a great idea, used batteries are all over the place, kids seem to love to put them in their mouths. This teacher apparently did a similar project with another PCV in the Central River Region, they educated on water and soil pollution, as well as conservation, and I’m not sure what all else. I think its great that the teacher has already begun teaching his students, but he doesn’t seem to realize that he doesn’t NEED me to organize this. In fact he is far more knowledgeable considering he has already taken part in a project of this kind. And quite frankly I don’t have all the answers (is it better to burn your trash, or bury it? Kill your lungs and the ozone, or leech things into our water?), but I’ll try to find them. And he also wants all this done IMMEDIATELY, and I think that if we w=put more time into the planning, it would be more successful, but I don’t want to wait around too much and have him lose enthusiasm. Anyway, I’m going to see if I can coach him along to seeing his own potential and power on this project.
I visited another school earlier this week, and they had so many ideas! I was impressed and frankly overwhelmed. They kept asking for help, but honestly, they were a really well organized, seemingly well-run school. Yes, they have their list of needs (and it was such a well-organized, itemized list!), but they also have so much going for them that I was just in awe. They have a library that is well-used, and valued by the students, although they are in serious need of some shelves. Actually, in need of furniture in general, many of the children bring their own chairs to school. Incidentally, they also need new pit latrines. But when I asked about income-generation at the school, the headmaster replied that they were currently in the process of planting an orchard behind the school, also a woodlot, also a vegetable garden, the produce of which would be sold and the proceeds benefiting the school. I saw the land, its already fenced, there are some water spouts, there is great potential. Anyway, I’d like to help them get as much money out of their agricultural venture as possible, and help in any way I can, we’ll see. It was just refreshing to meet someone who says, ‘Here are our goals, here is how we have begun addressing them, any guidance you can offer would be welcome.” I wanted to give them, like, 50 high fives.
And then there is the Peer Health Club. It‘s my favorite thing to work on, probably just because I see in children the most potential for growth and change, but also the most frustrating. The club’s premise is that it’s members educate themselves on health issues, then present them to the school in lectures or drama presentations. All well and good, but from what I can see this does not happen often, and even when it does, it is only a very few number who are actually involved. Much of their weekly meeting, which is only 15 minutes long, is spent arguing. So. They did seem excited when I just began hanging out, which was a good step. Changes have been slow, but I should count my victories as well as defeats, I suppose. I proposed we meet outside school hours, the first week only three showed, the second week 23 people came. Our agendas are a little different, and I have to remind myself to slow down. My agenda is to not only disseminate information on health topics in order to encourage behavior change, but also to encourage critical-thinking, help foster better communication skills, discussing decision-making, etc. Their agenda appears to be to plan health talks and such, without much regard to whether they are ready, or how effective(or not) they have been or could be. So, when I ask that we get together to talk about some issue, they drag their feet, but when they want to plan an outreach event, they want to run away with it and do it tomorrow! Seems a little bass-akward.
Another challenge for me has been cultural. The students that I am working with are so used to formality, their teachers lecturing from on high, that when they asked me to give a “presentation” and I did an interactive activity, that they didn’t know what to think of me. Pulling discussion from the group was like pulling teeth. I felt like I was tap-dancing up there, and people were just staring. Usually with a tough crowd, I can get by with dorky humor and usually they warm up. My jokes don’t seem to translate…I’ve got big plans to cover more sensitive topics such as sexual health later on, but only if I can make good trusting relationships with these kids starting now. After today’s meeting of blank stares it will be months before that can happen.
Anyway, slowly slowly. I need to support and guide the student president of the club in his leadership skills, rather than taking over (which is my tendency), and slowly hopefully we can fulfill everybody’s goals…..and maybe I can trick them into learning something, and they won’t even know it.
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