Friday, March 18, 2005
On Tuesday we gave the first session of the Economic Empowerment project to 30 students here. The class was extremely attentive and responsive to Mama Kasura and Mwalimu Magoti, who even used the flip charts and easel that I had purchased for them. They all talked in Kiswahili, so I really don’t know the details of their presentation except by reading my English version of the text they use. Our intent is to use the language they are most familiar with to encourage discussion and participation – this program is not intended to be an exercise in the use of English.
By chance, Thomas Msuka was visiting. He is the Asst. Peace Corps Dir. for Education, they guy I report to for teaching issues, and he is on a tour of all the Education sites. So he was able to sit in on the course. That was really fortuitous, because I am still trying in every way I can to push the Peace Corps toward Poverty Reduction and Economic Empowerment as the best way to help
We are giving the program to only 30 students – my choice in setting it up, so that it would be a comfortable size for participation and discussion groups. But all 70 Form V students applied for the course, so 40 of them got left out.
I had assumed that basically the best students would get to participate. But Kasura and Magoti had other ideas. After choosing the few students who REALLY seemed to want the course or had already tried some kind of small business, they chose the BOTTOM of the class. It makes sense, actually. Having survived the system to Form V already indicates – well, perseverance for sure, and ability to succeed in the system. But these are the students who will not be able to go on to the University, and so are most likely to need the course for their survival.
But the selection process has led to great moaning and gnashing of teeth of those who expected to participate and have been left out. A neat hand-written letter (how else COULD it be written?) from Didas is typical:
“Hallow Mr Lee
It’s my hope that you are okey! I’m very gratefully glad to writte to you a letter ever since I started Form Five here at Nsumba, thank you very much for receiving my letter.
Thank you again and again for what you have introduced to us so that we may benefit from it, may the almighty God be with you! Also may I cry for help because what I wanted to do in my future, I have missed it!
To me, nothing is better than buisness activities. I expected to be selected in the training because I’m very much interested but I don’t know how to start, how much capital to start with?
I’m coming from the poorest family and very technological backward area, so I wanted to get such trainings so that I may be quite different from them and educate them too!
So I ask you kindly to include my name in your list so that I become a buisnessman or give me other alternatives so that I may rise up my life. If possible may I receive the answer from you! Of course I have become discouraged till you give to me advice to me!! My name is DIDAS (Form Five Student)”
It does feel bad to have to make arbitrary choices about who gets to take the course – it AIN’T fair. How could it be? I just have to keep remembering that giving skills to half the students is worlds better than doing nothing at all. And hopefully the program can expand if it really demonstrates usefulness in this first year here.
Maybe next term it would be possible to do something like offering a short program in how to find a job, American style, instead of trusting solely on God Willing. Maybe try to adapt the ideas in What Color Is My Parachute or something.
