Selela and RISE UP AFRICA

SELELA

First of all, I want to apologize for not blogging sooner. Two weeks ago the GSC team camped and trained in a village called Selela. Selela is located one hour south of Engaruka (the village we worked at during the beginning of February). Like Engaruka, Selela is home to the Maasai people. There are hundreds of Maasai bomas (constructed from cow dung and mud) and lush farms that occupy Selela. Unlike Engaruka, however, Selela receives a plentiful amount of water from the Ngorongoro Crater so villagers can happily farm and live sustainable lives. Also, it rained in Selela for the first time in 2 years so the land was that much more rich of nutrients!

Throughout the week, I trained HIV/AIDS prevention to a community group in the morning and reproductive health to a primary school class in the afternoon. Unfortunately, the community group expected to be paid for attending our training sessions because NGOs who taught in Selela did so in the past. It was very difficult to convince villagers to attend our week-long training without pay and to justify GSC's reasons for not paying them (lack of funds, intention of teaching, etc.). Attendance from Monday to Tuesday plummeted from 25 to 10 trainees. GSC does not face this problem in villages closer to Arusha or at schools so it was a new challenge for me to encounter and solve.

HOME IN ARUSHA

Last week, I returned to Rise Up Africa to teach "life skills" to the same group of 24 Burundi refugees girls. (I taught HIV prevention/reproduction at Rise Up the week prior to camping in Selela). Coincidentally, a prior GSC volunteer founded Rise Up but Tanzanian staff members currently operate the NGO. Rise Up is an orphanage specifically for refugee women. Last year, 24 girls were rescued by a Catholic priest in Burundi and taken to this haven. Rise Up provides these girls shelter and teaches them vocation skills such as cooking, cleaning, sewing and basic education (e.g., history, English, Bible, etc.). Unfortunately, like many small NGOs, Rise Up is severely lacking in funds. The girls have to study in a dark classroom without desks or electricity. In addition, their diet consists of ugali and a small portion of cooked vegetables for every meal. Each day, the girls wake up at 5AM for Morning Prayer and chores. They are responsible for cooking their own meals and completing their daily tasks that take place until evening. Due to these extreme circumstances, I found it difficult to effectively train the girls during what would have been their 4-hour break (9am-1pm).

During my first week of training, their situation became blatantly apparent when 6 of the 24 students fell asleep in the classroom on the first day. Knowing their level of exhaustion I used many techniques to keep them awake (i.e., breaking every hour for singing and dancing, providing chai and chapati, using interactive teaching methods like group activities and games). I felt so bad keeping the girls trapped in the classroom during their scheduled leisure time. Therefore, when GSC assigned Tom, Kristy, and I to teach life skills at RISE UP we were thoroughly opposed; the girls were not engaged during our previous week-long training (rightfully so) and they were trained in life skills EVERY DAY.

On my first day of teaching, I attempted to obsequiously follow GSC's assignment. I stood in front of the classroom and lectured about healthy relationships for one hour. This was the longest hour of teaching--heads bobbing and lack of participation or enthusiasm. After a chai break, I threw my lesson plan away and asked the girls what they wanted to do during our time spent together; this was the best decision that I have ever made as a teacher. The girls desperately wanted to exercise, learn English, and make jewelry. For the rest of the week, we spent our time playing football, teaching English, and making beaded earrings, bracelets, and necklaces. The vibe of the classroom quickly changed to positivity, liveliness, and eagerness to learn.

On Tuesday, we spent our time at a football field near the girls' home. Before our game started, the girls changed out of their suffocating uniforms and put on whatever leisure clothes they owned (the majority of girls were forced to still play in their uniform skirts). We scrimmaged on a field full of acacia thorns so the two balls quickly deflated! So after a short-lived game of football, we played various field games like spider web and red rover. The girls then invited us to stay for lunch. I learned how to cook and stir a giant pot of ugali! After lunch, we decided to stay at the girls' home until the afternoon rain passed. One girl named Dorcus played a bongo drum while the rest of us danced and sang inside their bedroom. I watched in amazement as the girls shook their hips while keeping their upper bodies completely still. Of course the only dance move that I could offer was the hitchhiker but I think they appreciated my god-awful rhythm and silliness. Between playing and spending time at their home, I think a barrier between student and teacher was broken on Tuesday. For the rest of the week, the girls were free. They laughed, asked me questions, shared stories about their lives, and looked forward to our time spent together. Luckily on Wednesday, we found a football field that was void of acacia thorns. Furthermore, we decided to teach English outside at their home instead of on the RISE UP campus. By doing so, the girls were able to remain in their comfortable clothes and be outside in the shade. On Thursday and Friday, we made beaded jewelry on a tarp outside of the classroom. Jewelry making is a useful skill because it can provide the girls with a source of income!

My week of teaching at RISE UP was extremely rewarding. I developed relationships with each student and plan on returning to the school during April. (I befriended the headmaster Norbert who informed me that I am welcome to teach the girls any time!).