Please note that the thoughts expressed below do not necessarily represent the views of Abana, Australia. They are merely the product of my personal ongoing reflection on my role as a volunteer in the field of education, in a culture foreign to me.
I am sure that some of these thoughts will be refined, some will change, some will appear silly with hindsight...
I am sure that some of these thoughts will be refined, some will change, some will appear silly with hindsight...
Buying a battery charger...
Yestserday I bought a battery charger and 8 rechargeable batteries that are likely to work on the CD player I intend to use at Rugerero. I hope it can be of some use. The crucial thing will be to find electricity to charge the batteries whenever needed...
Bringing electricity to a rural area that has lived and developed a life style not based on that source of energy is does raise some questions: yes it will have a positive impact when it allows children to read books at night... whether it will be good to eventually make commercial television available to every household is more debatable.
A generic piece of advice...
The most generic piece of advice I have been given is: 'expect the unexpected'. I will try to integrate this notion of wisdom to my every day life at Rugerero (the village where I will be staying). For a westerner, male, cartesian teacher like me, it will be undoubtedly character building, but this will be the key to my being able to connect positively with the Rwandan teachers and children.
To deal with the unexpected, I will need to remain flexible, observant, patient, humble...
Fishing story
Fishermen are notorious story tellers. Some can also be wise. A brief fisherman story goes like this: If you see a hungry man by the river, on the first day give him one of your fish, on the second day, teach him how to fish. This, in my view, captures well what education could be about.
The story does not say what to do when the hungry man lives far from any river...
