Blog #24 - Take Two.

Week Two on the job.

Luckily I really look forward to work on Monday mornings, which is most likely it seem like the first half of my week flew by.

Monday and Tuesday went by without any major occurrences but there are a few things that I want to talk about that I have found interesting so far this week, and in general about Maun and Botswana.

Here is Maun there are eighteen primary schools: 3 private and 15 government schools. So far I have visited ten of the government schools. What strikes me is that they are all exactly the same. They all have the same layout; a bunch of small single classroom buildings organized around a central yard. They are painted the same unappealing faded salmon pink colour. They all have the metal corrugated metal roofs. They all have the same play equipment: tires that are rooted into the ground and painted like the Botswana flag (and only a select few have actual football metal goal posts). There is no grass, no jungle gyms (and no gymnasiums at all), none of our North American school standards! Also, all of the students are found in uniform – often very unappealing and worn clothing – yet they wear their uniforms with pride. Student see their uniforms here as their ticket to a brighter future. Uniforms are not seen as ‘an act of oppression by The Man’ and hated like they are back home.

Regardless of what would seem like dire settings, some students thrive. These schools are different from many back home. They are FULL of laughter and the sound of children chatting and playing. Classes are often found learning outside under the shade the few trees. While the classrooms use natural light, they are still decorated and filled with different learning aids and children’s posters. However, regardless of the cookie-cutter approach to infrastructure in these schools the results for the student vary hugely! In some schools the level of English (even between the teachers and staff) is hugely improved than others. The level of respect and cordiality shown also varies largely between schools.

What I have been thinking a lot about it what causes these differences? The kids that go to these schools all must have similar socio-demographic backgrounds…or else they would attend the private schools. The only difference that I am at least partially satisfied with would be a difference in the teachers and the administration. But can just this handful of people make such a difference in students’ lives? If so, then it would seem like there is a lot of potential in the education system to improve the experience and produce better students.

One of the schools that I was in today allowed us to rest and wait in the staff room while they prepared. There were a few interesting things that I noted. One of the posters in the room read, “Education is the reproductive system of culture”…an interesting thought and statement. I also browsed around some more and found written on one of the board the results of an obvious discussion between the administration and the teachers. On the board was written “Problems at Gxhabara Primary School: role models (none), attitude” It was a short but powerful piece of writing. Both outsiders and locals recognize that what these children need is a change in their attitude towards life and that one way of achieving that is having appropriate role models available. It made me feel quite comforted about the work I was doing. Our program is striving to provide these children with a push to shift their core values and to also develop healthy role models to follow in sports and in nature!

Monday was also the first time that I had seen a cemetery in all of Southern Africa. At first I had no idea what is was when we were driving by. It was not a manicured, watered, lush green lawn with pristine marble headstones. It was a very simple, large open field. The grass in the field would be knee high and it didn’t seem at all maintained. The plots were not distinguishable. I must have only seen a handful of proper headstones in the entire graveyard. These few headstones gleamed in the bright sunlight. A two-three foot fence often surrounded their plots. The rest of the plots had a large plywood sign with the person’s life details spray-painted on with a stencil. Some had rickety, metal frames (even less with tarp canopies) covering the plots. It was a grim looking place on standards from back home.

The cemetery was apparently full, which is a little bit of an odd feeling when it is still just surrounded by open farmland. Apparently just five to ten years ago there would be funerals everyday for someone and that people were dying really rapidly as AIDS took its toll on the population. However, this cemetery was quiet and not a living soul was in sight. How many of the people buried here had died from AIDS? How many of them have had their lives cut short because of this disease? How many of the people laid to rest here are forgotten about as whole families and social circles were taken? How many children? An individual person dies from AIDS. Not just people. The death toll is not just a number. Cemeteries are a painful reminder of this fact.

HIV/AIDS has an interesting connotation here. No one talks about it. You can see posters in the schools that really address the social issues of the disease, but nothing really talking about transmission or on the health-side of HIV or AIDS. There are posters in random places in town. Most stress getting tested or knowing your status. It almost seems like they have given up on prevention and are just trying to make living with the disease better or less stigmatized (which is great, don’t get me wrong, but I think they need both here). Maybe this is odd, but I haven’t ‘seen’ anyone with AIDS. People do not say, “help me, give me money, I am HIV positive”. Condoms are available free from the ministry, and are for sale is very seductive/erotic packaging in many stores. However nowhere says that you should use condoms?... It is a hugely complex and confusing situation and I am sure that I will talk more about it in posts to come, but I thought I would introduce you to the perplexity of HIV/AIDS in Africa?!