NAMIBIA, AFRICA - Sixteen years after graduating from Wilmington Memorial High School, Kacy Soderquist found herself teaching for almost two months this summer in a classroom in a very rural part of Namibia, Africa. Armed with a BA in English from Regis College, a Masters in Education from UMass Boston, and 10 years of experience teaching high school English (7 years of that in her current position in Lynnfield), she found herself was still a bit emotionally unprepared for the realities of the educational system in Namibia.
Soderquist’s teaching placement was arranged by WorldTeach, an organization that works through Harvard’s Center for International Development to place volunteers all over the world depending upon the needs of each country. She was part of a program called Namibia Vision 2030, which is Namibia’s goal that it will be tech savvy by the year 2030. WorldTeach donated 30 TV /VCR decoders and a bouquet of educational programs. The Namibian government chose 30 villages to receive them. Soderquist was one of the 30 volunteers chosen to deliver and install the equipment and also to teach the teachers to use the equipment and educational programs.
The school in Talismanus is in the middle of a communal farming region. Since the kids live so far away, the school provided simple dormitory style housing for the students and the volunteers. Soderquist had her own small room with a toilet and a tub to boil water in. She knows she was fortunate, as many volunteer placements did not have accommodations like that. Still, there were plenty of bugs, no hot water, no grocery store and no regular transportation out of the village. There were no fruits, vegetables or bottled water in the village. As it was 4 ½ hours to the nearest city, it was a whole days journey to go grocery shopping.
So what were her expectations going into this experience? She replies, “I would say that going into this experience I hoped that I would be able to serve a population of people who have historically been minimized. As an educator, I firmly believe that life's greatest gift is education and that is the key to personal growth, economic freedom, and understanding who you are as a person in your family, your community, and your world. I wanted to share that gift…. I also hoped to make a connection with a group of students in another country with whom my own high school students could become pen pals and learn on a more personal level about a foreign culture.”
Soderquist shared her thoughts and experiences with the Crier through a series of four e-mail messages that she managed to send home on weekends when she took a 2-hour trip by taxi to the nearest town. Excerpts have been chosen to illustrate her experiences.
June 21, 2007
While I do love the kids at my school, the week in Talismanus has been a major adjustment. It's dirt roads and lots of dust as I'm in the desert (which is also--ironically--cattle country). I think that there are more cattle, goats, and sheep than there are people!
…there were definite culture shock moments that I experienced in the school itself. On my first day, there were 4 teachers absent, and the staff is only 7 large. There are no substitutes, so the "learners" are responsible for sitting quietly and doing their studies. While observing a class, I witnessed more shocking moments: the teacher telling the learner to "open your f***ing book man", pulling on the child's ear, throwing a book at a child, and pinching another one.
What's really sad is that there have been these generous donations of DStv, TV's, and VCR's, but there are no classroom sets of books! I've taken on teaching 4 English classes, and I am enjoying it very much!
The kids and the people in the village are very interested in the only white person for hundreds of miles. In fact, a 4 yr. old boy cried with utter fear when he saw me the other day--he had never seen a white person before. I do feel very safe and welcomed by everyone in school and in the community.
July 6th
Despite the seclusion, I can say that I am developing a growing affinity for my little village of Talismanus. I've made a friend with one of the teachers who has made it his mission to see that I am enjoying myself, which is great. He has shared some incredible stories of his culture, and it's all so different. People have babies here like they are candy, and marriage doesn't necessarily need to be part of the deal. In fact, it rarely is....
…Enjoy your summer and the warmth! It is really, really cold here....nothing near our winters, but it's not summer which my body is definitely upset about.
July 19, 2007
Hello all! I am happy to say that this report is much more positive and less filled with creepy crawlers. The time has flown by, but I feel like I have accomplished a lot and made really special connections with many of the kids. My mom sent over a box of old books that Litah [9 year old niece] no longer reads, so I have been using those to work with the grade 8 learners. They are only reading level 1 or 2, but they are books that they kids can actually understand and read, which is the point. You would be amazed at how excited these 15 year olds are over Franklin and Amelia Bedilia stories.
We read together every day, and some of them are becoming courageous enough to read aloud in English. So great. We also have spelling bees every week, and many of them are motivated to win because they want the prizes (candy or chips) for 1st, 2nd, or 3rd place. Two of the grade 8 girls came to my room at 6:30 this morning to wish me a happy birthday, which was so special. They are really, really sweet, and so much "younger" than the average American teenager.
Unfortunately, that innocence doesn't last long, and by the time they reach grade 10, they are a bit less innocent, which is frightening when you consider the percentage of the population infected with AIDS. (20%). That statistic is based on those who are brazen enough to actually be tested, and with the stigma attached to the disease; it is rare that people are so pro-active.
We have spent the last two weeks doing activities and having very important discussions about HIV/AIDS, and there is a tremendous fear of being ostracized by family/friends/community if one is to test positive. As a result, people just don't get tested, but this doesn't stop them from doing things that put them at risk.
Because of the dangers of the disease, the teachers are permitted to have really frank discussions with the learners, and it has been an eye-opening two weeks worth of talking. At any rate, after having many of them originally tell me that they would rather die/kill themselves than find out that they were HIV+, I have managed to convince many of them to go to the clinic and be tested. We have set up a schedule and will go in groups next week. I'm really thrilled and see this as an enormous stride.
In contrast to the success I have had with the learners, I was, unfortunately, feeling somewhat defeated by the teachers. Their approach to education is beyond arcane for an American educator, and there is not much 'teaching' that actually goes on. Ordinarily, the teacher may or may not write some notes on the board at the beginning of the day so that s/he can enjoy his/her tea while the students sit in class and copy from the information on the board. A few of them pop in and out of the classroom to reprimand those who are not doing their work, but that's about all that goes on.
Needless to say, the idea of using educational TV programs to enhance their lesson plans is a concept that they see as futile and unnecessary as it would require great effort and preparation on their parts… I can say with confidence that I believe 1 of the 7 teachers will use the equipment after I leave. I am told that this is progress, so I am trying to feel good about it….
My friend, Katuamba, took me to his cattle post last weekend where I saw him and others dehorn a calf and brand another. Quite an experience!
August 1st
I am back in Windhoek again having left my village for good… I'm having very mixed feelings about leaving as there are about 10 kids who have nestled their ways into my heart making it a real challenge to leave them. However, I was moved to tears of disappointment and frustration this weekend because so many of the girls who have never said as much as hello to me piled into my room demanding that "Miss, you must give me something". They actually had the audacity to rifle through my things! It was very difficult for me not to show my heartache.
I'm really angry at Oprah for setting such an unrealistic expectation of what "kids in Africa" want from Americans who are trying to help. At any rate, I am trying to focus on the positives and hope that there will be some continued good that comes from my time here. ] (End of e-mail journal entries)
Soderquist describes her conflicted feelings about her experiences with the educational system in Namibia: “I did come away with a feeling of gratitude for this amazing opportunity; however, there was equally as strong a feeling of frustration. I hesitate to even mention my disappointments as I fear it will only perpetuate people's deeply entrenched stereotypes about African culture, but I certainly did feel saddened for the realities of life in my village. I was sad to see that so many of the young girls are completely unaware of the growing opportunities that are available to them only 4 and 1/2 hours away in Windhoek.
On the other hand, I was really grateful that the one teacher in my school who will likely use the equipment effectively in his classroom was the principal of the school. My hope is that his enthusiasm for this donation and its benefits will spread to the remaining teachers of the 7 member staff so that the kids can see that education and learning can be fun, exciting, and useful. Change and progress are slow moving, and I can only cross my fingers and hope that my efforts made an impact and will be an impetus for change in the school where I worked.
I think it's so easy to get caught up in our day-to-day frustrations and disappointments, and it's really important to be able to take a step back from that and see how fortunate and blessed we truly are. What affected me most profoundly about all of the people I met was their genuine happiness. As much as they are suffering in poverty, they are truly at peace and possess a vibrant love of life that is infectious. In a country where more than 20% of the population is reported to be infected with AIDS or simply uninsured in the event that they need medical attention for some other illness, many people just "get sick and die". Confronted with death all around them, these kids have such strength and resilience.
I want people to know that Namibia is a beautiful country in its landscape and its people. Having gained its independence in 1991 after years of civil war, it is striving to make economic progress. Many hands are in the pot with the hope that the lofty goals of the country come to fruition by the year 2030, and I think there is great potential for strong growth. Africa is not a continent to be feared, and Namibia particularly is a country of warmth, beauty, and loving people. I want people to know that I was safe--in fact--I don't remember every feeling so safe in my life. As is the case with many of my students, I don't need to give money to make a difference in someone's life. My time, my hopes, my enthusiasm, and my belief in their success are equally as valuable. We all have a responsibility to be informed citizens and help to make positive contributions to the welfare of our world.”
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