Meredith Bown offers some perspective on the school

Meredith Bowen has been here at The Rift Valley Children's Village many times over the last few years, and has led us on this trip.  She spends much of her time "interpreting Tanzania" for us.  This a term and concept I read in Mountains beyond Mountains, the story of Dr Paul Farmer, which a Young Adult at St. Paul's gave me as a gift to read on this trip.  The author talks about how much of the time as he followed Farmer, the doctor was spending his time patiently "interpreting Haiti", so that he would understand the context, reality, and implications of a place like Haiti.  Meredith has shown us the same patience, love and nurture.

Meredith sent out this email to a group of people, and I asked her if I could post it on the blogsite, and she has graciously agreed.

Dear All,

Yesterday I took my mom, Sallie and Sam up to the local primary school for a bit of a tour.  It was important for me that they get a really up close and personal account of what a typical primary school looks and feels like.  I knew that it would be hard for them to see but necessary non-the-less.

Gyetighi Primary School is about 100 yards from the orphanage.  It is a typical school - one level building, aprroximately 8 rooms built around a common school yard.

Only one of the classrooms has real windows with glass.  All of the rooms have walls, floors and ceilings that look as if they might crumble at any moment.

Gyetighi has just over 400 students - grades 1 to 7 - and 9 teachers.  There are so many first and second graders that they are only able to attend school for half a day in order to accomodate them all.

Each room holds about 15 wooden desks with attached benches - each one is shared by about 4 or 5 kids depending on their size and the size of the class.  40 to 60 per class with one teacher.  Some classes don't have any books, some are lucky enough to have a handful that are shared by half a dozen kids at a time. 

By law every primary school should offer kindergarten but most schools don't have the funds for a teacher or an extra room and therefore they simply avoid kindergarten age kids.  Yesterday at the school a group of about 60 kindergarteners had gathered in a classroom because one of the teachers volunteered to work with them a bit during her break. 

There are no words to describe the situation.  60 four and five year olds dressed in rags sitting quietly in an empty room hoping for someone to come in and go over their colors and numbers.

Having recently signed the contract to manage the school, India has grand plans of renovating the building, buying textbooks, hiring new teachers (attracting them first by building propper housing), etc.  And as soon as she can raise the money the improvements will begin.

The school is currently deplorable.  But if enough generous people step up to help it will be vastly improved and the lives of hundreds of children - now and for years to come - will be immeasurably better because of it.

But then I start to think about the THOUSANDS of primary schools all over Tanzania.  Thousands in every third world country.  India is ONE woman doing amazing things in ONE area.  There is not someone like India living beside each school.

I don't say this to sound depressing or to make the problem look so big that it is insurmountable.  I say it to remind myself, and maybe others, that there is much to be done.  That when we say at the end of the day "what good works I did today for others" that doesn't mean that I can get up the next morning and say "well I did all my good work for others, on to something all about me."

Every single time I drive by Hathaway Brown or University Scool or Roxboro or St. Paul's Preschool, each with its own gorgeous kindergarten room filled with toys and books and teachers, I will now think of that empty room of 60 kindergarteners with nothing to do and no one to teach them. 

The US isn't perfect.  But we as Americans would never let this happen to American children. 

Thanks for reading - Meredith

Comments

[Nancy]

Hey, my Friend! I've followed you every posting and am reliving my Africa experience through you! Isn't it a beautiful country in so many ways? Thank you for the memories and the renewed blessings. My life will be forever different and I know yours will too! Please give Walter a big hug for me! I'm wishing I was there with you two - what fun and how much you will learn! Hope your weather is better than ours - if it is sunny, stay there!Stay safe and well and make the most of the last two week!
Love and blessings!
N.