Job Update

So I am actually working here, right?

I haven't posted pictures of any of my work in my village because im trying very hard to not seem like the rich white person. It's hard to start teaching a class and then after five minutes say "Oh can I take a picture of you guys for my friends back home!? They would love it!" I really don't wanna bust out my camera every chance I get in the village, that's why most pics are of me outside my village.

So in the future I will have more pictures of me at work. But here is a description what I have going on right now...

Youth Group – Currently there is no group concerned specifically with the youth of the community. The village officials have expressed a strong desire for one to be started. Having a group would provide the youth a place to feel comfortable discussing certain issues they may have during the growing up process. Sometimes the children here do not have anyone to talk to about puberty, sex, or just the various problems of life. This would also provide the volunteer a perfect opportunity to discuss HIV/AIDS & STI education. I am currently working with a group of youth playing volleyball and during practices I try to incorperate a health lesson of the day or have time for questions, where they can ask me about anything. It's great.

Affordable Nutrition – The main doctor has expressed a need for improved eating habits. Villagers, as well, have expressed a concern to eat more nutritiously but are unable to because of financial concerns. It would be extremely beneficial to educate the village about how they can improve their eating habits affordably. I am trying to meet with the mothers and start a group that could meet once a week to discuss nutrition, but I have hit a snag because the last volunteer gave them tea and biscuits when they came to her meetings, so now these mothers expect the same, if not more, from me. I'm working very hard to ween them off of uncle Sam's teet. It's tough to do.

Honey / Wine / Jam Production – Because there is a large amount of commerce present in Ilongero due to the proximity to the main road, it is very difficult to acquire products to sell that are not currently available. Wine, honey, and jam are all products that currently are not being sold in the village. This would be an amazing opportunity for a community group or an out of school youth trying to acquire an income. The roles of the volunteer would be to assist in the initial education and help create funding for materials. Because of the current lack of these products, it should not be hard to make a profit in a short amount of time. This is a great way to generate income for a variety of people. I am currently working with the people living with HIV in creating wine. I made sure that they came up with the money themselves for the initial ingredients and materials because if I give them even a cent, when they run out of money, they will not know what to do on their own. The whole give a fish, teach to fish phrase could not be more applicable.

NGO Collaboration / OVC – As a small secondary project it would be beneficial to contact the local NGOs around the area and see when they are holding events or see if there is a way you can get involved to bring them to the village and help out in any way that they can. This is simply a secondary project but could prove extremely beneficial if you are able to utilize resources you are not able to obtain otherwise. I am working with a group I found that deals with orphans and vulnerable children. Cessie and I feel very strongly about the importance of starting a database of OVC in order to help them access the various resources available from the local government. Right now I am working on getting this database established.

Well that's about it. I have little things going on here and there such as Biology and English tutoring or teaching proper farming techniques, but these are the main focuses I have right now. Let me know if you have any thoughts or advice for me with any of these projects!


Cheers,
Jayce