28
January
2007
I wanted to briefly share an unfortunate incident that happened fellow PCV Ben Little at the Njombe post office. As I have repeatedly heard before, the assignment of customs fees to overseas packages is notoriously random and corrupt. In Njombe it is especially problematic because customs fees are assigned in Iringa. Therefore, the Njombe postal workers are powerless to assist if an obviously over-charged package arrives. Your only choice is not to pick it up. So, Ben received an 8 lb. package (roughly 1′x1′x1′) containing $70 worth of belated Christmas presents (binoculars, hacky-sacks, nalgene bottles, clothes, chocolate and candy). It cost his parents $40 to send from the U.S. and about $40 for him to receive in customs!!! Even the local Tanzanian postal workers were shocked, even more shocked when he actually paid the fee to receive the package. I, meanwhile received a padded envelope stuffed with beef jerky, candy, gardening gloves, pictures (thanks folks!) with no customs fees at all. Therefore, when in doubt, it is much better to send a 1/2 dozen padded envelopes before sending a single package. They also arrive much more quickly.
Posted: Tanzanian Society & Culture
26
January
2007
For the first mandatory training session since arriving at site, first year Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) in Tanzania are attending a weeklong session funded by the President’s Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). Which leads me to wonder, how much does our president know about HIV/AIDS and is there any way for Congress to make him attend the training for his own organization? But I’m getting off track already, allow me to be more specific in my descriptions and commentary on PEPFAR in Tanzania.
My own cohort of volunteers (in the Mbeya, Ruvuma and Southern Iringa regions) attended this session in the town of Mbeya, the regional capitol of Tanzania’s predominant coffee and banana growing region and 4th largest city (behind Dar-es-Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza). Before I continue, I would like to stress at the outset that our facilitator Dr. Delem did a fantastic job of providing interesting and accurate information on the teaching of HIV/AIDS, the human immune system, Anti-Retroviral drugs (ARVs) and life skills to primary and secondary school students. Not only was I privy to a much needed refresher course, but was also provided with valuable resources for getting new information – especially on the HIV/AIDS related services here in Tanzania. I have nothing but praise for the quality of the conference and its participants.
All of that being said, there exist serious flaws in the policies and procedures of PEPFAR. To quote political commentator David Rosen:
“This apparently-successful spending model is compromised in three important ways. First, at least a third of the monies targeted for prevention must be spent on abstinence-until-marriage programs. Second, three-fourths of the monies allocated for treatment must be spent on the purchase and distribution of antiretroviral drugs from U.S. pharmaceutical manufacterers and cannot be substituted by generic alternatives. Finally, at least half of that allocated for helping children and orphans is to be provided through nonprofit, nongovernmental organizations, particularly faith-based groups.” See David Rosen, “Imperialism’s Second Front: Bush’s Foreign Sex Policy,” http://www.counterpunch.org/rosen12222006.html
While I completely agree with this general assessment, I need to further add that particular circumstances here in Tanzania further exacerbate these problems with the spending-structure of PEPFAR. For example, one might argue that there are serious problems with the complete prohibition against the marketing or distribution of condoms in secondary schools. However, far more serious are the Tanzanian laws that forbid sexual activity among secondary school students. Female students are regularly given pregnancy tests and, if positive, are expelled from school. Moreover, students even found in possession of condoms (for example in their dormitories if they are boarding students) may be expelled on the suspicion of sexual activity alone. Of course, these draconian tactics push many female students into seeking abortion providers (all illegal in Tanzania), simply so they may remain in school. On a personal note I was told that one such girl in my region died last year in a botched abortion procedure. In towns, these underground services cost around 15,000 TZ sh./= (roughly $12) and transpire in frightful conditions. Of course, these gross injustices are further exacerbated by the (far too common) instances in which the father-to-be receives no such disciplinary action. Even more disturbing are the number of instances reported to me in which the father-to-be was the child’s teacher (either secondary or primary!). Clearly, under such conditions, “Abstinence” and “Be Faithful” (AB) education do not even begin to address the sexuality and power dynamics in these children’s lives.
Obviously, one of the key flaws with the PEPFAR program as numerous commentators have pointed is the heavy stress on AB programs rather than the ABC (add Condoms) approach. However, as I hope I have made clear, even adding “C” to “AB” programs is far from an exhaustive answer to the complex problems facing at-risk youth in Tanzania – and I imagine elsewhere. For one thing, it seems clear that sexuality needs to be addressed in an exhaustive, holistic and objective manner. The insipid moralizing that caricatures sexuality only in terms of life-long monogamous marriage and life-threatening sexual risk ignores the extent to which sexuality permeates the human experience. Teaching students about sexuality in terms of human development, personal relationships, behavioral skills, health, society and culture seems a practical first step. There are certainly age-appropriate lessons that ought to be transmitted to children of all ages, from simple anatomical and physiological differences between the sexes to more complicated discussions of affection, physical pleasure and social behavior.
Fortunately, I believe, with proper planning that many of these kinds of educational additions may be used even under the current PEPFAR guidelines. To take a minor example, it should be pointed out that it is not forbidden to mention condoms, even in presentations to elementary students. However, you cannot provide a condom demonstration until secondary school and must stress AB as the best approach to sexual health. With regard to topics such as orgasm, masturbation, or even same-sex sexual behavior there appear to be no strictures or guidelines on the subject. The real trick will be developing culturally appropriate ways to address and discuss these subjects, relying heavily on empirical data and eschewing unnecessary moralizing. After all, to take two examples, both “homosexuality” and “pornography” are illegal here in Tanzania. This is an effort, however, that Peace Corps/Tanzania is well suited to begin considering, if the political will can be fostered. For my part, I remain optimistic.
Siku njema, Josh
Posted: Peace Corps Tanzania
24
January
2007
Starting last week, the kids have returned to *undisclosedlocation* Secondary. I really need a better pseudonym. I think I’ll go with UL Sec. for now, but feel free to post any suggestions in the comments section. Monday witnessed the return of the Form I students (think Freshmen) and Tuesday saw the first wave of Forms II-IV. They brought their school fees, uniforms, mattresses (for the boarding students, roughly 1/3 to 1/2 of the approximately 540 students) and large sacks of corn and beans. After registering and paying fees the kids got right to work. Monday through Friday they cleaned the school environment: sweeping and mopping classrooms, cutting the grass (done with a straight blade!), weeding & etc. As for the teachers, we signed in every morning at 7:30 (1:30 TZ time) and generally milled about, prepared lesson plans, met for tea and lunch, and occasionally directed the students work (although this primary responsibility fell to the teacher-on-duty, a position which rotates each week). By Thursday, however, I eventually got the chance to start teaching.
My Form IV students consist on of a single “stream,” meaning that they meet in the same classroom, which the teachers rotate in and out of for their particular subject lessons. This group of 80 students (roughly 55 of which arrived by the first week) had no biology teacher last year and must complete both the Form III and Form IV syllabus before their national examination early next Fall. This group has never done a biology (or perhaps any science) lab and is still struggling with their English. For example, no one knew the meaning of the word “hypothesis.” But never fear …
I have divided the students up into 8 groups: they chose names like botanists, zoologists, generation, antibodies, nomenclature (how postmodern) and Mendel. Each week, a new member of the group assumes the position of “Group Leader,” who is responsible for the group’s preparation, materials, written assignments and conduct. Instead of randomly calling on students or posing questions to the entire class, I say (for example) Group Leader for Immunity please stand up (Mkuu wa chama cha “Immunity” simama tafadhali). I pose the leader a question about the material we are covering. If he/she does not know, they then have a chance to sit and confer with their group before trying again. Every week, 8 people know that they (with the help of their groups) need to be at the top of their game. Each group receives a notebook which will contain all group notes and written assignments. Since I cannot possibly control 80 students at once, my only hope is to encourage some self- and group-motivation.
After giving the class a basic lesson in the languages, cultures and methods of science, I gave them their first written assignment: design 3 possible experiments using only the resources available in their school environment (which does not include microscopes, magnifiers or most basic lab equipment). I gave them an example. There are these millipedes all over the place (“jongoo” kwa Kiswahili) that protect themselves by curling up into a tight ball. However, some individuals (it seems) simply twist around rather than curling into a tight ball. I proposed to the students three possible hypotheses (as I said, a new word for them).
The “Genetic Hypothesis”: Individuals either only exhibit the tight curling behavior OR the twisting behavior (each of which presumably has a strong genetic component).
The Aging Hypothesis: Due to age or injury, the tight curling behavior degenerates into twisting
The Stimulus-Threshold Hypothesis (again, two new words here): the quality and the intensity of the stimulus is the main determinant for the exhibition of these behaviors.
We then discussed ways in which these hypotheses may be tested, in terms of individual numbers of jongoo, experimental protocol and etc.
It took awhile, but the groups soon began to identify local flowers that close during the middle of the day and other insects that could be exposed to similar experimental conditions. I figure that if I can show my students how to view science as a way of thinking about their environment (rather than as a fixed set of facts to memorize), we might be able to improve on last year’s 50% failure rate.
Other than biology class, I will also be teaching a life skills class (for the entire school, forms I-IV). This will focus largely on sexuality, behavior-change skills and communication skills. I am at the moment being trained in this subject matter at a PEPFAR conference in Mbeya (more on that in the next post). Thanks to Leonore Tiefer, I have been plowing through the teaching materials available at www.siecus.org and will hopefully be able to convince Peace Corps Tanzania to make many of these materials available at our In-Service Training conference in June.
In addition to Life Skills, I have also started my informal ju-jitsu teaching (see new pictures in the photo gallery link under the Blog Roll). Although I am little more than an amateur myself (feel free to send me books about Brazilian Ju-Jitsu!!!), many students are excited to learn and are practicing both fighting skills as well as valuable self-control skills. The potential for injury is great in any fighting style, and students must first learn the importance of control, trust and moderation. As I told them on day one, anyone who demonstrates a lack of self-control and risks injurty of themselves or their fighting partner will not be allowed back.
My other hope with this class is to develop a self-defence class for girls. I have been getting great feedback from the other teachers and several of the girls themselves have expressed an interest (provided the boys are not around). My hope with this endeavor is to combine practical safety and self-defence training with some ju-jitsu work as well (feel free to send me books about self-defence training!!!).
For my own part, I’ve alsomanaged to find some new martial arts training possibilities in my village. A few of the local police train in Karate and Judo at the police station several evenings per week. I’ll likely be heading into town for that training on Saturdays and continuing to work with the students during the school week.
That’s all for now. Look for a new post on the PEPFAR conference and training this weekend. Tutaonana baadaye, Dr. Josh
Posted: Village Life
