Building a library!

On jaaraama !
That's hello and thank you in Pular, the local language of my village, Porékiré. My name's Geoff Delperdang and I serve as a n education volunteer to Peace Corps (Corps de la Paix) in Guinea, teaching physics and mathematics at the high school of Porékiré. As my first school year of teaching has passed, with all the observations I've made and lessons I've learned, I am now working with my community to address the needs that have clearly presented themselves with respect to education.
First and foremost, educational ressources are scarce ; often neither student nor tearcher has access to textbooks and other educational documents – many teachers use thier norebooks from high school or college, I myself use photocopied texts. Clearly this hinders dramatically the capacity of the teacher to teach his or her subject – I don't know if you've ever tried teaching without documentation but it is incredibly challenging – as well as the students' ability to learn independantly, reinforcing what they learned in class as well as practicing with the content. Learning is thus limited to the classroom (and at times it's the education of the teacher's old high school classroom).
Besides not having educational documents (textbooks, etc.), there isn't anything at all to read (with the sole exections of their notebooks in which they have recopied the lesson of the teacher and, if they have the means, the nutritional facts off of packaged goods such as soda or cheese) ! With these conditions, it's no wonder that their French level is very low – French being the official language of Guinea.
This generation is a generation whose parents are often illiterate, under-educated, or never went to school and thus don't know how to read, write, or speak French. This youth is, however, doing all they can to educate themselves – some walk nearly ten kilometers to get to school in the morning and then ten kilometers bqck in the middle of the day under the hot African sun without having lunch and the majority of that 10k is up a mountain ! I know that it sounds exaggerated, but unfortunately, it's not ; it's the reality of several of my students : Thierno Moussa, Alpha Issiaga, Thierno Mamadou Saliou, and the list goes on. They do this because they understand school is their best chance to raise themselves, their families, and their nation out of poverty.
This community believes in this dream and has the motivation and drive to see it through ! Rather than the State, the community built the middle school and, more recently in 2009, the high school. They did this themselves so that their children would have a place to study and learn closer to home, rather than the travel the 25 kilometers or more or live with some other family in the city to go to school. The community is again willing to sacrifice for the development of the education of their children. Together we have developped a plan for a local library to finally give the students and teachers the ressources they so desperately need. The community has committed to constructing and maintaining the library with a focus on efficient fonctioning and a sustainable future. We now humbly call upon your generosity to help us actualize this dream.
S'il vous plaît, aidez-nous !

On jaaraama !

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-675-008

Le 27 septembre (français)

Le 27 septembre (disclaimer, this one's all in French, the translation should be soon to come... as soon as I get the will power to write the same post just in English, ou bien tu peux te débrouiller si tu sais un peu le français) :


Il y a long temps je n'écris pas. J'étais à Dubréka en tant que formateur pour la formation de la nouvelle stage des volontaires d'éducation. Mais maintenant je suis revenu en brousse ! Les élections législatives s'approchent, demain-même, ainsi que l'ouverture de l'école – malheureusement cela probablement ne correspondra pas à l'arrivée des élèves. Donc, en attendant tout ça, je m’occupais bien ! Malgré que le plus part de ces vacances m'étaient passées à la formation don je viens de parler, j'ai écrit deux demandes de fonds dont une est pour une bibliothèque/un centre de ressources – si vous voulez contribuer au projet, suivez le lien ci-dessous :
https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-675-008
- et l'autre pour un jardin scolaire. Les deux projets vont bien et il paraît qu'ils aboutiront à fuir et à mesure. Tous ces projets se font bien liés à la communauté et en collaboration avec des homologues d'ici. Franchement, je suis fier de ce que nous avons pu faire déjà ! Félicitations à nous tous ! Y a d'autre félicitations à donner aussi. Des félicitations aux admis du BAC ! Et des félicitations aux stagiaires devenus volontaires ! C'est vraiment un groupe fort, intelligent, créatif, motivé et soigneux dont je n'ai aucune inquiétude de leur succès à l’intégration et à leurs objectifs scolaire et d'autre.

Dès que je suis revenu de Dubréka, je ne m’arrête même pas ! - littéralement et figuratif. Avec la volontaire d'agro-foresterie voisine à moi, nous courons presque chaque jour – maintenant je cour la distance d'un demi-marathon fréquemment (ce m'est nouveau donc tout remerciement à Ellen!). Sinon, nous grimpons les montagnes qui nous entourent. Autrement, j'ai eu une autre idée bien faisable et tellement intéressante parmi toutes mes idées. C'est quoi, vous vous demandez ? C'est un concours d'orthographe semi-national – on dit semi parce que ça va inclure les écoles uniquement ayant un volontaire, mais quand même nous sommes nombreux et répandus donc c'est une grande partie du pays et BEAUCOUP d'élèves ! Donc pour ce projet je collabore avec quelques volontaires de chaque région du pays pour l'organiser. Je pense, même que ce n'est que le début, que ceci va aboutir en grand succès aussi ! Souhaitez-nous de la bonne chance ! Que ceci réussisse !

Tour de Sensibilisation

Hello friends!

As I hope you are all aware, this month is Malaria Month!  Thus all of us over here in Guinea and the entire continent of Africa are doing all we can to Stomp Out Malaria!  This lead me and my site mate, Mr Ben Collins to plan a bike tour from our sites down south throughout the Base Cote all the way to Coyah.

We started le 3 avril at my site Porékiré doing a sort of door to door style sensibilisation (i.e. explaining what malaria is, how it's transmitted, how we can protect ourselves, etc.).  The next day we biked the 30km to Ben's site to do a sensibilisation for his community, including a bed net demonstration!

 

Friday then we took off for our first longer day, including two stops!  We first stopped about 20km outside Gougoudje (Ben's site) in Sinta to do a sensibilisation with a class of 10th graders who happened to be in a class of revision studying... yes, you guessed it, MALARIA!!!

 After some Peace Corps paperwork with the Principale and lunch with his family we continued on under the hot African sun to Konkouré.  Konkouré is a nice little village that finds itself as the half way point on the awful road between Telimélé and Kindia - donc all taxis stop there for lunch and Ben and I pass the time with one particular tea vender every time.  Unfortunately, despite the fact that I had sent our friend several texts and even a letter he didn't pay very close attention and was thus surprised when we showed up.  However, we still ended up with possibly the best sensibilisation we did all tour!  There were three health agents that were already in the process of doing what we were doing in preparation for the universal bed net distribution this month!! 

We had a great turn out including soon-to-be mothers, and kids (two of the main groups with the highest risk for malaria), great participation and really helpful translaters!

After spending the night with our friend from Konkouré we continued on to the big city of Kindia!  This day was probably our toughest as far as riding is concerned.  After several days of riding close to 75km on what one can barely call dirt/gravel roads or even roads at all and under the blazing African sun we almost didn't make it to Kindia.  But once we did we were greated by our friend Chalupa who lives on an amazing, giant, organic, sustainable farm!  We rested this day and continued on in the morning to our final resting spot for this bike trip, Wonkifong!

In the sub-prefecture of Wonkifong we did two sensibilisations in neighboring villages with a now local, one of our fellow volunteers.

We also were able to help many families hang bed nets!!!

Over all, it was a great success!!!

Le boubou le 29 mars

Le boubou :

I wore my mbasan complet boubou today for the first time – there was a wedding.  People said I looked like an African burreaucrat.  Also voici some quotations related to my habillement: “Aujourd’hui, vous êtes africain.”  "Vous êtes bien habillé ! "  "Eh dis-donc ! Vous êtes beau !"   "Eeeh ! M’sieur no laba !"

No but really I couln’t help but walk to school with a smile and when I finally looked in a mirror (or in reality i twas the very reflective window of my neighbor’s house) I felt like I looked gooood as if I was wearing a designer three piece suit.

Même que j’adore ce complet, will I ever wear it back in the states? I wouldn’t wear it on n’importe quel jour, that would diminish its significance (sa valeur, quoi?).  It would have to be a special occasion but most special occaisons that I can think up, the boubou would be completely absurd to wear…

Different but related train of thought: talking, reading, writing, and eating (listening to the radio or whatever) makes me think of living in France (which I would still love to do).  But I have strange mixed cultural thoughts, like: “I can speak French and they’ll be so impressed that I already can carry things on my head and I have a beautiful purple boubou in my wordrobe! I’ll fit in so well right from the get go!”  …not quite… From now on I’m going to be strange – a stranger wherever I go from here to America to France to India to South America really anywhere in the world I am now quite bizzar, kaa?!!  

But at very least I now have a beautiful boubou!

Poetry Contest!

Don't worry, over here it's still "Jam tun (peace only)!"

Lately, I've been thinking I would like to get a tattoo of that, "Jam tun."  It's the standard response to almost every question.

Disclaimers:
- I haven't been journaling lately, so "les commentaires" have sort of ended. Post might become more update-y.
- This post is about some of the great work some of my students have done, and will necessarily be mostly in French, sorry.  I'll summarize content, but direct translations will be insufficient.

This last month, with the French teacher, we held a poetry contest.  We invited all the (86) students of the high school to write a poem on the topic of either: the education of young girls, the environment, or corruption.  We had a total of nine students write something, some beter than others, some being poetry while others being more like an essay or report, all very interesting! 
We commented on the work that was summited to us and asked for revisions, amongst which we would select a winner from each theme, but all resubmitted poems were read aloud at the daily flag raising ceremony before school. 

I have been very very pleased with what these students have presented, especially in the face of an educational system that is weak in its development of critical thinking and creativity.
The two poems that follow are two of the best poems we received on the subjects of the education of young girls and the environment.  We also received a very well written poem on the topic of corruption, unfortunately at the moment I do not have the poem with me.  Eventually we will also post this poems around the school, to continue to encourage the students and honor the work of the students that participated in our competition!

"Une promenade à lq nouvelle ville" par Alhassane II Barry de 12ème Anné Science Sociale du Lycée Porékiré

Que j'ai une fois decidé,
   par plaisir d'aller visiter.
J'avais eu peur,
quand je fus à face;
Des animaux grimpeur,
Qui sautent de banche en branche.
Je sens les parfums des fleurs
  et les odeurs des fruits pouris:
Les arbres de quinze mètre de haut
 s'enlancent
Des longues et grosse lianes
 sùentralacent
la ville grouille de mille bruits,
qui bourdon non seulement là où je suis.
Une grande variété d'insecte voltigent
vis à vis à l'oeil.
Je voix à peine entre les tiges,
quelques rayon du soleil.
J'entends un concert varié de chant d'oisaux,
et des cris perçant que poussent certains animaux.
  Avec un souffle que me carresse
     que fond le vent sans cesse.
L'ombre fait moyen claire,
  à quelques distance
  dont j'étais juste present
Les arbres dressent les feuillages épais
   qui couvrent entièrement la Terre.
Il fait toujours fraîche à cet endroit,
le moment de la journée quelque soit.

This poem talks about the beauty of the forest region, with the various animals, birds, insects, and of course the enourmous trees.

The next talks about the valor of the education of young girls:

"La jeune fille scolarisée" par Souleymane Bailo Barry de 12ème Anné Science Sociale du Lycée Porékiré

OH! Jeune fille Guinéene; Africaine; Américaine; Européen; du monde.
OH; fille de liberté; de qualité avec une beauté qui n'est jamais quittée.
Ta scolarité est une nécessité qui n'a chuté; une scolarité de lucidité que tu as choisit et réussit avec fierté. 
Tu as oeuvré pour ta cité et ta personnalité!
Ta scolarité mérite d'être venté et souhaité par les personnalités du monde entier.
Toi qui presse tes nièces sans cesse en tapant sur les fesse pour qu'elles progressent avec vitesse dans cette scolarisation.
Je t'adore surtout quand je dors je rêve que tu est élève qui a une intelligence qui mérite sa chance; son existence qui a tendance à l'obeisence. 
OH; fille scolarisée du monde; de l'Afrique; d'Amérique; de mon pays la Guinée.
 Je te salue et je chante ton nom pour faire reconnaître ton courage. Tes honorable qualités dans la société mérite d'être ventées. Je ferai tes éloges en tout moment et en tout lieu.  C'est de toi je parle, toi la fille scolarisée; toi la fille de savoir.
Ton éducation fait de moi un homme éduqué; ton instruction un homme instruit; ton courage un homme courageux.
Tu contribues au développement de la société et de la génération.  
OH; fille scolarisée du monde.
A toi l'honneur; A toi le respect; A toi la liberté; A toi la considération; A toi l'amour.
"VIVE des jeunes filles scolarisées" !

Vraiment merci à nos écrivains!

I hope to post again soon!  Next time it'll be in Pular! ;)

le 11 decembre (dream of peace)

le 11 decembre:
- Last night I dreamt that I was named the country director (for reasons unknown or forgotten upon waking). One of my students , Adama N'Galou Barry approached me after I was distinguished as the CD;

"Monseuir, with this change in role I think I can ask you: where is peace*?"

I was surprised by her question, but was able to respond,

"Peace is in every collaboration. Peace is not yet everywhere, but it spreads each time two new people work together for a common good. It comes little by little."

It's an interesting response, and I don't think it's the usual one I would have given if I was conscious, but I like it all the same. And I'm happy to be collaborating here in Guinea and with Lycee Porekire!

The four fondamental forces of nature.

le 6 decembre:

- While correcting exams from my 11th grade physics class on the subject of forces I came across a pretty good response:

Q: Quelle sont les quatres forces fondamentales? // What are the four fondamental forces?

R: "Les 4 forces fondamentales, qui sont:
la force du sortir
la force de rentrer
la force de courir
et la force de jouer." //
- The 4 fondamental forces which are:
the force to exit
the force to enter
the force to run
and the force to play.

Tres bien, voici quelques forces fondamentales...