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Published: February 18th 2010
Officials in Kaymoor
Primary school principal, village chief, parent association principal, college principal, Kate with 10000 GirlsThis past week I went to visit several town and villages. Again there are many contrasts. I went with the program 10000 Girls to deliver bags and books for girls. Older girls make bookbags and supplies are put in them. Books are for tutoring sessions for exams students must pass to go from one level of education to another. Comparable to going from elementary school to middle to high school and on. The person I traveled with was Kate, a former Peace Corps volunteer to the area. Since volunteers live in the village, she was adopted where we visited.
There is something different about the people in the village compared to urban populations. Perhaps they are more open and welcoming. They know each other well and there is a feeling of solidarity among them. To reach the village of Kaymoor we were on a highway about an hour, another hour on a pockmarked road, 18 kilometers on a dirt road. Yet here there is TV with cable access and the internet. The educators we met were well-informed, interesting people. Each official made a speech to welcome us and express appreciation for the supplies to students.
Conversations were a little
triangulated. Kate and I spoke English to each other, but most others spoke only a few words of English. All the educators could speak French to me, but Kate is mostly fluent in Wolof, where I am totally lost.
When we visited the compound where Kate had lived, many kids ran up to hug, speak, shake hands. One became my friend too. We visited and greeted in order of age or position. They knew we were coming and had prepared lunch. Since the school had also made a meal we ate a little more lightly, but some at each.
On a day trip I went to see Thiès. To get there I spent more time in crowded cars than in the city, but it was worth it. This was an oasis in time and place for me. It was almost unfortunate to go. The city is pleasant, cool, clean, urbane—causing me to feel less than satisfied about being in Kaolack. Now I am looking to understand why I am where I am, and to see if I should try to do something to move. There is a reason for being in Kaolack, and a reason for feeling drawn
to Thiès. Gotta find out.
Most recent places on my list are Kaffrine and Malem Hodar. One very touching episode there was about girls who leave school early. They are often pressured to begin traditional women's roles. Some of their families need them for housework or income. Many are given in arranged marriages as early as 12. One former student quit school because her husband-to-be wanted that. Another was discouraged after unsuccessfully repeating a grade 3 times. She is one of the most beautiful young women I have seen. This seemed to be an impossible situation. There are examples of women who are successful as teachers and owners of small businesses, but they are the exceptions. For someone who is not academically inclined or who does not have entrepreneurial abilities and resources, the options are depressingly few. Still, this is a quickly developing society. We live in a world of endless possibilities. Life has much to offer, even when it is difficult to see this for one individual in narrow circumstances.
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Synthia
non-member comment
thanks for sharing Yanick.