Thursday night the volunteers stayed late after training to watch a movie together. We chose Wall-E. Most of you have probably seen this adorably animated movie packed full of symbolism on a few depressing issues of the human race, like pollution and social disconnection with the advancement of technology. For those of you that haven't seen it, the basic moral of the story is that we have one planet. And we have one life. So stop trashing the only thing that is our home and live in the present moment as brothers and sisters because life is too short to go on living it half-assed.
There's a scene where the main character, Wall-E, accidentally frees some of the robots, and with each clumsy footstep he causes a ripple in the stagnant pond of comatose human beings, and with each ripple they slowly start to "wake up" and notice the world around them for what it really is. As the robots break free an alarm signals "Caution: Rogue Robots. Caution: Rogue Robots".
At that moment I looked around the room at all of my fellow volunteers and smiled....because I realized we are the rogue robots of our community. We are the people that see problems in the world and have a desire to change them, no matter how futile it may seem in the beginning. We are the ones that choose to go against the grain but with positivite action instead of force.
While I can't stress enough how happy I am in this country, I have to share with you the issues in Namibia that myself and the other education volunteers are going to have to face head on when we are dispersed to our sites. (Business and health and other volunteers will share similar conflict, but I can't speak for them considering I'm in training for education). Keep in mind that Namibia is a young country, having just gained its independence in the early 90's. I'm lucky to be here during post-apartheid rule, but it takes time to change. Here are some of the challenges Namibia is dealing with that education volunteers wish to impact::
Corporal punishment is illegal in the education system....however, the schools are struggling with abiding by this law. And unfortunately it is still the most common form of punishment in the household. Depending on the school and/or teacher, it's not uncommon for the kids to be whipped on the hands or backs of legs with sticks or wire for bad behavior, but also for answering questions incorrectly, failing tests, or failing classes. Some teachers will even ridicule the failing students in front of the entire school at assemblies by calling them out by name. Some teachers (the number depends on the region) believe corporal punishment to be the most efficient way to manage a classroom...and while it may resolve the behavioral issue immediately, they refuse to see the negative long term effects. Children are scared to participate in class, or they act up way too much for the attention. Some lose all motivation completely because they think it's pointless in trying if they aren't heard or respected.
We had a meeting the other day with Namibian teachers, and a volunteer asked what they expect us to bring to the table. One of the teachers mentioned that we need to bring our ideas of alternative behavioral treatments into our schools. Some Namibian teachers recognize corporal punishment as a counter-productive means of control and wish to see it abolished.
Lack of parental involvement in the children's education is a common problem here, especially in rural areas and villages because the parent/s are busy with homestead work, like farming, raising cattle or goats, etc. There is lack of communication between teachers and parents considering a lot of families don't have phones let alone electricity. When the kids go home they are needed to help on the homestead and often don't have time to study. This leads to a high dropout rate.
HIV/AIDS is a problem in Africa, but it's a very big problem in Namibia. The region I will be living in, Zambezi, has the highest HIV/AIDS rate compared to the other regions in Namibia, and a lot of children are affected by this, whether it be dealing with a sick parent at home or being infected themselves. Some students are kept in the dark about being HIV positive and blindly take medication daily. Others are aware of having the disease and have to deal with the social stigma that goes along with it, making a normal childhood nearly impossible to experience. Others are orphans because they've lost their parents to the disease. As teachers and mentors we will be expected to do what we can to spread awareness and teach children how to avoid contraction and be there for those that may be dealing with it on a personal level already.
Gender equality is something we females in my generation take for granted in the United States. Here in Namibia, females are struggling to have a voice outside of their predetermined gender role of housewife and child bearer. The country is making progress with women in the workforce, but domestic violence and unfaithfulness is something that women are too familiar with here. A lot of that is linked to the HIV and alcoholism issue. Problems at home obviously affect the children in school. As volunteers in our communities we will be expected to actively coordinate and participate in extracurricular activities that not only unite girls with girls and boys with boys, but that will also unite them together as a whole.
As the "rogue robots" of America and Namibia, I have faith in us to continue with the reformation our previous counterparts have left us with to carry on...because we're not afraid. We're not scared to point out that the easy way isn't always the right way, and we're sure as hell not afraid to stick up for how humans should treat each other, and that's with respect, love, understanding, and compassion. We know we won't see the impact we've made initially because change takes time...but years down the road I know our compassion will have made a difference.
And with that being said...I want to remind you that you don't have to be in the Peace Corps to be a rogue robot. Nothing positive is too small to be ignored. Maybe you don't have the means or the time to involve yourself in your community quite like you'd wish, but when you're carrying on through your day to day routine, keep your eyes open for a fellow brother or sister that might need an extra hand, a kind word, or encouragement of sorts. Lend a minute of your time to make someone's life a little easier for that moment. And those of you that do have time, get up and do something for your community. It doesn't have to be a chore. It shouldn't have to be court-ordered to pick up trash, or serve a few hours here and there at a hospital, nursing home, vet clinic, school, daycare, rehab center, etc.
I don't want the fate of humans in Wall-E to come to fruition. I don't want to see our society spiral faster into the abyss of disconnection and laziness. I know you don't either. So, lets get to work :)
Cheers.
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