Safety First
First of all, you may have heard that Burkina has been experiencing some political unrest, dating back to the end of February, continuing today. There have been a number of protests, but the situation IS NOT anything like what has happened in Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Ivory Coast, etc. You can search for news on Burkina, but be warned that some of the stories are highly embellished, and the french word for “military transport” has been mistranslated as “tank” in a few stories. Jessi and I are both safe and sound, presently in the capital. Peace Corps keeps us very informed about the security situation. It's hard to read about these things from 4000 miles away and not worry, but please rest assured that we are safe and being taken care of.
Classes Canceled
One of the effects of this month long political unrest is that elementary schools, high schools, and universities have been closed since the end of February (more or less). Schools attempted to resume classes Monday, but by Wednesday were already shut down again.
Unfortunately, school closures are not a dream come true for anyone. The kids are BORED out of their minds! Just one week into the closure our neighbor kids began to congregate under our hangar to avoid the sun and simply hang out. They were willing to do anything to stay busy: wash dishes, sweep the dirt courtyard, go out to the bush to find firewood, etc (though Burkinabe children are generally more willing, dare I say happy, to do chores.) Perhaps half of Burkina's high school teachers are employed by the government and continue to receive a paycheck during the closures. However, the other half are temporary contract workers, who get paid only for the hours they actually teach.
For Jessi and I, the closures have meant being frustrated and bored. Jessi gave her best efforts to continue clubs, but the students didn't show up. Parents seem to think that since school is closed that the girls shouldn't go to club, despite those girls being as bored as everyone else. I lesson planned a lot at first, in an effort to get ahead, but in the middle of the second week my motivation really dropped.
The situation here is particularly complicated for students in exam classes, who have exit tests at the end of the year. These students are at a serious disadvantage because they have missed so much school. If a blank year is declared, everyone loses. A blank year was declared one year after long standing political unrest, which meant that the school year ended early and none of the students advanced to the next year. That means everyone is one year behind in a system where students already graduate late, and that schools and parents have wasted one years worth of school funding.
Where it's Way Worse
In a talk about humanitarian work vs. development this past week, our country director Shannon talked about her work in various crisis situations over the years, including in Iraq, Kosovo, Liberia, and Guinea. She talked about international requirements for basic needs in disaster situations, and refugee camps in particular: 20 liters of water per day, per person, 1 outhouse for 40 people, basic shelter basic medical care, etc. One of the basic needs that is not covered by international law is that of education.
When we hear of refugee camps, we think of people fleeing their homes with nothing, and settling in these camps for short periods of time. The unfortunate reality is that many of these conflicts are not short term, and that people spend years of their lives in these camps. Few of these refugees are granted refuge in the US or Places like Somalia and Uguanda have sustained long term conflicts for over two decades. That means nearly two decades that virtually no one in the country has attended school, resulting in a generation of people that have no formal education. In a couple of decades this generation will be responsible for leading their country. As if the countries weren't going to be messed up enough already from the conflict. It's like their being setup for further unrest and failure.
It's important for Westerners to remember that war, military coups, genocide, etc. are NOT parts of everyday life in most African countries, though watching a 24 hour news station may give you the opposite impression. Poverty, hardship, and tragedy disproportionately effect this continent, but we can't simply dismiss these atrocities and say “that's just how it is in Africa.” After living in Burkina for nearly two years, I know that it's not normal here. I know that my friends and neighbors are proud of Burkina's relatively peaceful past. I know they want a bright future for their children, and work for it daily. Of course they do. I'm hopeful. They're my kids too.
