Hello World!
It's been a while and I know the 6
people who read this probably really missed this. I've been a busy
boy with a lot to talk about.
I recently had a training with the Food
Security Committee, of which I am a member, at the Peace Corps
Training Center in lovely Mantasoa, Madagascar. An expert was brought
in to teach the members of the committee and their Malagasy
counterparts about permagardening. Specifically the construction and
maintenance of a year round garden even in semi-arid conditions like
those in my town. We also touched on composting, charcoal making (as
a soil amendment), and the scientific reasoning behind the technique
and how to help plants grow well in general among other things. It's
a really wonderful technique and I am happily implementing it in my
site already. I won't bore you with all of the details but there was
an amazing take away from the training.
One thing that is a constant worry for
a Peace Corps volunteer is the sustainability of your work. It weighs
heavily on my mind here. The idea is to create change on a local
level that can contiue once the volunteer is gone. Both with the
people that you worked directly with and also those who they come in
contact with and train in the future. It sounds great and not too
difficult but it is very hard. Behavior change is a hard nut to crack
in general but adding to it language and cultural barriers it becomes
even more difficult. Think about how hard it is to change behavior.
Millions of people in America know they should eat better. Know they
should workout more. Know they are obese. But they do nothing about
it. They are informed and educated on the topic but they do nothing
about it. I've been in that boat myself for a time. Trying to get
people to change habits and behaviors they and their ancestors have
been practicing for generations, while learning their language and
culture and being an outsider, is something that keeps me up at
nights. However, it is possible. And at the training we talked about
good strategies for affecting behavior change.
I've done a lot of trainings here with
a good number of people. Sometimes 30 or 35 people. It feels good to
know that that many people are interested in what you are teaching
and motivated to learn. It also feels like you are reaching a lot of
people at once. But really most of the people there will not get the
training and almost none of them will do what they were taught.
Whenever a large number of people are brought together, inevitably,
about 5 of the biggest personalities take over the room. They answer
the trainers questions and ask questions of their own. Everyone else
is a passive listener at that point. There is almost no way they will
remember what was taught. Especially 6 months from now when they
might actually want to or see the opportunity to use it. And if the
whole training is in a classroom setting then even the big, active
personalities will have a hard time remembering and implementing the
information. So, while good intentioned, I was doing things wrong.
People were getting a basic idea of the information but not enough
experience and knowledge to actually use it. With behavior change a
fear of change and new things is also an impediment to people and by
talking about things only I was not showing people just how easy the
new techniques are. Only telling them. And why should they trust me?
Which brings us to the training. One of
the main tenants of the training was that, in order to effectively
train people and turn them into trainers or change agents themselves,
you have to train them in small groups. Preferably 10 or less. And
the training should be a hands on experience out in the field if at
all possible. Make sure to make the training easy to follow and do
and get people outside to actually do it. I have started doing this
with great success. We have 3 permagardens in the works as well as 3
compost piles. There are more in the pipeline for the upcoming weeks.
These seem like small numbers but they are encouraging. One of the
first things I tried to do was get people to make compost. Until I
broke it into small groups and brought it to their territory they
never did. Now they are. At one of the compost trainings there were 4
people. I know they got it. I know one of them is doing her own pile
with out me. I love that. I've told them that, by the end of my
service, I want them to do the trainings and I can be a tall,
sun-burnt, extremely conspicuous camera man only. None of the
trainings have been with more than 6 people. I am confident when we
finish that everyone gets it. And I can follow up with people because
the numbers are so much less.
The absolute best part is that one of
my counterparts, the one who came to the training with me, is already
taking charge and training people. She is an incredible asset to the
community and a great person. It's crazy to think how high she could
have risen if she was born somewhere else or able to get an education
above middle school level. But then she probably wouldn't be here and
they need her. She motivates people and challenges them. She just
gets it. There are times when I want to throw my hands up and just do
things for people so they'll get done. She won't let it happen
because she knows that, if we do that, everyone will be lazy and wait
for me or her to do it for them next time. So she trains people. I am
still at every training. There are still things she isn't up to speed
on yet and techniques we haven't trained on yet. But the ones we have
she knows well and she leads things. I am there to lend a hand and
guide things but she does the bulk of the talking. I know she will do
this long after I am gone. If everything else fails I know she'll be
practicing these things and leading trainings years down the road.
I'd like to think that because of Peace
Corps' presence in their community the town of Ankazambo Atsimo in
the Sofia Region of Madagascar will be changed for the better. 20
years from now their children will eat better. People will make more
money. This will allow more children to go to school for longer
periods of time. They will go to college. And the community will
continue to rise and improve. I'd like to think that my work and the
work of my predecessor here have set them on that path. This new
training concept makes me believe this is possible and gives me hope
I can move the ball forward significantly these 2 years. The fact
that I have at least one change agent ready to work, and already
working, gives me more hope. I am extremely cautiously optimistic.
Now if I can find a few more like her I can work on my photography
skills.
