original school buildings. It was built about 30
years ago and doesn't look like it has been re-painted
since.
The paint was that left over by the visiting Kemnay
school in Scotland. They painted the administration
and teachers office building and there is enough paint
left over to paint at least the front of the building in
the picture and also at least one of the sides.
The paint was donated, I've done a lot of the painting
(with the school's principal) and the question is ...
where is the sustainability in it all? A good question, eh?
The sustainability is on the horizon as today I spoke
to a few teachers about initiating some event fund raisers
to receive money to buy paint which will allows us to
finish painting the outside of the building.
Also, now that the outside will be looking good then of
course next step is, yep, the inside.
It is interesting the path of development. It isn't as easy
as ... shouldn't they know what to do or ... why haven't
they done this already. Most of the times that is the exact
questions to ask but instead of judging, one should search
for the answer and then formalize a solution.
I've found at this school a big dose of demoralization and
an equal amount of lack of imagination. That's usually where
us as volunteers come in. To help animate and stoke the
fires of imagination.
So at the beginning of changing the situation there is some
positive action that is needed. To do it in what would be the
perfect definition of sustainability, people would just be
falling over each other to be the first in line to help. But,
the reason why their not is the reason why there is the
problem in the first place.
My thought is to begin a positive activity and in this case it
is painting (very visual) and re-newing and providing a
spectacle and a topic of discussion.
The students see an adult taking charge and working to
better their environment and also, I've noticed that even
the teachers are more upbeat about what is happening in
the school.
Also, part of my strategy to have invested my effort and
time into the painting project, and with that I have a vested
interest in it and also, a say. Like, hey man, look at all the
work I put in to this and your not going to try and raise
funds to finish painting the building, what ta hey. Arguments
of that nature will be my arsenal in the fight to inject these
people on the most noble path to sustainability.
Will keep you guys updated as to how it will all pan out.
Under the category of ... what are the mathematical probabilities
of this happening is ... the encounter I had this morning in the
center of the village. As I was walking up to the village's only
coffee shop I see these two white guys drinking a tea. They
introduce themselves and I didn't catch the first guy's name.
But I did the second and I want to ask anyone who was a
volunteer with me in the past to guess from which country these
guys are from. Does the name Bogdan give anyone a clue?
Yeah, incredible, these guys are from Romania, the country I
just came from after spending two and a half years in.
We were out there speaking Romanian for over an hour and
it was just one wacky thing to be 45 miles out in the bush
of an African country speaking that language of Romania.
I was surprised to see them and I am sure the last thing they
expected was to meet a person from the States who can
speak their language.
Got to say, I love these type of things.
Now I am wondering if tomorrow I'll be meeting someone
from El Salvador or Senegal in the village. Better start practicing
the Spanish and Pulaar Fulakunda just in case.
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