The views, opinions, and ideas expressed in this blog are solely those of the author. This account does not reflect the views of the government of Togo, Peace Corps Togo, other PC Volunteers, the United States Peace Corps, the US Government, your dog, Kara’s dog, or really anyone but me, because that would be ridiculous.

Friday, May 28, 2010

Get WorldWiser

Hey all. One of Peace Corps's goals is to teach Americans about different cultures. One way we do that is through the WorldWise School program where each of us is partenered with a class of kids. I am partenered with Ms. Nina Drucker's 9th grade Non-Western World History class at a Green Dot school in Watts, CA. Below is a list of questions that they asked me and my response. I bet many people have the same questions and this is a good chance to show what 9th grade students in the US want to know about Africa.

1. When the kids in Africa get sick where does the illness come from?
2. How do they educate themselves?
3. What type of music do they listen to?
4. Do Africans use the bones of dead people to make things?
5. Why are there so many people?
6. Is there a person in Africa that speaks all languages in Africa?
7. How many Africans receive education; and do they take it or do they ignore it?
8. Do all people in Africa wear shoes?
9. Do they feel like they have nothing and are coming from nothing?
10. Why do they make baskets?
11. Are people happy in Africa?
12. What sports do they play?
13. How and where do they get water from?
14. Are there a lot of hospitals?
15. Do people walk around showing each other their privates?
16. Does the US help Africa?
17. What type of food do they eat?
18. What is the currency?

Hey guys, I’m glad that we finally have the chance to communicate, I hope I can help you learn a bit about Africa and the Peace Corps. I’ve done my best to hit all of the questions and include some other stuff that I think you might find interesting too. I hope you enjoy this, and keep the questions coming!

First off, I am serving in Togo, West Africa in the Girls Education and Empowerment Program. French is the language used in school and offices, but many local languages are spoken across the country and continent. I teach English at our high school and also work with students and apprentices to help them better understand things like HIV/AIDS, the importance of goals, how to lead a healthy life. Also I work with the local leadership, like the Chief, to further the goals of women’s equality.

Most illness in Togo is either malaria or diarrhea. Throughout Africa, every year around 2.5 million people die of malaria, mostly children. While I take a weekly pill to protect me, that is just out of the price range for most people in Africa. Their best bet is to sleep under a bed net, as malaria is carried by the mosquito. As for diarrhea, it is spread by the E. coli bacteria, which is on the hands of people that don’t wash their hands after going to the bathroom. That bacteria then can get into food and the body tries to get it out by moving food through the body very quickly, which means diarrhea. The problem is that also a lot of water is passed and dehydration is a big problem, especially in kids.

Here, they have schools like we do in the States, but with a lot less money. Most classrooms are cheap tin roofed and have just palm fronds for walls. Most schools don’t have all the teachers they need, so the teachers have to cover multiple subjects, which no doubt overworks them. For example, before I got here, English was taught by the Math teacher. There are also many young people who do not have the money to go to school. They either end up working in the fields or taking up apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are usually three year programs that teach a trade such as tailoring, hairdressing, or carpentry.

It is a real challenge to keep kids in school. Even with university degrees and PhDs people cannot find jobs and end up back on the farm. Most people here do not have “jobs” as you and I think of them. They mainly work on farms that produce food for their family and then supplement that with a small amount of trading in fuel or household goods, for example.

They are big fans of hip hop music here as well as local drum beats. As there is not much entertainment other that soccer and dancing, music is a big part of all festivities. And soccer is really the only sport here. In some towns there is basketball or even rugby, but a soccer field can be anything and all that is needed is a ball.

While I haven’t seen any human bones, voodoo, or “gri-gri” is pretty common. In most markets there is a guy selling animal bones and little fetishes. And, even people that say the don’t believe in the voodoo will occasionally say things like “watch out for that tree, it’s evil.” Also, scarring is a big part of the culture here. In order to protect young kids, parents will have local healers make small cuts on the faces of the kids that will scar. Some people also have hundreds of little scars down their arms and stomachs as either a form of protection or a sign of strength.

Indeed there are a lot of people. By 2050 there will be 1.5 billion people living in Sub-Saharan Africa. Contraception is not widely used here and in most cultures many children is a sign of strength and are a big help on family farms. In reality, more children are more mouths to feed and more money to be paid for school (or it means more kids that don’t go to school). Also, polygamy is fairly common in the villages. My counterpart, whom I work with the most, has two wives and eight kids. This is not unusual. There are people who understand the difficulties of having large families, but it is still hard to reach everyone and fully explain the consequences.

In Togo, there are over 60 indigenous languages. So far, the most impressive linguist I’ve met is our former Safety and Security Coordinator and current US Embassy staff member that can speak over a dozen of them fluently and converse simply in a dozen or so more. The national language is French, but many people, especially women, cannot speak it. Nearly every activity I do, I work with my counterpart and he translates into Adja for me. As for my language proficiency, I can Speak French and can say the standard greetings in Adja and Ewe (the language next door) and I know several key words, so I can usually understand what people are saying, but I can’t respond in Adja.

Most people were shoes, kind of. Little kids really don’t unless they are going to school. I think all adults do except for the poorest of the poor. The most common shoe here is a cheap sandal that we might use for a shower sandal in a dorm.

People here definitely know that they are poorer than most of the world and view the US and the West as immensely rich places with no problems. Still, people here are able to have fun and enjoy their lives. But, there is some sense that the West has so much and the people here have so little, why don’t they help more?

People in my area really don’t make baskets. They pretty much use whatever they have to hold stuff, usually a large metal basin. And people do carry things on their heads. I’ve seen little girls with basins full of ten gallons of water on their heads walking down the street. Also, it is humorous when they put things on their heads that could easily be carried, like a single notebook, but that is just how they carry things here.

Water sources depend on where you are. In my village we have wells. I pay a kid to pull water for me and fill a 25 gallon barrel on my porch as needed. This water is for my drinking, cooking and showering. Some wells her go dry in the dry season. Luckily, the well near my house doesn’t (usually) go dry. Others in village do and people walk from all over to use the well near me or to the stream in the village.

In my village there is a small clinic. In Prefecture capitals (31 in the country) there are hospitals with doctors. The problem is not really the lack of facilities, but a lack of personnel and resources. There are not enough doctors and not enough resources to support them. For instance, there is no trauma care in Togo. If I get in a car crash and bump my head, I’m pretty much on my own (don’t tell my mom).

The stereotype of African women not wearing shirts is somewhat true. In village, when women are at home, shirts are most definitely optional. And that’s even if I come over to say hey. However, when people are out and about or in bigger towns and cities the keep it locked up.

Every year the US Peace Corps budget is between $360 and $400 million, or on day in Iraq. Also, the US aids Africa through various other aid programs such as USAID and PEPFAR (which is the best thins that President Bush did). The US is definitely here, but it is so much more complicated than just money. So much money is stolen by government officials her, or by other people working on projects. Sadly there is no magic bullet for aid in Africa. Thus, the US and Peace Corps do a little of everything. In Togo we have a health program, a small business program, an environmental program, and the Girls’ Education and Empowerment Program. Also, USAID help on construction projects and other smaller projects. Alos, there are UN agencies, the AID agencies of other nations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) here all working toward “the development” of Togo. It’s hard to tell what has worked and what hasn’t as aid has now become a part of African life. I think that we are coming along bit by bit, but we still have a long way to go.

Food here basically consists of a starch and a spicy sauce. Near me, that usually means either fufu, yams that are pounded into the consistency of uncooked pizza dough, or pâte, which is cornmeal and water. Personally, I eat a lot of rice and beans. A lot.

The currency here is the West African CFA Franc. CFA has stood for many things over the years, but now is referred to as the “Community of Francophone Africa.” It was pegged to the French Franc and is not pegged to the Euro at around 620 CFA (or “cee-fah” to the Euro. Which right now means about 520 CFA to the dollar. And stuff is cheaper here; a large bottle of beer, 66 cl. costs 500 CFA. I can eat for around 300 or 400 CFA per day. Peace corps gives me 129,000 CFA per month for all my expenses: food, transport, housing, help around the house, clothes, etc.

I hope this answers your questions and I look forward to continuing this in the future and explaining more about Africa and the Peace Corps. Let me know if there is anything you’d like more info on. Thanks!

-Joe