Don't wait for other people

Project: EPF and EAO Nhamatanda, Mozambique

My job description was to work as a teacher at EPF-Nhamatanda. After some weeks of my arrival in the project I realize I wouldn't feel myself fully satisfied if I would be working only at EPF, since I felt my help was not so urgently needed there. In Lamego there are 3 projects in the same Center (EAO, EPF and Child Aid), and as I knew that EAO (Vocational School) needed a lot of help, I decided to start teaching there as well. Another special characteristic of my time in Africa was planned to be for 6 months, but by the end of this time I decided to stay for another 6 months. So at the end I spent one year in Lamego, a village situated in the district of Nhamatanda, in Sofala province, central Mozambique.

EPF (Escola de Professores do Futuro)

At the beginning my main responsibility at EPF was for the classes of English Specialization (Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening). Besides that I was also giving English classes for 4th level and together with another teacher from EPF I organized the English Specialization Syllabus and made a Syllabus for the 4th level of English. Afterwards I gave some General knowledge classes about Democracy, Human rights, America, Development and Globalization. I also took part in the Supervision for Gaia and Farmers Club Projects and in a Gaia seminar in Chimoio about water pump (quite interesting!). I was also the leader of one of the groups of students, what included grading experiences points, supervision and accompanying of students during their practice in the local Primary School, judging several oral exams, taking part in the teachers' meeting once a week and tutoring of 3rd year students in their final exams. I also organized a Club with students about the World and together with other DIs we did some AIDS campaigns with the students and also established a water filter system in the kitchen of the Center. Moreover I took part in the writing and translation of reports and PIND (Partnership in Development).

I think EPF Lamego had a good organizational structure, which in a way is good because they didn't depend on DIs to keep working and functioning. On the other hand it was difficult to find something which I could really do at EPF. When I arrived I was offered to take part in GAIA and Farmers Club projects, to give English classes and have some kind of Club with the students. The GAIA and Farmers Club projects were already well structured, and I couldn't see how I could help it. For sure it was a great experience to work with it, because I have learned several things which I later on applied in my work at EAO. But I don't think I did a lot for these projects within EPF. I tried to have a World Club once a week during the night programs, but it didn't work very well.

After some time things got better. I learned a bit how to deal with EPF teachers, project leader and students, I got other duties, and I knew how things could work. So towards the end of my time in Mozambique I was working more at EPF.

I think my main success at EPF was my English Specialization classes. I spent a lot of time per week with my students (around 12). Most of them had nice English, so my main success was not in teaching them English, but in bringing to the classroom important subjects for discussion as "development", "alcohol", "culture", etc. We had really interesting conversations and discussions, and I believe that at least I made some of them start to think about some issues. As a Final Paper I asked them to produce a Story Book for children in English. The results were really nice!

EAO (Escola de Artes e Ofícios)

At EAO there was a lack of regular teachers, so I started teaching Biology and English classes. It meant that I needed to "relearn" some Biology. I was also the teacher for the Practice classes for 1st level Community Instructors (which included talks in the community about hygiene and drinkable water, planting of moringa seeds, demonstration of how a water filter works, digging of pit wholes and cleaning action in the market, building of wood-saving stoves, visit to an orphanage and to the Day Hospital) and Practice classes for 2nd level Community Instructors (which included visit to the Day Hospital and to an orphanage, planting of 50 moringa trees in the community and in the ADPP Center, talks in the community about water, work with children in the Community Center, work with TCE field officers and Child Aid volunteers). I also taught Sanitary Education classes (including specialization in AIDS issues, STD and First Aid class given by another DI) and helped with the composition of the Syllabus for this subject.

At EAO I felt myself much more realized and useful than at EPF because I had space and field to work. EPF students and EAO students are very different in general. EPF students are older and more serious; they respect you and accept most of the things you tell them. EAO students are younger (around 14-18), so they are childish, joking all the time, questioning you. For me it was fun! I can say I got more involved with them, but I also loved to teach EPF students, because there were subjects that EAO students would understand or absorb as much as EPF students. I feel that I accomplished a lot of things at EAO, I was in constant contact with students and taking them to the community all the time, and by doing this I tried to show the importance of this relationship ADPP Center – Community.

The community center

Outside ADPP Center, I was working together with other DIs and a couple from the community in the setting up of a Community Center for children, mainly orphans. It took me a great deal of my time and energy, since it was something we started from the beginning with our own ideas and money. It would take me a lot of lines to tell all the stories involved in this project. What I can say is that development takes time, lots of it, and even more patience.

Our objective was to have a Community Center where children would find a place to learn, play, dance, sing and have shelter if needed. We managed to realize a lot of activities involving cultural dances, theater, singing, and it was amazing to see how the children enjoyed it and were taking profit of it. They were really flourishing and getting confident in themselves, knowing that they were able to do something that pleased other people.

We were also successful in starting some income generating projects such as producing and selling sculptures, mini store selling basic products, machambas (beans, rice and corn gardens), etc. Some of them worked fine, some of them not as much, others didn't work at all. We also had the goal to construct a concrete building where some activities could take place and some rooms for the orphans. We managed to make some of the rooms which were built with local material (mud, grass, etc). The concrete building hasn't been done yet, but the project is still running with the big help of one of the project leaders (former DI) in Lamego, but still finds lots of obstacles. To rely on local people can be amazing and is totally necessary for sustainable development, but it is not easy.

My extra 6 months

When I decided to stay for another 6 months I made a list of things that I wanted to do. Here we go: Keep teaching at EPF and EAO, Keep working with Gaia and Farmers club projects, Implement Gaia Project at EAO (with Community Instructor students), Get partnerships for EPF and EAO, Have a culture club with students, Organize the English Specialization Syllabus; Make a Syllabus for the English 4th level at EPF, Organize AIDS club with students from EPF and EAO, Keep going with the Community Center and Start helping DIs with Portuguese. I am happy to say that I realized most of the things I planned.

I have learned so many things in Africa. I've learned to be more patient, to appreciate food and clean water, to appreciate a fan in a hot night. I've learned to eat snake, snail and deer. I've learned to pick rice and corn from the crop. I've learned to make a wood-saving stove. I've learned how people can suffer in silence. I've learned to sing and say some words in Sena. I have learned that you cannot trust everybody, but that some people will always be there for you. I've learned that to see the truth about something depends from which point of view you are looking at it. I've learned that even when you have almost nothing you can be grateful for what you have; that when you think that somebody has no more energy to keep going, she will stand up and keep walking. I have learned to appreciate every single second of life which is given to us, enjoy happy moments, cry in the sad ones and forget them. I've learned how to dance and not care what other people think about it. I've learned a lot about myself. I have learned how we, human beings can be weak, selfish, mean; or strong, helpful, friendly, sharing and cheerful; it is up to us. Things that I have learned… things that Africa has taught me… unforgettable ones.

I miss my life in Africa a lot. I would say that I have carried with me some of Africa as Africa has kept some of me with itself, a reason for me to go back. What I experienced in Africa enabled me to see things that were not possible before. Africa has changed my life and the way I see life forever.

Felipe Franco

"Each day I live I get more convinced that the waste of life is in the love that we don't give, in the strength that we don't use, in the selfish cautiousness that nothing risks, and that, getting away from the suffering, we also miss the happiness.
The pain is inevitable.
The suffering is an option."