Gender Equality

I met a Catholic father yesterday. He is Irish, but serves here in Namibia. We got into a good discussion about gender equality. We both were discussing how we have observed this in Namibia.

Too often, women here are not respected. Gender equality, power, the place and positionality of women and girls in society, combined with the realities of extreme poverty and a high unemployment rate make it challenging for women to assert their power, gain independence and to develop a strong sense of self-confidence.

Namibia has one of the highest Gini coefficients in the world, meaning it is one of the countries with the most unequal wealth distribution. In addition, the legacy of apartheid is dark and apparent. The way blacks and whites talk to and about each other is often rife with acrimony and distrust. It will take time for the country to heal, and perhaps to reach a time where there is greater social justice and a more fair chance for the poor of Namibia to improve their circumstances.

How do we untangle this web of poverty, gender inequality and economic injustice? Where do you start?

It was Theodore Roosevelt who said “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.”

Peace Corps is a grassroots program and thus we are working on the ground-level. At the school where I work, we have founded a youth empowerment and gender equality club. The students are meant to be change agents. The goal is for them to manifest all of their greatness, and to cultivate a strong sense of self-confidence. We are starting small, but the work which lies ahead is daunting. The roots of patriarchy run deep. We must take strong steps forward and work towards a day of a more empowered, confident generation of youth and greater gender and economic equality.

If anyone can get us there, it is surely our youth – with all of their idealism, passion and energy. Let them propel us forward. As a colleague of mine said once, the youth are not the leaders of tomorrow, they are TODAY. They are already before us as leaders.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” ― Margaret Mead

You build, sometimes you tear down, and you build again

To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under the sun. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to pluck up that which is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal ... a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance ... a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing; a time to lose and a time to seek; a time to rend and a time to sew; a time to keep silent and a time to speak; a time to love and a time to hate; a time for war and a time for peace. ecclesiastes 3:1-8

In my village, there is a group of people called the “Shack-dwellers.” This is a nation-wide organization, in which citizens organize themselves and gather together to form a cooperative, staking claim over a plot of land, and pooling their resources to buy larger quantities of building materials at lower prices. They are then able to build nice, cement and concrete houses.

I noticed a parallel between this project and the various struggles and challenges that life throws our way. As I was walking by the construction, I noticed that while some of the houses are right on track, and look great, others are crooked and askew, looking precarious. Others have holes where the cement bricks were not correctly laid, leaving holes and irregularities in the walls. Later, I heard that some of the “shack-dwellers” will have to tear down their first attempts and re-build. So frustrating to build something, put a lot of effort into your project, only to have it not work out, and for you to have to start again from the beginning.

But this is exactly how life is. How many times have you gone down one path, only to realize it is the wrong way? That you had to turn around, start over, and begin afresh. It is always daunting to start over, but sometimes it is the only way to build a straight and sturdy house, on a strong foundation.

I admire these shack-dwellers for having the tenacity and courage to rebuild when they need to, to ask friends and community members for advice when they don’t know how to do something. And I admire all of us who are not afraid to recalibrate, to start over when necessary, and to try again and again to get things back on course.

(Below, you can see the shack-dwellers work, and an example of some of the imperfections. You can also see how the bricks are made.)

And here is one of my best friends at site; she is with her new baby:

And an example of the recent “facelifts” that have taken place in our village. This beautiful café, butchery and general store is a wonderful gathering place for our community.. “Ohange” means peace, as you can see in the title – and I love the name of their café, “Look 4ward!” This positive outlook epitomizes the youth who run this butchery and café!

Below are some of the world’s cutest kids, who I met on the way to the post office today:

And finally, after the rain…there is sometimes a double rainbow…check it out!

Peace Corps Approach to Development

As a Peace Corps volunteer, it is important to have a diplomatic, open and flexible approach to development, but also a critical and questioning approach to our work. If one is to begin with a brief history of development*, you can begin with the Marshall Plan after WWII, which brought in large-scale economic recovery, followed by modernization in 1950-60. From 1960 to 1970, there were big spikes in oil prices in countries such as the Middle East which suddenly had petrodollars. This resulted in loans from these affluent countries to developing ones, leading to a dependency on the richer countries. 1970-80 brought globalization and structural adjustment, in which development countries were forced to slash there national government budgets and to drastically reduce public health care and education. The results of structural adjustment have been catastrophic, and have essentially brought gross human rights violation to many countries, with many citizens left in dire need of basic health care and education. 1980-90 brough a basic needs approach and many non-governmental organizations emerged to meet this need. From 1990 to the present, the focus of development is mainly on human development.

For Peace Corps as an organization, the approach is people-centered. The focus is on people, not things. With Peace Corps, process equals product. The strategy is bottom-up, with people and our communities defining our development agenda. We are implored as volunteers to be reflective and to NEVER ASSUME that we know what is best. This is key– let the local community lead. They hold the knowledge and expertise of their culture, community, and local resources. Peace Corps Volunteers are meant to be in an accompaniment role, as facilitators, supports and sometimes project co-managers.

Peace Corps believes in a long-term vision approach. There are simply no quick fixes or temporary solutions. The idea is participatory and inclusive. Everyone has an equal voice and should own the process. We focus on capacity-building, believing that the greatest resource is the human one. Our main goal is sustainability – when we leave, there should be no change in the projects with which we are involved, because local leadership continues to be at the helm.

As Nancy Bacon, international development consultant and founder of Sou Digna, states, “Changing a culture (or society) in the long term requires the full and equal participation of those within that culture.” Taking a look at her development spectrum below is also helpful in defining the goals of development, and complements the Peace Corps approach to development quite well. In a University of Washington lecture, Bacon and Anita Verna Crofts discussed the development spectrum as shown below, with the goal being on long-term, transformational change. Such change takes time to implement, but it is the only way for locally-led, sustainable development to occur.

* Much of this post is based on a presentation given by Gilbert Collins, Peace Corps Namibia Country Director.

2013 FLYS IN!

The school year is off to a chaotic start. Perhaps it appears that way to me only, as an outsider here, caught in the cultural norms and differences between the U.S. and Namibia. Here, it takes a lot of time to register and enroll our students. We have technically been in session for two days, but no classes have as of yet taken place. (The academic year here mirrors the calendar year, with classes beginning in January and ending in December.)

In positive news, our students last year did very well. They had an over 70% pass rate, and ranked in the top ten in our region! This means teacher and student morale has recovered after the down note of the strike, which concluded 2012.

We are looking forward to the new school year and anxiously waiting to get started. Additionally, Penehafo and I will begin a women’s group in our village. We aim for this to be a positive and supportive outlet and source of support and inspiration for the women and girls in our village.

I trust and hope that YOUR 2013 is off to a good start!

The Invitation

by Oriah Mountain Dreamer

It doesn't interest me what you do for a living. I want to know what you ache for and if you dare to dream of meeting your heart's longing.

It doesn't interest me how old you are. I want to know if you will risk looking like a fool for love, for your dream, for the adventure of being alive.

It doesn't interest me what planets are squaring your moon. I want to know if you have touched the centre of your own sorrow, if you have been opened by life's betrayals or have become shrivelled and closed from fear of further pain.

I want to know if you can sit with pain, mine or your own, without moving to hide it, or fade it, or fix it.

I want to know if you can be with joy, mine or your own; if you can dance with wildness and let the ecstasy fill you to the tips of your fingers and toes without cautioning us to be careful, be realistic, remember the limitations of being human.

It doesn't interest me if the story you are telling me is true. I want to know if you can disappoint another to be true to yourself. If you can bear the accusation of betrayal and not betray your own soul. If you can be faithless and therefore trustworthy.

I want to know if you can see Beauty even when it is not pretty every day. And if you can source your own life from its presence.

I want to know if you can live with failure, yours and mine, and still stand at the edge of the lake and shout to the silver of the full moon, 'Yes.'

It doesn't interest me to know where you live or how much money you have. I want to know if you can get up after the night of grief and despair, weary and bruised to the bone and do what needs to be done to feed the children.

It doesn't interest me who you know or how you came to be here. I want to know if you will stand in the centre of the fire with me and not shrink back.

It doesn't interest me where or what or with whom you have studied. I want to know what sustains you from the inside when all else falls away.

I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company you keep in the empty moments.

Wisdom from the Margins, and the Greater Common Good

Bill Grace is an author, motivational speaker, consultant, and social justice and human rights leader. His recent book The Rock is a highly recommended, visionary work, urging us all to commit our lives to the greater common good. Bill’s work is key to turning the tides towards a common vision of social justice in which we recognize our inherent interconnectedness and the vital role that each of us play in this journey.

Grace cites Ambrose Redmoon who said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear.” He goes on to say that “courage begins with recognizing our fears and continues with our stepping into them, saying, “I am afraid and I will move ahead anyways because I know what is right.” Complementing these reflections on fear and forward movement is visionary and activist, former leader of Burma, Aung Sun Suu Kyi, who was placed under house arrest for years after facing death by the opposition military junta of Burma who were threatened by her democratic leadership. Suu Kyi is a study in inspiration and leadership – she gave up most everything, including her husband, children and freedom, in the interest of honoring and protecting her country. Suu Kyi said that, “courage comes from cultivating the habit of refusing to let fear dictate one’s actions – ‘grace under pressure.” She mastered this, and there is so much we can learn from her fearlessness and grace. Fear is not to be avoided; it is often the most powerful teacher and ally. If we can have the courage to walk through the fire, to slay the dragons of fear, doubt and despair, we have every potential to contribute to the greater common good.

Grace goes on, quoting Cornel West, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” I love this quote! Grace discusses existential freedom, the freedom to be fully present and fully responsible for one’s life, and to live life focused on a purpose greater than one’s self. This reminds me of the many times that I have been reminded that there is no safety in silence. When we are quiet about what we believe in, when we silence the voice for justice that is within each of us, we dishonor ourselves, those around us, and the world which desperately needs all of us, our service and our best selves. As Marianne Williamson says, “by letting your own light shine, you unconsciously give others permission to do the same.”

In systems of the oppressor and the oppressed, which is not a duality, but which we all experience to some extent within ourselves, Grace says that people “realize there may well be a price to pay for challenging the system and that they are already paying a price for their passivity.” Thus, it is up to each of us; which price are we willing to pay? The price of silence, of making concession after concession until you don’t know who you are any more, of a silent death, or the price of shining the light, using your voice, and standing up to injustices. Paulo Coelho talks about the risk of following your dreams, and states that the greater risk is never trying, of never living up to your potential. It is the same concept, we risk by standing up and speaking our minds, we risk by following our dreams and living our most authentic lives – but at a certain point, there is simply no other choice. There is nowhere left to hide.

Mary Oliver said that, “There was a new voice, which you slowly recognized as your own, that kept you company as you strode deeper and deeper into the world, determined to do the only thing you could do – determined to save the only life you could save.”

Save your own life. Use your voice, discover it, express it, and use it to proclaim your own vision.

Penahafo Imbirikani

This blog post is about my good friend and local inspiration, Penahafo Imbirikani. Penahafo is an amazing business-woman. She comes from a difficult background, having struggled as a child even to have enough to eat. Today, she owns a butchery and general store, and runs a kindergarten for our village. She is inspirational in every way – kind to others, confident in her businesses, and hopeful and optimistic for the future of our community. I sat down to talk with Penahafo recently to learn some of the secrets to her success.

I asked her how she has achieved such success, especially given a challenging start in life. It had everything to do with her attitude. She ignored the difficulties that she faced. She tried to look deep within her challenges to understand why they were happening. She set high goals for herself, and emulated others that she respected, following their path to become a successful businesswoman. Her focus was also consistently on service. What guided her in opening a kindergarten was an assessment of the local community’s needs. She saw that the youngest children were not being taken care of, were not being educated, and she set out to fill this gap.

Having come back recently from being away for a few weeks, I noticed significant changes and improvements in our village. There is a group of individuals who have organized under the “shack-dwellers” organization and have begun building nice, concrete houses for themselves. Also, several businesses in our local township have new storefronts, beautifully painted signs and advertisements. This face-lift works wonders for the morale and physical aesthetics in an often dusty, dirty and quite impoverished place. Beyond these steps forward, I wanted to know what Penahafo’s vision for the future of our village is. It is a bright one. She can see beyond the suffering of the present to a brighter future – to a place where people are not mired in poverty or at a high risk of ending up in jail. She sees youth respecting themselves, people waking up in the morning with purpose, knowing that important and fulfilling work awaits them. She wants women to “respect their womanhood” and to have peace in their lives, pockets of calm and serenity amidst the noisy and chaotic reality of the township. She aims to show them love and acceptance. Maybe one of the worst perils of poverty is its lure into hopelessness, into a loss of dignity. When you have very little, when everything is a struggle, it is a test of the human spirit to remain optimistic. I see Penahafo as just the recipe to reverse this trend. She has many times simply spoken with her neighbors, given them a hug, shared what material help she can, and these small acts have turned the tides. People need to know that they are cared about, that they are part of something great. People need human connection.

Penahafo is a Christian, and feels led by the word of God. She hopes to help others also to live long and happy lives. Penahafo embodies leadership and is a tremendous beacon of hope. I can’t wait to see what the New Year holds, and to accompany and support Penahafo and our other community members.

Tribute to Lydia – R.I.P.

This blog post is in tribute to my friend Lydia. Lydia passed away shortly after New Years, having been diagnosed with bacterial meningitis on December 22. What an awful holiday season for her family. Lydia was a good friend of mine, one of my first friends at site. Before she even knew me at all, she went out of her way to invite me out of town to her home, hosting me in a very warm and gracious manner. She also impressed me with her love and care for both her family and for her community. I mentioned her in a past blog post. She is the one who had a friend who living with HIV; and who comes to her house sometimes and cooks maize meal for himself when he is in need and hungry. This is the type of person Lydia was – always looking out for others. She told me that at a school where she used to work, she brought sandwiches for the students that didn’t have any food to eat during break time. She struck me as someone who was always giving, and always thinking about other people, the epitome of compassion.

It is really hard to understand why God would take someone like Lydia. It is hard to accept that her small children and lovely husband will no longer have her physical presence and love, her warm and guiding hand in their home. This illness came suddenly and violently and took her life within a matter of weeks. The only positive message that might be taken away from Lydia’s death is a gentle reminder about how fragile and precious our lives are, of our own immortality and the need to be present and aware, conscious in our days and thankful for the time that we are given.

Here is to you, Lydia – thank you for being a drum major for justice on our planet. Thank you for your contribution to your family, to our community, and to your school where you showed your leadership as school secretary in our small village. We all love you very much and will pray for your children and husband.

Photos !

Below are photos from my holiday travels:

In the PC Office, a sign I love:

First was Swakopmund:

We went dune climbing and jumping. The juxtaposition of the dunes and the ocean is really beautiful and refreshing.

Next, a photo of the terrain on the way to Luderitz…

Here is the Luderitz coast and harbor:

Below are photos from a boat tour we went on. We saw heavyside dolphins (2nd smallest dolphins on earth), seals and penguins. You can see the dolphins and penguins below:

Just outside of Luderitz is Kolmanskop, which I wrote about earlier. Here are some photos of the deserted ghost town, where nature and the dunes are taking over.

Here is to everything you dream of in 2013!

Drum Majors for Justice

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking in depth with a rather extraordinary Namibian. My friend is more than 70 years old and lived through the Namibian liberation struggle and more. He was politically involved such that his life was endangered and his family had to live overseas for a while. Life in Namibia during the independence struggle was extremely dangerous. Northern Namibia during that time was all-out war with landmines, South African occupation and much violence. You simply didn’t know from day to day if you were destined to live or die. At a certain point, you just accepted that and carried on with your life – not knowing when you might lose it. My friend told me one especially bone-chilling story which took place during this time. Unfortunately, one night his daughter had suffered some burns. During this time, none of the black Namibians were allowed to travel outside their homes after dark. There was a strict apartheid curfew. Knowing this, he also knew he had to get his daughter to a doctor, or she risked death. When he ventured out, the first words he heard were from a South African soldier:

“Shoot the man dead.”

The thoughts that must race through your mind at that final moment when you realize you are taking your last breaths! Very fortunately, a commanding officer overseeing the soldiers ordered all guns down, and after hearing the situation, allowed the girl to be taken to the doctor. But the story sheds light on what a dire and oppressive situation many Namibians faced before independence. I am in awe, thinking of the courage that the resistance workers had when championing Namibian independence. It must have seemed an impossible situation – yet their efforts paid off when Namibia became free in 1990.

Revolutionaries and forward-thinkers have transformed our world throughout time and continue to do so. Let us all join this movement, and become champions of social justice and the greater common good. As Martin Luther King Junior said, “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality.”

Here’s honoring everyone, past, present and future, who also, in Martin Luther King Junior’s words, "is a drum major for justice.”

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently.

They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward.

And while some may see them as crazy, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do."

~Jack Kerouac

The Peace Corps Application Process

I have been meaning to write for some time about the Peace Corps Application Process. If you have ever thought about applying for the Peace Corps, here is some information about it, and how the experience was for me. To actually apply, visit here: http://www.peacecorps.gov/

The first thing you should know, is that you have to be very patient! The application process can take over a year or more! It is best if you have other primary projects (work, school, etc.) while you are going through the application process. (Don’t put your life on hold during the process – you could become very frustrated!)

In addition to the online application and a number of essays and statements of motivation – all applicants must undergo a comprehensive medical and background check. Again, this can take a very long time. I am fortunately quite healthy, but even in my case, Peace Corps required extensive medical information. After you submit your application, you have an initial screening interview, usually with a new Peace Corps staff member just returned from his or her service. Shortly thereafter, you will (hopefully) be nominated. You will then have another interview with your Peace Corps recruiter. You may be advised of steps you can take to strengthen your application (such as learning another language, volunteering in an ESL classroom, etc.). As a nominee, it isn’t 100% that you will be selected to serve in the Peace Corps. That is only official after you have received your invitation. The invitation states exactly where and in what capacity you will serve. You select a region of the world within which you want to serve; Peace Corps assigns you the specific country. The main Peace Corps roles are teaching, health and small enterprise business development. You should also know that if you’ve had a major life change (marriage, divorce, a death in your family, etc.), Peace Corps requires an additional one year waiting period.

So as you can see, the Peace Corps application process is extensive, but worth it. If you are eager for an overseas experience, other options include: teaching English overseas, the Fulbright program, Global Health Volunteer Corps, USAID internships and positions, Catholic Relief Services internships and positions, and for study abroad students – the Gilman, NSEP and many other scholarship programs.

Good luck and Godspeed!