counseling, beads, and 4B...oh my!

After a glorious vacation to Vic Falls and hanging out with my friends I went back to my village to start preparing for the new school year. I got back to my village around the 3rd to find out instantly that there had been a “passion killing” in my village. Passion Killings are actually pretty common in Botswana and its when one person in a romantic relationship kills the other person in that relationship…it’s a killing out of “passion.” Not entirely sure I agree with the phrase passion killing, but its what they call it here. It was really awful and tragic. They both live near me and the man killed his girlfriend on the 26th and then killed himself the next day…its just horrific. Its such a small village and everyone knows everyone. I know of at least 4 different people related to the man and women that are now both gone. Due to this horrible event and that the women was the mother to a few of my students I am now bringing counseling to the school. According to the Ministry of Education counseling is required for children that involved/affected by trauma. Which I fully agree with but primary school’s have a guidance teacher, but the guidance teacher isn’t really trained to be one…no extra training goes into these teachers because they are also full-time teachers. And have full class load every day….so needless to say, most primary schools really don’t have much guidance and counseling going on.
So, I wrote up a form, a counseling students form and am having one or more of the teachers in the school counsel the children that are involved in this particular case in hopes that they will help even a little. Talking about your feelings and being open about emotions is not a very culturally accepted practice in Botswana so this whole thing is a learning process for everyone and I’ve had to fight a bit to get in the school at all. My school head and the teachers are typically pretty receptive to the things I want to do, so while I don’t think they entirely understand why I think counseling and trying to help the children understand what is going on is necessary or really even needed…they are going along with it anyways…which is amazing! So, I wrote up a form which is basically having the teachers doing the “discussion” or even just having the kids draw pictures of things or how they feel and then the form asks things like, “what were the topics/issues discussed?” “how can the school help the child/family?” what can be done in class to help?” does the child need referral?” “how is the child coping?”..etc…
The school term started on January 12th and the kids were back to the grind as usual. Same old stuff in Metsi. All of the teachers were re-allocated and moved to teacher a different grade this year, but most of them all went just up a grad/standard, so they are back with the exact same kids they had least year. I spent some time putting up guidance and counseling/life skills posters up in the dining hall along with the Glow banner that the girls made at camp. I caught one of the girls that I took to camp teaching a big group of kids from school some of the songs she learned at camp…I was so excited that she is bringing some of what she learned back to Metsi and are doing it with the kids. She of course immediately saw me listening and then stopped, giggled, and got embarrassed…but I made a big deal about leaving and then heard her start up again. As long as she does it with the kids…then I don’t need to be there…she’s getting less shy and more able to do things around the adults, but baby steps.
So, I’ve been trying really hard to think of ways that I can fundraise for the school, cause for 4B which we are starting NOW we need seeds and equipment which means we need money…which we don’t have. So, I asked the teachers what they thought about teaching the kids how to make the paper beads that I learned how to make here and they said we I should. Apparently a lot of other schools in Bots have the kids make these beads and then sell them to tourists and NGO’s and stuff… So, I had the Deputy Head last Friday morning to announce at Assembly, that we have every morning with the whole school, which is now about 90 something kids, that for any kids that wanted to come to school on Saturday morning at 9am and I would teach them how to make beads. Well I got to school at about 8am on Saturday and about 20-25 kids were already there…by 9 we had 40 something kids and by 9:30 when we started we had over 60 kids…way more children than I thought I’d get. You couldn’t pay children in America to come to school on a Saturday…but these kids loved it…yet, I guess in America we have TV and riding our bikes around the neighborhood…a bit more entertaining than walking around Metsi.
Over 2/3 of the school showed up and we went through about 4 full magazines and the kids made hundreds of beads!!! They seemed to really like it…they had never done it before and were so excited to do something different…it was so cool! Even the little standard one’s (5-6 years) made beads and did a good job…the beads are a bit bigger and not as put together…but they still look like beads and I’m way impressed! It was so cool. 3 of the teachers from my school that stayed for the weekend came and helped me translate to the kids and then made some beads themselves…quickly stopped the bead making when they saw the magazines I had and suddenly JLO and Brad Pitt were way cooler than anything I had to offer…which I don’t blame them! Haha The teachers saw an old people that was sent to me that had all the tribute stuff of Michael Jackson…they thought seeing photos of him as a black little boy was just hilarious…they didn’t really think it was him…. They kept saying, ‘but he looks like us, not you, us!” haha
Anyways, so I still need a few more days for the kids to finish the beads up so that we can form them into jewelry but I’m so excited how well the first time went and how naturally good at it they were…it took me forever to make beads that looked good and I’m still not totally sure the ones I make now are nearly as good.
Parliament came to Metsibotlhoko and had a meeting with all the government officials and influence people, like the chief, Village Development Committee, the elders, and the chief’s headsmen to discuss the village and to talk about whats going on. It was 4 hours long, one the shorter meetings I’ve been too here surprisingly enough and in Setswana the whole time…as usual. I never know whats going on and still ask my school head every time, “do I really have to go to this today?” I’m a whining little 5 year old when it comes to this stuff, she just laughs at me and smiles... which means, “YES!” So, I sat there and they introduced me and thanked me for coming which is still one of the most awkward moments for me. I hate being thanked for going to these meetings because I don’t participate, I can’t, and I don’t do anything…so I’m being thanked for my presence which is most cases is only really wanted because I’m white. I’m being thanked for being white….its just so uncomfortable to me still. I’m getting more used to it cause I have too and my school head claims that that isn’t true, but she can never come up with a different reason…its ok. Being white here is a wonderful and rich thing…its just so weird to me. Anyways, we talked…I mean, they talked about the school, the village, the lack of transport (which isn’t changing and has only lessened in the last few weeks), and other stuff that I didn’t understand. It was all the officials for all districts…it was crazy. It was a big meeting…I didn’t really know that until the end as I usually don’t, but that’s ok. It was good for my school head to be recognized…Metsi did a good thing last year. The 2008 passing rate was 17%...seriously failing and the 2009 passing rate for the last school year was 47%...huge raise! Passing is 60%, so we didn’t totally get there, but we made huge advances and that was recognized and is so good! Out of 27 schools in our district we moved up to number 14 out of 27. The district though is failing badly as a whole…most schools in the district failed as individual schools. Its so sad. The Minister of Health told us at the meeting that Metsibotlhoko Primary School had the biggest passing rate jump for last year and we are the most improved in the district!!!!! YAY!!!! Its something. My school head’s goal is for us to raise it another 25% for this year….so go up to at least 72% for 2010…I think it can be done. Mostly I’m just excited that they have a goal at all and made the effort to set a goal for themselves and raise the standards that they put themselves up to…but that’s just the little Life Skiller in me talking…haha
Also, at the meeting a few of the parents came up in front of the group to talk to parliament about how they don’t have food or money to provide for their children at all…their families aren’t eating and they can’t take care of their kids. Its breaks my heart when that happens. Well, I didn’t understand what happened with that entirely but from my understanding parliament threw that on to my school head and basically said it was the schools and villages responsibility….So, I’m hoping to have a meeting the the elders, VDC and chief to talk about making a community garden to that people can provide for themselves…I have no idea how to totally pull that off yet but I’ll figure it out….its just my first thought, but I think it might help. My second meal plan is still in the grapevine and going through all the motions and people it needs to before I find out if it was approved or not….I really hope it does. The government has taken away food baskets from any and every family that has anyone in it that is able to work….which I understand, but jobs should be secured before they take the baskets away, which they haven’t…so now more than ever do I need the second meal for the kids…it would at least help a bit in the meantime for the children until more changes happen to ensure that everyone in the village is eating.