My African Adventure

February 21, 2010 | Category: Uncategorized

So if you have been following my twitter feed you probably know I am not in Kansas anymore. On the 10th of February, I stuffed my things in a bag and headed off for the continent of Africa with wide eyes and a bushy tail – ok not a bushy tail but definitely wide eyes.

I came for two reasons: 1. Work; and 2. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to take this adventure.

As part of my work with Plan Canada I was asked to visit our office in South Sudan to assist them in a communications project to help train youth in media production. This might sound like an odd use of time and money at first glance, but the reality is that it is a significant step to both involve young people in improving their communities and to provide young people with a skill set they can continue to use beyond the life of the project.

Young people represent a very important part of the community, and a very important part of understanding the issues that exist within a community and the solutions that exist to alleviate them. During the issue identification stage with a community Plan pays particular attention to ensure that children and youth play a significant role. While adults may often dance around an issue, or try to direct the process where they want, rather than where they need, children, without fail, are brutally honest about the issues that exist in their communities. Unfortunately their participation is not always encouraged by the elders of a community or they may face barriers such as language or the ability to read that prevent them from sufficiently participating. What we have found is that when we target these youth and provide them with both a camera and the training on how to use it, they can tell us exactly what is going on around them that affects their community. It breaks down their boundaries of communication.

So when I was asked to visit our project in South Sudan and conduct this training, I leaped at the opportunity. While this would be my first time to travel with this kind of responsibility, I knew it was something I could do well and learn a lot from. Now Juba, South Sudan isn’t the easiest place to visit – in fact, some of my colleagues thought I was a little crazy – but I figured I was up for the challenge.

In 2005, South Sudan ended a decades long civil war with the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. During the period from 1983 to 2005 much of the infrastructure was reduced to rubble and many of the people fled to neighbouring countries. Once peace was finally determined the result was a fast influx of people coming back to what used to be their homes and communities with the hope of starting anew. What they have been met with is as difficult as any situation could be.

Plan has taken a lead on rebuilding some of the technical and vocational schools that once existed as well as target education at both the school level and the policy level. We have found that in situations of conflict a generation of young people are likely to have grown up without an education. Now in their teenage or early adult years, they return to their communities without education or skills to earn a living. When they can’t earn a living we know the crime rates will go up, and the impacts of poverty will sky rocket. Technical and Vocational Schools provide an opportunity for this group of people to acquire real world skills to help them earn a living and in some cases support their families. It fills the gap until the infrastructure is in place to begin supporting young people with a full education.

But work isn’t the only reason I got on the plane. The second reason I came was my desire to visit the continent of Africa. I can’t remember when it first became my dream but I do know that I was willing to do just about anything to get here. There is something about the sense of adventure and exoticness – and maybe just a bit, ok maybe a lot, to do with my imagination of a world so different from the one I spend my time in, that I couldn’t wait to step outside my comforts and test myself. Now Africa is a big continent with many countries which are vastly different from each other, but when one imagines Africa, they rarely imagine it being anything but one big place. My colleagues will likely mock me for that comment, but the reality is that most people have very little knowledge of the continent of Africa other than the bad things they see on the news, and the environment they see in National Geographic Magazine. So while I have had the opportunity to be educated about the many nuances of Africa, and even find myself in a line of work where it is absolutely necessary to discern the difference between Senegal and Somalia, I still couldn’t help but imagine the place I dreamed of as a child – where the danger of Africa was a thing of adventure.

So while I have come here for work I have managed to: fulfill a dream or two; test myself and prevail (thus far); and face some fears. As the better part of my adventure is behind me I can’t help but feel the same feeling I did the moment I stepped off the plane: I feel at home and I feel at peace. I wish everyone could have – or take – this opportunity. It really is the adventure of a lifetime.

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