My first time in the snow. I’m pretty sure I coerced my father into building a snowman for me…

I serve because I am holding fast to my dreams and want to teach others to be able to. I serve because my dad supported all of my outlandish dreams in my life, one of which brought me all the way across the world to South Africa.

When I was in the fourth grade (or so I think), I got this idea that I wanted to be a broadcast journalist. I would take my dad’s Sony camera and practice newscasts, film TV shows and infomericals with my friends in my spare time throughout middle school.

Some Christmases ago, my dad gave me a book called, “Breaking into Television”. It was some adult ‘all about’ the broadcast journalism industry and far beyond my reading capacity, but I kept that book.

As young as I was, my dad was already actively telling me to follow my dreams, which I followed to college as a journo major. Years later, staying true to a similar theme, “Walter Cronkite” would give me Christmas presents – like a snazzy voice recorder.

The Peace Corps has been a dream of mine for a good while. I always knew I was going to do it, regardless of what people would say. And yes, my mother told me otherwise. Anytime it was brought up, she told I’d get raped.

My dad just basically said, “Ok, cool. Go for it.”

So what’s this long anecdote have to do with Father’s Day? Well, I want to celebrate my father, who has never once told me I couldn’t do something and supported every big dream I’ve had. Maybe he’s learned after 24 years of dealing with me that I’m a stubborn piece of work and won’t take no for an answer, but at least he trusts that I am making the right decisions and everything will always work out.

Earlier this year he told me, as our favorite musician Bruce Springsteen said, “Liz, keep working on your dream.”

I wish all the kids I’ve come into contact with during my service years had someone in their life consistently like my dad. I try my best to be that person.

I’ll keep working on my dream. Thanks for always supporting it, Tom Warden!

“Amandla” means “power” in isiZulu – because reading is an infinite and undeniable power any child can harness if he or she has access to grade-level appropriate books. Through Project Amandla, my learners and approximately 16,000 other South African students will be given the power of literacy.

I could write anecdote upon anecdotes of heartfelt service stories about why my kids are deserving of these books. Here’s a few:

• The day I opened my library, my grade 5 girls were skipping around the library (and doing some Zulu traditional dances) because they were so excited that it was finally opening.
• Dumsani, a grade 6 learner with “special needs”, checks out a book from the library nearly every day.
• Nolwazi, one of the brightest grade 7 learners, read the only series of chapter books we have within two weeks.
• That one kid Sebetsang, who I’ve written about before, has been reading Roald Dahl stories that are giving him inspiration for more of his stories.
• Spheamandla, the learner I detailed in my project’s description, is in the library during ANY free time at school – reading anything and everything he can get his hands on.
• My grade 5s will have read every book my school owns that is at their level by the end of this school year.
• My grade 7s need a library at their secondary school to continue reading and exploring a world outside of the very routine, boring and dysfunctional South African education system (i.e. copy notes, answer questions, repeat; government expectations are too high, especially when learners have no access to books for research).
• Two libraries in my community will help these kids take ownership of their education by enjoying reading and thus developing their English vocabulary and comprehension skills.

Spheamandla and other grade 7 learners checking out a book for the first time in their lives

To donate funds, view our project link on the Peace Corps Website here: https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-674-004; $20 will send 15 books to my learners!

For more information about the nonprofit Books for Africa please visit: www.booksforafrica.org

For more information about my secondary library project please visit: Liz’s Peace Corps Secondary Projects

For more information about Project Amandla, please read  the Peace Corps Partnership Program Grant I wrote that explains the background of my community, project implementation, sustainability of the project, desired outcome of the project, etc.

Thank you for helping me make a difference in the lives of these kids who I love dearly and believe deserve a shot at a decent education. We hope to have these books in South Africa by October!

Nolwazi (center), Sebetsang (far right) and other grade 7 learners thank you!

Yours in Service,
Liz

Peace Corps Partnership Program Grant — Project Amandla

Visit Project Amandla on the Peace Corps Website

Project Description:

When a Peace Corps Volunteer asked a grade seven learner, Spheamandla, why there should be a library at school, he wrote: “I haven’t learned that much so I want to be in the library all the time so I can learn many things and achieve my dreams.”

This learner represents the majority in rural South Africa. Rural black schools have limited access to resources like library books – only 7.5 percent of schools in South Africa own library books. Likewise, these students are struggling in school; in 2012, only 15 percent of 12 year-olds scored at or above minimum proficiency (40 percent) in the Department of Education’s national literacy test.

Project Amandla will receive a container of 22,000 English books from the US non-profit, Books for Africa. Thirty rural South African schools and organizations are participating in Project Amandla. Together, the respective communities are dedicated to raising and contributing $6,500 (41 percent of the necessary $16,000) of the shipping costs.

With your help, we can reach our fundraising goal for book shipment and each school or organization will receive 733 books to help build this country for a better, more literate tomorrow.

Describe the background of the community, and what priority this project addresses:

Sixteen of the schools and organizations participating in Project Amandla are within the Nquthu Municipality of KwaZulu-Natal and 14 reside in other areas of KZN, and the Limpopo, Mpumalanga provinces, but all face similar challenges of the Nquthu Municipality.
Nquthu Municipality is home to roughly 165,000 people of Zulu and Sesotho decent, more than 90 percent of whom live in rural communities. South African students learn English as their second language, but have little exposure to English outside of school. Teachers predominately speak isiZulu at school and children live with illiterate guardians who do not speak any English or are orphans. Inevitably, the younger rural generation’s English development suffers — many are up to three reading levels behind the grade they are enrolled in; some are up to five years older than their peers because they are continuously held back due to illiteracy. Many students cannot complete the coursework because they do not have the vocabulary or reading skills to do so, and lack the support at home.
Project Amandla enables these rural communities to develop or enhance libraries; each participant will receive approximately 733 books from the US nonprofit Books for Africa. These books will give students access to grade-level appropriate books and English books of a variety, which will enhance the student’s reading skills and vocabulary and empower them for their futures. All communities are thrilled about Project Amandla because they are dedicated to help their community’s children succeed in school and life, but have few resources to do so.

How is the community the driving force behind this project?

Each school or organization that is participating in Project Amandla submitted an application that was approved PCV Project Coordinators Elizabeth Warden and Katrina Naeve. The application required participants to have a Book Utilization Plan, an identifiable South African counterpart who will be in charge of the Book Utilization Plan and a fundraising plan. The Book Utilization Plan requires that each organization or school has a concrete plan on how the books will be used and a secure room with furniture for them. Some Project Amandla participants already have functioning libraries that are overseen by a South African counterpart but ran by responsible student library monitors. Others will be creating the first libraries at their schools and will incorporate the books into the school’s curriculum, host reading competitions and library opening ceremonies. Likewise, all communities are required to raise 2,000 South African Rand through community donations, school and community event and casual dress Fridays. Thus, all South African counterparts have been active with the process since day one. We also have invested interest from The David Rattray Foundation, a South African educational non-profit that functions within the Nquthu Municipality. Thirteen of the schools participating in this project are also schools that are overseen by the David Rattray Foundation. The David Rattray Foundation works with PCVs in the Nquthu area to help implement and sustain school development projects like libraries. The CEO of the David Rattray Foundation has agreed to donate R26,000 ($2,600 USD) to this project.

Briefly describe the desired outcome of the project:

The mission of Project Amandla is simple and obtainable. We hope that through access to libraries and books, students will practice their English and learn how to read or further their reading skills. If these rural students get more exposure to English vocabulary at school with books that are appropriate for their diverse reading levels, they will be able to speak it and complete all their coursework in English. The easier school gets for these students the more likely they are to pass current classes and later graduate from secondary school, as currently only a third of black students in South Africa do. Those students who pass matric, the grade 12 graduation examination, will have enough skills to move onto university or be employed. Youth unemployment in South Africa is more than 50 percent because many youth, especially in rural areas, dropout of school and are unskilled. Project Amandla can better prepare black rural youth for new opportunities by giving them the power of literacy. Although South Africa has 11 official languages, one must speak English to work in a formal job setting. Each generation in South Africa can work to create equality within this country and build capacity for the next generation through literacy. In the long run, Project Amandla gives these learners who become literate the power to help their siblings and future children in the rural areas, and so on.

Describe the implementation plan that will be used to achieve the goals and objectives of this project. Do you foresee any challenges to the project implementation?

While schools and organizations are fundraising, they have also been asked to fill out a Book List that specifies what types of books and the quantities of suitable books they hope to receive from Books for Africa. Each Project Amandla participant will receive a match or close match to the order. After the 733 books arrive at the schools and organizations, PCVs and a South African who is designated to be responsible for the books will work together to create a library or enhance a school or community library by adding the new books. Project coordinator Elizabeth Warden will distribute library training resources she has written, collected and adapted. These resources teach PCVs and counterparts how to make an accession register for the library books, categorize the books based on subject and reading level and create a student-friendly library organization system for the students. Once the libraries are ready for use, communities will host opening ceremonies and then learners will have access to reading the books at school and checking them out to bring home. Project Amandla participants do not see any challenges that could block any part of the implementation plan because all participants have expressed an immediate need and interest in the project because they took the time to apply and create a Book Utilization Plan. The PCVs involved in the process have designed a delivery plan to distribute the books from a central location. We will be renting a truck and trailer to deliver the books, which is detailed in the budget. This will ensure that the books reach their final destinations in a timely manner.

How will the project contribute to building skills and capacity within the community?

As Project Amandla incorporates 30 schools and organizations, approximately 16,000 of South African learners and 360 teachers will be affected and reap the benefits of the books. Each new school year, approximately 2,000 new learners will come into contact with the library books from Project Amandla, and with a decade, 20,000 or so more learners will have done so. The more exposure learners have to books can only help them succeed in school and expand their English vocabulary and language skills. Children must be motivated at a young age to take ownership of their education before it’s too late, especially if they lack the support at home like those of Project Amandla. Reading books opens up a door to a world of creativity, critical thinking and love for learning that all of these students deserve and need to surpass the South African school system. If students love to read from an early age, they will always deeply care about school and pass that attitude onto their kin or younger family members like a domino effect. Once a learner learns to read and becomes passionate about it, the effects of literacy on his/her future are limitless. These 22,000 books will build the capacity for generations to come – aiding in preparing the older rural children for secondary graduation, employment and university and the younger ones to develop reading skills and a love for learning as soon as they enter school to increase the English pass rate and spoken skill within the participating communities.

How will the community be able to sustain the activities and/or benefits of this project? What is the community’s project after the initial material support has ended?

Project Amandla is guaranteed to be a sustainable project because all it takes is an organized structure to continue operating once the initial material support has ended. After the PCVs and South African counterparts have set up a system for the libraries using their own ideas or resources shared through Project Amandla, they will just need to set a weekly schedule for when the library will be used or the books will circulate throughout the community. The most functional school libraries project coordinator Elizabeth Warden has witnessed in South Africa are run by responsible students and overseen by a South African counterpart. Many of these libraries can attract a group of learners to be “library monitors” to uphold the rules, regulations and organizations of the libraries. If learners play a huge role in operating the library, it will not only attract more learners to the use the books in time and instill a culture of learning, but also create role models for younger learners. The South African Department of Education encourages library use as part of its national reading strategy. Educators are aware of this, but many will not have had the opportunity to incorporate a library into school curriculum until Project Amandla. Those educators involved will spearhead the process of incorporating the library in the school’s every day routine, which is detailed in each school and organization’s Book Utilization Plan.

THANK YOU for reading through this and considering funding our project!

Read up on some heart-warming stories from two learners at my school. I hope these service stories brighten up your day, as they made my week! Once again, I know why I’m here.

From that one kid:

To Miss Warden

Miss you are so kind. You’re not talkative like other womans and when somebody else says he or she is eager to learn you help that type of person by taking your books and give it to he or she. Most of the learners in my school likes you very much, is that they’re only shy to come to you. They think you are going to beat them but I always tell them that Miss Warden is from America. She will take care of you. Thanks to believe me about these stories. And I can see that my stories are developing. Miss I would like to spend my time with you. And some monitors doesn’t want me to come and read books in the library. They said I must get out of the library. Me too I did what they said. I get out but miss I hope you’ll tell them to not say that to me. They’re going to be nothing in the world when they grow up. Miss don’t forget that we loves you…very…very much. Don’t forget to give me an English name. One day when I finished school I’ll come visit you in America. I’ll give you something good. And I’d like to tell you that I’m good in animals and in writing stories. Which means I’m good in science and English. I’m going to write a story about your family. Miss I won’t insult or disappoint you in whatever is happen in this school. I’m just taking you as my mom.

You are the best. Thanks for encouraging me in my stories.
___________________________

Yesterday, one of my top learners Amanda said, “Miss, I left you something in my exercise book.”  When I finally got to grading her notebook, I find this little “check yes or no” note. Pretty much the cutest thing ever.

I know Amanda lived with her gogo in the beginning of the school year, but recently she moved in with another one of my grade 5 learners. They aren’t related, or if they are it’s very distant. I don’t know what’s up. I need to somehow figure it out without directly asking her, or wait for her to maybe write me about it. People aren’t direct in this culture, so I feel awkward asking so many questions sometimes. I ask questions overtime and piece together life stories or anything of that nature. The journalist-continuous questioning doesn’t fly.

Well, of course I had to circle “yes” as the correct answer; “I can be your English mother! We can speak a lot of English together!” I gave her her exercise book back in class and I saw her read the note incognito. The smile on her face was priceless  — and something I’ll never forget. No matter what’s going on at home, she has someone at school who cares about her.

I really do love these kids; they’re my little buddies. In the back of my mind I keep thinking that my one year mark is coming up in a month, which means I’ll have to leave in a year. And believe me, a year goes by fast – sometimes too fast. I can’t imagine how hard it’s going to be to say bye to some of these kids. Ah, don’t even want to think about it.

Yours in service,
The adoptive mother

Success is counted sweetest
By those who ne’er succeed
To comprehend a nectar
Requires sorest need.

Failure in life is inevitable – especially when you’re working in one of the lowest ranked education systems in the world. But that doesn’t mean you can’t experience what success feels like. It’s just all about how you decide to measure success. As my girl Emmy D said, success is counted sweetest by those who don’t succeed much; they are able to comprehend and appreciate it so much more – and as parched, they taste that sweetness and juiciness of a nectar like no other.

The South African education system, in my opinion, sets kids and teachers up for failure. Why? I’ll recap for ya: Learners learn in home language until grade 3, then switch to English; curriculum work is equivalent to that of an American English standard, which instead of making easier the department lowers the pass rate to 30 and 40 percent depending on what subject; the unruly amount of concepts a teacher has to attempt to teach in two-week cycles, the list goes on and on.

Thus, how am I going to measure success during my time here? Quantitatively? How my kids score on the upcoming nation-wide exam at the end of term two? How much homework they complete? No way, Jose. I’m almost positive not much of that is going to change. Call it failure on my part, I don’t care. Failure builds character, strength and courage. Numbers aren’t everything, and success can be measured qualitatively, too.

One of the ways I’ve decided to measure success is analyzing my student’s English speaking and listening abilities. It’s only the middle of term two, and I already see a drastic change with how my students communicate with me.

Buhle and Zanele, two grade 5 learners who didn’t speak in the beginning but are getting more comfortable with trying

Most – or at least my mediocre and top learners — are speaking English to me, even some of the ones who can’t really speak. They are trying to have conversations with me. They follow my instructions. They respond to me in complete sentences. They come to my hut on weekends to visit and speak only English. Some can copy down word-for-word what I say to them. And the best part is – they aren’t scared to talk to me. They are confident and trying because they know I won’t laugh at them.

Even if it’s the most broken and ungrammatical English ever spoken to me, I’m somehow now able how to decipher what they are trying to say and then say the sentence appropriately to them.  Of course being around this daily has toyed with my English ability and I speak the slowest and loudest possible English (my village voice) and enunciate all contractions — “DO — NOT — TALK” or “I – AM — GOING — HOME”. I usually catch myself talking in my village voice to other Americans and people back home. Don’t even make me think about what I’m going to sound like after another year here…

My learners know well enough now that I will NOT translate to Zulu for them, and I will not speak Zulu to them. Yes, this means my Zulu isn’t top notch – but I’m here to make sure these kids get English exposure. If I wasn’t doing this, these kids would never get this much English exposure. Everything at school is done in Zulu – except grade 5 and up classes – but those classes are a mix between both languages. The educators only speak in English because the classwork and teacher’s guides are in English. However, as soon as they’re done with the class books – hello, Zulu!

Earlier this month, I had the pleasure of spending a weekend at one of my co-worker’s home in Nquthu, our shopping town. Her little 5-year-old, Wendy, was visiting home for the weekend from boarding school. When I first met Wendy in November 2012, she couldn’t speak a word of English. I still played with her and spoke little Zulu to her, but there was a huge language barrier. Wendy left for boarding school last January to start grade R (kindergarten) and was thrown into an English-only environment. She still takes a Zulu class because it’s her home language, but is taught in English.

Cute little Wendy after getting her hair did!

Common knowledge: Kids thrown into a language at a young age will catch on quickly. Wendy has done just that. This month when we had a sleepover, played games and coloured, she spoke to me in English. She even taught her older brothers how to play Uno in English. Her vocabulary is advancing as if English was her first language, and this all developed within five months of school. FIVE MONTHS. And you wonder what would have happened if my grade 5 learners were taught in English from grade R and up? They’d be fluent. Many probably wouldn’t be failing. Oh, if only…

Too bad that’s not a reality for my kids or any other rural kids. So, in my case, success is sweetest when the learners try to talk to me. If they’re already chattin’ away with me this much, what’s it going to be like a year from now? We’ll be even better best friends!

There is one spoken English issue here that everyone who learned English as a second language says and drives all the Americans crazy. In Zulu there is only one verb for “lend” and “borrow” so everyone says, “Please, borrow me ______.” My PCV friend who teaches grade 8 English even saw this phrase used as a correct English phrase on a district exam once, which is hysterical but makes me also face palm.

I have this jump rope I brought from America the kids love to use. If they say, “Please, Miss, borrow me the skipping rope?” I say, “I will if you say, ‘Please let me borrow the skipping rope.’” Most grade 5s have caught on and now will only say to me, “Miss, may I please borrow the skipping rope?” OH SWEET SUCCESS!

There are plenty of setbacks in the Peace Corps and South African schools, but depending on how one decides to interpret success, you can get a little taste of that luscious nectar Emmy D was talking about. Take what you can get, and treat it as a great triumph.

Yours in service,
Liz

I will slowly integrate the library into class time by bringing classes in and showing teachers how they can utilize it. To lead by example, I am currently introducing my grade 5s to the library and differentiating from fiction and non-fiction texts through a research project for my English class.

They are researching three countries: Ethiopia, India and Nigeria to decide where our class character will travel in my class story. Then, one-by-one each learner will tell me me why he should travel there for a speaking grade for term 2. We are researching those countries specifically because they are the only countries we have books about. Twelve kids are sharing one book, so I made photocopies of the books. They are also using an atlas from the 1980s that has a page about the USSR…the USSR still exists, right? Hmmm… maybe my characters Umhaha and Amandla can travel to the USSR? Yeah, you can get pretty creative with little and old resources…

This will be the project – other than my class – that I spend the most time for the rest of my time here. I’m ecstatic because it’s sustainable, the learners love it and it will teach the kids that reading is something fun and enjoyable.

The library with tablecloths and all. My principal added the final touches to the library on a Saturday — ah-mazing, right?

Believe it or not, that computer, straight from the 90s, works

Ethiopia group working hard…or hardly working?

Researching what people eat in India

Taking a break from researching Nigeria… I guess the “throw yo hands up for the camera” is a worldwide “I’m a cool kid” thing

Sanele drawing a picture perfect map of Ethiopia

Some of my learners – like Siyanda – struggle with English, but are artistic. It’s nice to deviate from the norm and give them something to draw and label

Siyabonga and Buhle working together to draw the Nigerian flag

Dear Peace Corps high, won’t you stay for a while?

Yours in service,
Liz

I thought the beauty pageant we hosted for fundraising last month was ridiculously hilarious, but then this day happened. Enjoy the photos — I hope you laugh as much as I did!

Corporal punishment was outlawed in South Africa in 1996, but still happens on the down low in rural areas. I mentioned corporal punishment a while back when I was a newbie in the village, and talked about how sad it made me when I saw it happen. This was before I had a little more time to sit back and delve into the backward South African culture – a culture where many only respond to violence.

Now, in America, I know you’re disgusted that kids are beaten at school here. You probably think it’s an abomination. Holy hell – what animals, they beat kids in school!

Yes, it’s bad, sad, mad, not a fad, and definitely not rad (my English is getting so bad now that I use the words of a 10-year-old). BUT, as always, there’s a but – it’s cultural.

It literally takes a village to raise a child. Literally. These kids come from huge families, are orphans, raised by old gogos or their fathers work far away in a city. Whatever the reason is, a lot of these kids are from families without two – or any – parents.

Within the village, people consider each other “brothers and sisters” and everyone is “family” even if they aren’t really related because of South African Ubuntu. Thus, any child is anyone’s child, if that makes sense. All the adults are expected to help raise the children at home, in the village and yes – at school.

My younger 27-year-old counterpart told me that parents tell the teachers to beat the kids if they misbehave. They don’t care if it’s illegal because to them this act of abuse will teach the kid a lesson. They give educators their approval and will be mad if they don’t follow through.

I stupidly mentioned to the other grade 5 educator this weekend that my kids never do their English homework, yet they do it in her class.

Then my little grade 5 English speaking anomaly told me today that Ma’am asked her to write down all the student’s names who don’t do my homework.

“We do her homework because she will hit us if we don’t,” my grade 5 said. “The kids will never respect you if you don’t hit them. But if you hit one kid, they will be quiet forever after that.”

Then she asked me why I don’t hit the kids. I told her it was different in my culture and I cannot hit a kid because I wouldn’t feel right doing so. Likewise, I told her it is illegal and if I ever did such a thing I’d be sent back to America.

I’ve seen corporal punishment at my school before – teachers smacking kids with sticks or pipes — but this was the first time a learner actually admitted it happened.

My Peace Corps assignment description has absolutely nothing to do with tackling corporal punishment. I am not here to tell on my school or change it. I simply can’t. The problem is far too big for one person to handle – even showing good behavior management in classes (in my dreams…) won’t change how the adults think because it’s how they’ve thought all their lives and how the people around them think.

One definite challenge for Peace Corps Volunteers is gaining respect in the classroom because many of the classrooms we teach in are battlegrounds of corporal punishment. I haven’t gained respect from the whole class yet, and I don’t know if I honestly ever will. I have, however, a group of about 15 or so loyal learners from my class who like me, speak English to me and try in my class, and that’s fine by me.

I could have a loyal class of 40 if the other grade 5 teacher punishes them, which really puts me in a pickle. Corporal punishment is something I’ve adjusted to and view as commonplace, although I still don’t think it’s right. I don’t want a kid getting beat in my name.

I really wonder if and when corporal punishment will be banished from all South African schools for good. My principal has said before in staff meetings, “No corporal punishment. It is illegal”, which I still have yet to uncover if she knows it’s happening and turns her back on it or the teachers do it behind her back. Also, it’s not like a department official could catch a teacher in action because teachers know when and where to hit a kid; they know not to do it around me even. There’s always a way to get away with it.

This country has a long history of violence from the Apartheid era and sadly, it works; it’s one of the only ways to get work done at school.  It’s a vicious cycle of violence that is going to go on forever, unless a younger generation breaks the cycle. I really, really, really wonder. This is just another reason why I want to come back to this country in 30 years and see what has changed and what hasn’t. Seriously, sometimes I forget I’m living in 2013.

One of my other grade 5s who accompanied my anomaly in our corporal punishment conversation gave me a big hug at the end of the day out of nowhere. Maybe that is hope for her generation – maybe she sees corporal punishment the way I do.

Yours in service,
Liz