Today added another event to the continuation of Waterford's community service projects related to Mpaka Refugee Camp here in Swaziland. The difference? Last year, I simply helped out with these projects, while this time, I ran it.
As compared to other events we've run with Mpaka, which oftentimes focused on entertaining the younger kids at the expense of the older ones, this event was geared for high schoolers and up. Apparently, at the camp, the bus driver went through quite the battle to make sure that parents didn't get their ten year-olds onto the bus, because the day we had planned back at school was not catered for younger kids. But, once the people from Mpaka made it all the way back to Mbabane, and to Waterford, we were waiting, and the day only went uphill from there.
This was meant to be a day with purpose. Once everyone got there, we broke into discussion groups. There was a group for those interested in working in medicine, a group for those wanting careers in science, one for those interested in business, and various other groups for those who weren't yet quite sure. The core in all of the groups was discussing issues in education, and how to achieve despite them, along with goal-setting, careers, and general things in life that everyone would like to see improved.
After settling all the groups down into their respective locations (sigh, organizing 150 people is hard), I sat down with my favorite group of people to talk to - the twelve-year old boys. They're hilarious honest, and goofy, and just great to be around. Last time I had talked to this particular group, they had described the challenges they were having in school because they weren't Swazi. This time, several of them were speaking siSwati, and said that everything was great. (They're still oh-so proud of their English).
The boys had plenty of ideas that were different for each other, but the one thing that they could agree on was that the worst thing at the camp was drinking and smoking. It's always strange to see a group of twelve year-olds swearing that they'll never drink, and wondering whether they'll be able to keep that up, especially considering the particularly difficult hands of cards that they've been dealt. I really hope they can.
After these discussion groups, we quickly gathered back in the ampitheater to re-group. I couldn't help but smile as I heard Waterford business students talking with some of the older guys from the camp about what you need to start a business. Sometimes it feels like discussions are a waste of time, but in other ways, it's empowerment. Knowledge is power.
Anyways, after that we split into what I had meant to be the "fun activities." I put that in quotes not because they weren't fun, but because they were just so much more productive than I expected. Everyone picked between the climbing wall, volleyball, dancing, Wii, and using the computers. I headed over to the IT center, which proved to be the most popular choice by far.
Once we got over there, these guys used the one hour they had on the internet to their advantage! I've never seen so many school admissions applications, college forms, and homework printed. They were creating email addresses, typing business letters, and researching scholarships. I genuinely hope that something works out that stems from that one hour, because it was the most glorious use of the IT center that I have ever seen.
Overall, it was just a wonderful day. It's a strange perspective to look back on an event and be proud of how I organized it, and not simply of just "how it went." (Believe me, nothing ever just "goes." Someone makes it "go"). The understanding that everyone has a chance to do whatever they want in life is something that can sometimes pass kids up when they grow up in the camp, and I strongly believe that days like this make a difference. And that makes me proud.
For tonight, I've got a geography essay, a French essay, and a whole mess of random homework. And I'm thankful for that chance. And I'm not even being facetious.
As compared to other events we've run with Mpaka, which oftentimes focused on entertaining the younger kids at the expense of the older ones, this event was geared for high schoolers and up. Apparently, at the camp, the bus driver went through quite the battle to make sure that parents didn't get their ten year-olds onto the bus, because the day we had planned back at school was not catered for younger kids. But, once the people from Mpaka made it all the way back to Mbabane, and to Waterford, we were waiting, and the day only went uphill from there.
This was meant to be a day with purpose. Once everyone got there, we broke into discussion groups. There was a group for those interested in working in medicine, a group for those wanting careers in science, one for those interested in business, and various other groups for those who weren't yet quite sure. The core in all of the groups was discussing issues in education, and how to achieve despite them, along with goal-setting, careers, and general things in life that everyone would like to see improved.
After settling all the groups down into their respective locations (sigh, organizing 150 people is hard), I sat down with my favorite group of people to talk to - the twelve-year old boys. They're hilarious honest, and goofy, and just great to be around. Last time I had talked to this particular group, they had described the challenges they were having in school because they weren't Swazi. This time, several of them were speaking siSwati, and said that everything was great. (They're still oh-so proud of their English).
The boys had plenty of ideas that were different for each other, but the one thing that they could agree on was that the worst thing at the camp was drinking and smoking. It's always strange to see a group of twelve year-olds swearing that they'll never drink, and wondering whether they'll be able to keep that up, especially considering the particularly difficult hands of cards that they've been dealt. I really hope they can.
After these discussion groups, we quickly gathered back in the ampitheater to re-group. I couldn't help but smile as I heard Waterford business students talking with some of the older guys from the camp about what you need to start a business. Sometimes it feels like discussions are a waste of time, but in other ways, it's empowerment. Knowledge is power.
Anyways, after that we split into what I had meant to be the "fun activities." I put that in quotes not because they weren't fun, but because they were just so much more productive than I expected. Everyone picked between the climbing wall, volleyball, dancing, Wii, and using the computers. I headed over to the IT center, which proved to be the most popular choice by far.
Once we got over there, these guys used the one hour they had on the internet to their advantage! I've never seen so many school admissions applications, college forms, and homework printed. They were creating email addresses, typing business letters, and researching scholarships. I genuinely hope that something works out that stems from that one hour, because it was the most glorious use of the IT center that I have ever seen.
Overall, it was just a wonderful day. It's a strange perspective to look back on an event and be proud of how I organized it, and not simply of just "how it went." (Believe me, nothing ever just "goes." Someone makes it "go"). The understanding that everyone has a chance to do whatever they want in life is something that can sometimes pass kids up when they grow up in the camp, and I strongly believe that days like this make a difference. And that makes me proud.
For tonight, I've got a geography essay, a French essay, and a whole mess of random homework. And I'm thankful for that chance. And I'm not even being facetious.
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