General Relativity of Poverty and Possibilities

Children of educated parents are a lot more likely to educate themselves, live a longer and a healthier life and end the vicious cycle of poverty. Poverty often makes long-term investments unaffordable. For example, my father’s big brother gave up on his education when their father got terminally ill to provide for the family. This enabled him to drive a truck and pay for his siblings’ education – sacrifice keeping him alive in conversations long after his time in this world came to an end.

Now, I want to engage the reader—but first, a quick word from Teachers Without Borders!

Keeping Learners at School – Pads, Lunch and Motivated Teachers

While many activities are challenged by the abrupt end to US funding, ECHO TOGETHER project funded by the European Union Humanitarian Aid is fortunately in full action in different parts of Uganda. Many local NGO´s collaborate with FCA to provide holistic support in the local communities. While Teachers without Borders is especially involved with delivery of quality education in supporting teachers’ professional development and well-being, the objectives of strengthening local communities, improving school-based protection mechanisms and increasing access to education via concrete means are obviously linked to each other.

This stint we have mostly spent in different parts of the Palorinya settlement, home to about 140 000 refugees, about half of which are of school age or arriving there. We have been interviewing entrepreneurs in the local villages to collect data on their training and other needs for scaling up their businesses, assessing menstrual hygiene management, facilitating teachers in crisis context sessions with teachers from different schools, holding sessions on the principles of children safeguarding and child protection, supervising lessons as well as discussing pedagogy and school leadership with teachers´ and school management.

Key aspect of our work are the Teachers in Crisis Context trainings. It is in these sessions that we get the chance to dive deep into pedagogy and learn from each other. Having planned a couple “Sports & Parent-Teacher Collaboration Day” Saturdays in Finland I can also imagine the cries for revolution a two day teacher training for the weekend would incite, yet participation rates for TiCC-trainings remain high. 

I am impressed by the teachers’ hunger to learn, get feedback and develop their teaching despite most of them being seasoned professionals. I myself would be horrified to have somebody pop-in with a form in hand to evaluate my lesson, a sentiment a Finnish teacher reading this most likely empathizes with. While the 40 degree heat (Celsius) poses its challenges for designing a full day training, the problems are far outweighed by the ease at which the teachers are warmed up for discussions, role-plays and brainstorming solutions for challenges identified.

The teacher´s concerns sound familiar, keeping in mind that the scale is different in many cases. Overcrowded classrooms of 100-250 learners and lack of scholastic materials challenge classroom management and lesson planning. Concern for learner well-being, tensions between learners and powerlessness to support all those in need. Concern for job security after so many abrupt layoffs and draining of resources in the settlement despite Uganda just passing the 1 million refugee children mark amidst Labour Day celebrations. Personally I would be challenged if I had to bring my small children to work every day, but as nobody complains about that I figure it is better to shut up. To be honest, I may be the one learning the most here.

Via Teachers without Borders one is directly involved in bringing high-quality education for all. With 15 million new teachers required in Sub-Saharan Africa by 2030, agile learning opportunities alongside working must be provided. While teachers also have a role to play in learner attendance at school, other forms of support are required to amplify the impact the teachers are making. Barriers to education and solutions to those barriers can be practical. For example, girls’ education is often affected by harmful cultural beliefs in relation to menstruation leading to regular absences, which are a risk factor to school drop-out. Hence, the reusable menstrual hygiene kits and soap distributed directly and cost-effectively supports girls attendance. 

Plague or Cholera?

Out of school girls are at high risk for early marriage and pregnancy. Sometimes these choices are tied to pragmatic economic solutions. Say the arid land does not provide the crops necessary to feed the family and food rations have been cut as UN has a funding shortfall of 60 %. School fees further strain finances. What options do you have as a parent or a child? To be clear, this is not a game for thousands of families. 

You may risk security by going back home for familiar livelihood opportunities. Having heard of the horrors that happened to someone from the neighboring village you backtrack on that plan. Marrying an older man to take care of that household as a solution for financial and food security issues might soon appear tempting to the parents, perhaps to the girl also. On the other hand, boys are at risk of being exploited for labour in mining or fishing depending on the local opportunities available. These actions provide short-term solutions to hunger whereas education is a proven path to stop the cycle of poverty. You are mindful of the matter, yet sometimes you can not afford to think long-term. Many end up reflecting on giving up their education, figuring that their sacrifice will help their younger siblings pursue that path. Would you?

I always saw my uncle trading education to driving a truck as an example of the nobility of serving others, and of course as an example of the crippling effects of poverty. That may still be the case, although I now see how privileged is the one who has access to a truck. 

Most people have their heart in the right place regardless of their occupation, whether it be in education, healthcare, retail, business, technology, manufacturing and so on. Readers like you are often already active in improving communities through work, volunteering, donations, or all three. Thus, it would be fair and productive to ask more from the influential individuals, enterprises and organizations ignoring their part on the platforms available to you. Meanwhile you may consider that the FCA  is considered among the more effective charitable organizations. Christmas, birthday, confirmation or graduation coming up? Consider an alternative gift.