World Libraries
World Libraries
A Liaison Between Uganda and Canada in Kelowna:
It can be hard to talk about world libraries and their needs without having visited or at the very least having a liaison between our countries. In Kelowna we are very fortunate to have a liaison with a teacher in our district, Erika VanOyen. Erika taught all three of my children in elementary school and has since transitioned to the middle school where she caught up with two of my children again. Erika has a passion for teaching science, but a calling to bring literacy and libraries to Uganda. Erika takes advantage of the option in our district of working four years at reduced pay to have your fifth year off. Every fifth year and summer she spends in Uganda. In 2012 a biography of sorts was written up about Erika which gives you some insight into her passion for bringing literacy to the children of Uganda.
(Photo retrieved from: https://www.kelownanow.com/in_focus/news/In_Focus/12/11/16/In_Focus_Erika_van_Oyen#fs_79988)
I have often worried about sending our castoffs to Africa feeling that our castoffs should not be their treasures. However, Erika points out that is indeed exactly what they are. I am humbled.
"On the opening day, we collected children from a primary school in an urban slum called Nateete and drove them to the centre. There must have been 100 of them stuffed in a bus for 30. My face has never hurt so much from smiling. The children ran from room to room and laughed as they opened books, played with blocks, put together puzzles and coloured for the first time in their lives. Teachers flipped through teaching guides and called to one another to come and see what they had found to enhance their teaching. Our cast-offs were their pieces of gold. Their joy and excitement was overwhelming." (Kelowna Now, 2012)
(Photo retrieved from: https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/libraries-in-rural-uganda-books-children-education/reports/)
PRINT RESOURCES:
In an absolutely perfect world Uganda would be able to provide for themselves and all countries would be responsibly using their resources. Would it be better for all areas of Uganda to have books in libraries that pictured children they could relate to with culturally sensitive materials that best represented Africa? I would say a resounding yes to this. Is this realistic at this point in time? I would say no after reading the blogs from the people that have experience.
"While specific training and accreditation is available to Ugandans in their own country, the programs offered are frequently very expensive and thus unattainable for many. Some skill sets are taught in an entirely theoretical fashion and would benefit from an inoculation of practical experience from a Canadian peer. Finally, materials, texts and/or documentation for some highly technical skills such as computer programming are simply not readily available in the country." (Van Oyen, E., 2012)
MOBILE DEVICES:
This brings me to the idea that mobile devices could benefit Uganda with up to date information. Can you imagine the doors that would be thrown wide open with access to the internet? It is heartbreaking to think of the technology that exists and is not accessible to all. Imagine a Uganda with Library Learning Commons in schools! A place to gather and use iPads and desktop computers would be life changing. The First Lutheran Church in Kelowna raised funds to donate a series called "Where There is no Doctor" to Carli Travers and her team in Uganda and this gift was received graciously.
"This gift brought her to tears. The week before, her daughter had been bitten by a snake and no one knew how to treat it. Meanwhile in the hospital, a baby died because the mom didn’t have the funds for a doctor to attend to her. Carli now has the knowledge and power to change this, all with the help of a book." (NITEO Africa, 2019)
LOOPING BACK TO PRO-D
I spent my October 25th professional development day at Innovate-Ed 2019. I walked away with fantastic coding and inquiry ideas that I can bring back to my LLC. Probably one of the most moving moments though was the inspiring video shown to us of the Panyee soccer team. I'm not sure how we can really and truly empathize with the struggles of other countries and I'm not sure I can really pin down their mobile device needs for education. I do know that this video brought me to tears and the more we can do to educate ourselves about the educational needs of developing countries the stronger we will be globally.
(Retrieved from:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU4oA3kkAWU)
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
NITEO Africa. (2019). Okanagan Literacy Centre at Abetavu Children's Home. Retrieved from: https://www.niteoafrica.org/literacy-centres/okanagan-literacy-centre-at-abetavu-childrens-home/
TMBbrand. (2011, Mar 13). TMB Panyee FC Short Film. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jU4oA3kkAWU
Van Oyen, E. (2012). Education. ISEE Solutions. Retrieved from: http://www.iseesolutions.org/abou/education/
Your definitely right in saying its hard to discuss issues in third world countries if we have never visited or seen first hand their experiences. Thanks for sharing Erika VanOyen's experience. It is truly amazing to see all of the benefits cellphones have on rural communities. An article I found on how mobile phones are changing the developing world, explained a few of the different areas in particular. Money and banking, provides people access to traditional banking without having to travel great distances. "The world bank estimates that the number of unbanked people in the world dropped by 20% to 2 billion people from 2011 to 2014" (UNICEF innovation, 2015). Governance is another area as certain countries use text message as a way to gather information and opinions in real time, making remote parts of the world able to use their voice (UNICEF innovation, 2015). Agriculture is a big part of life for many individuals so a mobile app was created as a way to help famers work with crop prices, market access and disease prevention (UNICEF Innovation, 2015). Education is another aspect that benefits from mobile phones and tablets as its a way to bring teachers to students in underserved regions(UNISEF Innovation, 2015) There are also many different programs now available to download. Finally health, like you mentioned in your blog benefits from mobile devices. Not only by providing knowledge but surveys, alerts, and other forms of communication regarding health.
ReplyDeleteUNICEF Innovation (2015). How mobile phone are changing the developing world. Received from https://blogs.unicef.org/innovation/how-mobile-phones-are-changing-the-developing-world/
Well done blog post with a personal and powerful example of a specific individual you know making a significant contribution to the Ugandan communities. Your discussion and reflection on the topic, the challenges and the approaches for support was insightful and provided a practical and realistic example. I appreciated your discussion about the dilemma of cast-offs verses locally developed materials as well as the pressing needs. Overall, this was a very well done post that captured your emotions, feelings and new understandings very well for others to learn and reflect on. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis is such a powerful connection! Thank you for sharing this inspiring story that is being acted out in your very district! I'm grateful for a real-time example of a local teacher doing an amazing thing - it makes this feel both attainable and realistic!
ReplyDelete