Kataka life is literally the best life, well, Kataka life staying at Doe Palace is the best life. There is constant current, running water, flushable toilets, air conditioning, AND Yamaha (the chief) who cooks 3 meals a day for us! Myself along with 2 Liberian counterparts, one male (Mr. Kamara), one female (Roselyn) attended a training in Kataka for Grassroots soccer from the 8th-14th. There were about 10 other PCV attending, each bringing a male and female counterpart. Grassroots Soccer (GRS) is an adolescent health organization that leverages the power of soccer to educate, inspire, and mobilize youth to overcome their greatest health challenges, lie healthier, more productive lives, and be agents for change in their communities. The training trained us on how to deliver an interactive curriculum covering sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender based violence, HIV prevention, and life skills. GRS has 3 different curriculum we were trained on, they have skillz girls, skillz guys, and skillz malaria. The idea is that Roselyn and I will run the skillz girls and Mr. Kamara and I will run the skills guys, the curriculum being slightly different for each, being guys and girls face slightly different issues. Sessions were held every day from 8-5, some sessions were combined male/female, others specific to only male or female. There is always a slight concern when coming to a training such as this with counterparts. We talk about sensitive issues such as gender stereotypes, gender roles, violence in relationships, consent, and so on, being there is a difference in the way some Liberians see those things topic, to your own personal thoughts, you must watch how you react when something shocking is said (Example could be: If I tell my wife something and she doesn’t do it, she is disobeying me and must be beat). During these workshops the aim is to create a safe space, when shocking things are said it’s your job is to question why, allowing them to come to their own conclusions, rather then shutting someone down by overreacting or getting angry. This for some people is very difficult, hence why I said there is always a slight concern when coming to a training with a counterpart because you never know what will be said. I did think we hit some bumps along the road, and I defiantly didn’t agree with all the opinions that were expressed, but in general I think the take home message was positive, I hope to see some of the positive changes we talked about in the training be practiced in the community. I know both counterparts have talked very highly about everything they learned during the week to other people/ are very eager to start our first program at the school. The program is 12 sessions, with 25 boys and 25 girls (separate sessions), working with 15-20-year old’s. Since training we have already held our first informational meeting at the school. We decided we would hold our first GRS session on the 27th and would do every Tuesday and Thursday for 6 weeks until the curriculum finished, and for those who participated we are going to hold a certificating ceremony.
My counterparts went home on the 14th, being I had a gender meeting on the 15th, I took that day to go visit my family in Kataka. I saw everyone but Uncle D. While I was living with them, my sister Joyce graduated from beauty school, and when I arrived she showed me the shop she opened in the community. She had an assortment of hair attachments, they do nails/hair, and have a really nice set up. I asked if she was still attending school, she confirmed she was, which made me really happy. Then we walked to the house where Princess was waiting on the porch for us. Princess has since gotten a new phone, so we exchanged numbers. Like all good big sisters, I asked if she had a boyfriend, of course told me no. I asked Joyce if Princess had a boyfriend, I was met with big eyes from Joyce, making it seem like Princess did, then continuing my questioning I asked if Joyce had a boyfriend, to which Princess responded YES haha. My Ma, Auntie Maya, showed up and we all sat on the porch and lectured about school/ things they had been up to. My Ma then told me she bought some fruit for me to carry home..and boy did she! She handed me about 50 green plantains, a watermelon, and a pineapple that was double the size of my head! I stayed at the house for about 3 hours, it was starting to get dark, I said my goodbyes and headed back to Doe. The next day we had a gender committee meeting. This was our first meeting with the new members (aka me and the other LR7s). We broke into committees and I got on the subcommittee I wanted, Engaging men and boys. The committee consist of me, Nathan (LR6), and Carson (LR7). The idea behind engaging men and boys is, to see change in Liberia you must work with the sex who currently holds the power, which is men, this will allow them to uplift and support the females, hopefully to someday have equal opportunity/power. We are trying to plan a boy camp the end of March at my site, we will see how it goes.
I got back home from Kataka on Friday and Saturday I was off traveling to Ghanta for a Ghanta bakery party. The owner of the bakery (the one with the legit hamburgers) was holding a Peace Corps party to show his love/ appreciation for us. He cooked a buffet of things, we came and ate for free, only paying for drinks. He also held an American auction/ raffle. The auction generated a whopping 800LD, inside was a certificate for a free meal/ drink at the bakery, and the raffle was 200LD a ticket, had 3 prizes, lappa, lappa, and 2 meat pies for the road.
Sunday I went to go visit Ester and she told me that her husband, Amos, has since moved to Ghanta hospital (1hr and 30 min away), Phoebe hospital ran out of the drugs he needs to help “maintain” his sugar. This entire diabetes/sugar issue is just devastating. Here is a man who does a lot for his community, educated, highly respected, and is wasting away because there aren’t appropriate resources here in Liberia to help him. A sugar related issue in America could be solved/ rightfully treated quickly, with the appropriate materials/drugs he could be living a perfectly happy life. The issue then comes full circle because the materials/correct medication he needs are extremely expensive. One pack of test strips are 25 USD, one pack contains about 25 test strips, if he only uses one strip a day it will last him 25 days, so on average 1 test strip is about 1USD, meaning in one years’ time he would spend 365USD on test strips alone, that doesn’t include the actual blood glucometer, batteries needed for the blood glucometer, insulin, and any other medications he needs for his specific case. Liberia is one of the poorest places in the world, families live off of less than 1USD a day, its completely unreasonable to assume anyone here could afford to correctly treat themselves for this issue.
It’s been about 2 weeks since the sore showed up on Esters leg, since busting it, the infection has spread down one side of her shin. She told me that she has gotten a tetanus shot, an amoxicillin shot, and now just waiting for it to heal. I asked her what the doctor through caused the sore and she said she wasn’t sure and that this is Africa (basically a combination between shit sucks/ things happen with no explanation). This poor family has been through so much, I feel awful. I feel torn between feeling like I can’t do anything to help/ offering some sort of money help. I know giving financial help would benefit them, but you run the risk that another family that is just as bad off find out and asks for that same help and having that happen again and again and again.
I gave the kids back their exams and their period grades, but not before making them write me a page long letter on why cheating is bad (if you can remember I had at least 10 out of 30 cheat). Let me tell you, they were NOT happy ha-ha. I heard a lot of Mrs. Aouate you cheated me, and Mrs. Aouate you like to take points-o. I then spend an entire class period going over the grading system, a lot of them don’t even understand what 30/50 on a test means. I went into vast/painful explanation on how the class is worth 100 points, gave them the break down of each item they get points for, showing them that in math they got 5 “free points” and physics 10 “free points” this semester. When they say I’m cheating them, it literally couldn’t be farther from the truth, that’s 1000% the reason why if they get a 69% (which is failing) I WILL NOT bump them to a 70% because I have already helped them PLENTY. They then told me I don’t grade like the other Liberian teachers, which is untrue because I pulled my grading system from the junior high math teacher, but they told me the teachers here add 100pts to the grade and divide it by 2. Meaning if a child gets 60/100 they then add 100pts +60pts= 160pts and divide that by 2, meaning the kid who just failed now gets a 80% in the class. How in hell does that make sense in any aspect of the world ever! That is the reason I have kids in my class who are working 2-3 grade levels below where they should be! I told the kids if they could explain it to me, how it actually benefits them, that I would adapt that structure, as you can assume, no one could offer any good explanations.
I got news that my ma friend is now full time back at the house with Mr. X. I believe all the boy children are also back at the house, it is unclear however if the daughter is back. She mentioned to me that she was looking to rent a room intown, because the distance to school was too far, having me believe she is still at the farm. I’m glad to have my friend back at the top of the hill, she is my saving grace when it comes to bitching about my porch kids ha-ha.