A short story about one of our girls.

Hello again from Nairobi. Charles will blog tomorrow with a wrap-up of our week here, but we've all been touched by so many of the girls' stories this week that I just had to jot one down. Most of the girls are in the Girl Guides and many of them live in orphanages. When we first saw them on Saturday, I thought, "Wow. Look at these girls in uniform! I wonder what their stories are like?..." After we introduced them to the Sara program and had them read the books, they started to write the narratives for their movies. It quickly became clear that there were some deep wounds in these emotional girls. One girl, Mary, started filming her narrative and quickly broke down. We pulled her aside with one of our counselors (thank goodness for the counselors), and it turned out that she was talking about things she'd never told anyone. In the story of Sara and The Trap (the book she was making a movie about), Sara almost falls into the clutches of a man who promises to pay her school fees. Mary fell into a similar trap, and have never talked about it. Over the next few days, it came out (with all of us and the counselor) that Mary had been abandoned by her mother at 2 months. She was forced into child labor by her caretakers, then her father came to get her. As a young girl, her stepmother abused her horribly. She made her sleep outside in the trash, burned her, forced her into labor on the streets, and wouldn't feed or clothe her. A neighbor boy saw her plight and eventually forced her to give up her body to him in promise for food...as she was starving. She had never talked about it. She was determined to tell her story so that other girls who were going through the same thing could feel some hope. She filmed and filmed, but it was so emotional that we couldn't hear her story through the crying. The counselor handled it well and today, Mary filmed the entire thing with pride and candor. At the end of her narrative, she said, "I have felt filthy and dirty for three years. But now, I am forgiving myself. I did nothing wrong. I was just surviving. You (she's speaking to other African girls here), can forgive yourself, too. I'm going to prosper, and you can too." It was a magical moment. The best news is that our hired counselors have agreed to give all of the girls free services for as long as they need them. It has been an emotional week, and we're all happy that these girls have had the chance to tell their stories, and also help other girls all across Africa. More from Charles tomorrow.

P.S. In keeping with my kidney stone and salmonella poisoning, my ankle was run over by our taxi driver yesterday. I have a slight sprain, and I look ridiculous with my crutches, but I have another story! It feels much better today so I'm convinced it is very slight.

Introducing Ronel

Hello Everyone, I am Ronel . I am honoured to be counted part of this team as project manager for Maskew Miller Longman and Pearson Education. I’m assisted by Tracey in Cape Town who has a strong financial & logistics background.

The best way to learn is jump into the deep end… so I find myself in Kenya during the Sara programme with the Girl Guides.

The combination of passionate trainers and courageous girls makes for powerful results. I’m inspired by the girls’ strength and their focus and urgency for their stories to make a difference in another girl’s life. Many have used statements like: ‘I now know I’m not alone’, ‘It is better to share’, ‘I feel relieved after telling my story’

Watching the team do what they do, I was struck by the manner they interlock. Their individual skill combined makes a strong team; supported by the Pearson, Longman, MML teams in each office who have displayed commitment and passion towards the program, sets the stage for great success. Again, reminded that a chain is as strong as their weakest link… I trust that our addition will strengthen it further.

The people of Kenya have captured my heart, sincere friendliness and honest interest in other human being is a rare quality which is the natural way of interacting. I hope to return soon.

Finally! A new blog entry.

ISACK

Hello everyone!

This is Isack again. I’m very sorry for our silence. We know that you need to know about our activities in Dar. But everyone on our team is busy! That’s why we are quiet. I’m very happy to work with Erik, Jody, Andy, and Charles. I think even myself, I’m supposed to be busy so as to help other people in my community. We have finished the training and every participant enjoyed the training. I’m very happy because now I’m a teacher. I will continue to assist other youth everywhere I go in my country or out of my country. In that case, I will start to tell my friends about how the Pearson Foundation is helping Roots & Shoots to make movies about different problems facing the community during the Jane Goodall Summit. I know that the Pearson Foundation is a friend of kids not in Tanzania only but everywhere in the world. We need to give them support.

All participants learned how to use computers. Some of them they didn’t know how to use computers, to take photos by using digital cameras, and to make movies with software. Every group makes movies about different problems.

Examples include illegal fishing, water pollution, etc. Participants made movies of not more than 90 seconds to use as public service announcements to educate people about different problems facing their community. I hope that when I come back to Dar, I will see some changes if community government can take action based on the public service announcements from Roots & Shoots members.

Lastly, participants came with their parents to celebrate the movies on the last day. Parents watched movies made by their children and even ate and drank together!!! All parents liked the movies. The honorable guest of the event told Mr. Erik on behalf of Pearson Foundation to expand this program to other region in Tanzania .

Hey, time is over!!!! Now I supposed to go to find dinner. Today, I want to eat UGARI then I will come back to continue with my work. Can I tell you what I’m doing? During the training I was busy recording video about visiting and training. Now I have finished editing a movie about the orphanage, Yatima. I had 45 minutes of footage, but had to edit it down to only 6 minutes with meaning. I am now a movie editor! Thanks everyone for visiting our blog.

JODY

Greetings from Nairobi! We flew from Dar on Wednesday, which was a quick one hour flight. The highlight of the flight was seeing Mount Kilimanjaro rising up above the clouds as we were flying. Charles has spent the last few weeks starting to get into shape to climb to the peak in September, despite scary stories that the final 50 meters usually takes something like 12 hours to crawl to the top… However, after seeing how far up into the sky he would have to go, as well as a lovely Kenyan waiter informing us that it really is a terrible climb; Charles is now focusing his efforts on surmounting the Mount Kenya, and building strong muscles to embrace his wife.

We arrived safely and immediately started working with the brilliant Longman Kenya team in preparation for the Sara program which we started today. We are working in partnership with Kenya Girl Guides and SOS Children's Village who have helped identify 20 girls from around Nairobi and mentors from their organizations to participate in the digital arts program. Everyone is incredibly organized and excited about this week's residency and the girls today were full of energy and creative ideas for the movies they are going to make. We are all really looking forward to developing the program this week and working with this great group.

My personal highlight since we've been here was my birthday-eve celebration on Thursday evening. We met up with two of my Ethiopian 'brothers' who have been living in Nairobi the past few years, and went to a very fun dance place downtown – a live band from DRC who had some very good tunes and dance moves, good conversation and the feeling that I had arrived into a warm family who all look after each other…I guess it's a good time to be another year older. Ha!

We will write more towards the end of this week with stories about the girls and perhaps an adventure or two!

ANDY

Hello all. It has been a crazy ride so far. We finished our residency in Dar es Salaam on Friday last week. We ended the program with an amazing celebration at the Jane Goodall Institute offices. The proud students showed their movies to a crowd of dignitaries, teachers, media and family. The movies ranged from how to reuse plastic bags, to an announcement that fishing with explosives hurts our environment.

It was quite amazing to watch everyone take the project as their own. I think the most exciting part of our experience in Dar was to watch the students we had last year become the teachers this time. They did an amazing job, and made us very proud. Speaking of amazing people, Isack is now making his final preparations before he leaves to America. If you happen to be in Orlando next week, drop by and say hello to him!

Earlier in the week, we had all faced a few health issues, the worst of which was Erik passing a kidney stone with no pain killers. Brilliant. After recovering from these issues, we are all happy to be healthy and doing just fine.

We had met a famous rap artist in Tanzania, who came to talk to motivate the students. His name is Fid Q. We agreed to go with him to Zanzibar to make a music video with him. It actually turned out to be less expensive to stay in Zanzibar than in Dar, so we got back on the ferry and headed back to the island. We had a great weekend, met some amazing people, watched some amazing music, and finished most of a music video. We then packed up and got on the plane to Kenya.

ERIK

We have much to report from Kenya. Things are going really well. We have 21 amazing girls with some very emotional stories. We’ve been lucky in that we have two counselors with us to take care of the girls who are telling their stories for the first time. Overall, it has been emotional for all of us, but the girls are all strong and totally focused on getting their stories out so that they can help girls who are in similar situations. To avoid this blog entry going on and on, I’ll leave it at that and tell you more in a couple of days.

Isack, Part Two

Hello

It is Isack again. First of all, I would like to say thanks to all the people who have written emails to support my ideas. Example: Erik’s Mother! I need your support and advice because nobody is perfect but through your ideas and advice I will be closer! If we want to get development we must join our heads together. We are not supposed to think about our color, our traditions, or anything. I believe that all people are equal. We are living in one house called our world.

I am now moving forward through the digital arts program. At the last training in Kigoma (2007) I was a student. But now I’m a teacher! I am not alone. There are other 2007 Digital Arts participants from Dar es Salaam teaching, too. I like to assist other Roots & Shoots members because Erik told us that we are supposed to teach our friends about how to make movies. Erik now is watching how we are working. He is not teaching like last year, because we are. Andy, Erik, Jody, and Charles give us advice for teaching, but they let us do it our own way. I’m very happy to teach Roots & Shoots members.

If many of us can teach other Roots & Shoots members and friends like what we are doing now with this project, we are going to reach many kids and youths in Tanzania, then all of Africa, and finally all of the world in a few years. In that case many kids and youths will make movies about problems facing people within their communities. Thanks to the Pearson Foundation and Roots & Shoots for selecting us to assist other members about Digital Arts training. It is one stage forward in this amazing world.

Tomorrow we are going to see movies made by Roots & Shoots members. Stay with us on our blog http://www.africaprograms2008.blogspot.com/. I’m sure you will enjoy many things about our Africa Programs, 2008!

Hello from Isack

(Erik here...)



Please meet Isack! As Charles already explained, Isack is amaaaazing. We met him last year in Kigoma and we all agreed that Isack is to be the next president of Tanzania! Isack has been traveling with the movie he made last year (often over 90 kilometers from Kigoma) to villages where many refugees are learning from him. He presents workshops on everything from HIV/AIDS to environmental degradation. He has been asked to attend the Jane Goodall Institute Youth Summit in Florida in April. It will be his first time out of Tanzania! We are making a short film about the Roots & Shoots programs and how the digital arts programs can come together to affect change in local communities. Isack has done this and is finding great results. Charles will post Isack’s short film on the blog when it is finished. Here is the first part of Isack's blog, he’ll add more tonight.







Hi!

This is Isack now. This is the first time for me to write a blog. Since I joined with Erik, Andy, Charles and Jody everything is going well. I’m free to ask any technical advice if I find any problems during my work. The important thing that I learned about them is that they are friendly. Everyone…every student loves them.

I’m very happy to work with them and now I have a confidence about everything that I do. I hope during the Jane Goodall Summit in the U.S. that people coming to it can get many things from me. I will prepare a short movie which shows how The Pearson Foundation helps Roots & Shoots members to make movies about different problems which face the community…example: environmental problems, water pollution, land pollution, etc. I’m sure if people can watch these movies and follow the advice of Roots & Shoots members, soon we are going to make a difference and our world will be a good place for everyone to live. This is what Pearson Foundation and Roots & Shoots are doing.

On October this year I’m going to make movie about war. It will be about how war is a source of poverty and under-development in Africa and in the world. I’m sure I will help people to understand about problems facing people during war. I have the confidence and I believe that I can do that.


I will write more tonight after I help Erik, Andy, Jody, and Charles teach the Roots & Shoots members to make movies.