Don’t Look Back

Another long-weekend, another opportunity to see Addis Ababa for what it is.  I spent the past Saturday morning at a Children’s Parliament meeting held by ANPPCAN-Ethiopia and Save The Children Sweden. It was the first time I felt excited about working on a Saturday! Choosing work over sleeping-in was unbelievably worthwhile. Really.

When I arrived at Menelik II Primary School, one of the oldest schools in the country, I asked myself, “Why in the world would Torontonians complain about their education system?!” Seriously, if you think our education system back in Toronto is falling into shambles, I encourage you to visit Ethiopia or any other nation in transition for that matter. You will soon realize and appreciate the numerous opportunities the students of Toronto are entitled to. You will see that the quality of education should not be judged by the number of facilities of a building or how many school trips your child is attending. Rather, the quality of education is completely dependent on the quality of the teachers. Personally, I know I had great teachers. But I can tell you, I only had 3 outstanding teachers who have undoubtedly shaped me. So this is my humble attempt to encourage the future teachers reading this blog entry, strive to be outstanding because your students will appreciate your efforts years later. I know I do.

Anyhow, Menelik II was surprisingly situated on many acres of land and had multiple buildings. Though the soccer field had evolved into a livestock-grazing patch over the years, I could still see the gleaming smiles of children running freely into the refreshing October breeze. They sure knew how to enjoy their long-weekend. There was a rundown basketball court to the right of the compound. I felt it screaming out to me for a fresh coat of paint. It was craving for some quality court time. Or, maybe I was. There were boarded-up buildings with crumbling bricks and the aluminum roofs were beyond repair. As I looked to my right, a couple of new towering school buildings were being finished. The demand for education is high here. With the rolling Ethiopian Hills in the distance, regardless of the poor conditions of the buildings, this was a place for quality education. I could feel it.

The 50 children who attended the meeting were no older than 18 and represented the numerous sub-cities in Addis Ababa. The majority were around 13-15 years old. There was a relatively equal number of boys and girls. That was an encouraging sight. After my boss and a couple of other important people finished their speeches, the floor was given to the children. That’s when the magic happened.

First of all, you have to understand that these children were part of the first generation of Ethiopians to really understand their rights and were born into a time of continuing change. They’ve only read about the huge famine in their history books and they’ve watched American cartoons for most of their lives. They weren’t shy or submissive like traditional children, they were exuberant and outgoing. Outspoken and opinionated. Humble but eager. Educated and eloquent. Secondly, you have to remember they were only 13ish! These were “children activists”. Literally, the future of this nation.

The meeting was conducted in Amharic, but somehow I felt like I could participate as well. A little too optimistic, but I managed to understand enough to know when it was my turn to introduce myself. Pretty good huh?! Anyhow, even with the obvious language barrier, I couldn’t help but listen attentively. I could hear the passion in the childrens’ voices. I could see the determination in their eyes. I could feel their undying spirit. More importantly, I could see they were actually doing something about it. Change was happening before my eyes and I could only imagine what kind of country Ethiopia would be in 10 years.

There was one boy, “S”, who really stood out. He was always the one who presented group work and he was a natural. He was charming, humble, eloquent and funny. He was a born leader. He didn’t have to try and was elected chair by his peers. He could effect change, in fact all of them in that room could but “S” was different. And, I told him that afterwards. I didn’t want to inflate his ego prematurely, but I wanted him to know that he had a gift. He was “overflowing” like crazy! I encouraged him to keep on studying and to not be afraid of originality. The next 20 years in Ethiopia will depend on original thinkers. Don’t be surprised if you hear more about him in the coming years. He was definitely an inspiration.

I know this entry is quite long, but just one more thing. One of the kids asked me to take a photo of him and I gladly obliged. It felt great to document these amazing kids through images. Anyhow, after I took the photograph, he jokingly asked, “So how much money are you going to give me?” That wasn’t funny. This kid was suppose to be a leader of children in his sub-city, and he was jokingly begging for money like the others just because I was a foreigner?! Why did he sell himself short like that. It doesn’t matter how much you participate in these workshops or how opinionated you are. If you don’t have the right mentality, change will just be an illusive dream or the “cool” thing to talk about. Don’t look back, please.

 

p.s. If you’ve said “Yes” to God. Then don’t look back either. When I struggle, I just ask myself, “Why SHOULD I look back?”…

Keep truckin’ folks!