What Standardised Testing Doesn’t Tell Us About Learning

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Asia-Pacific, Civil Society, Education, Headlines

Opinion

When we say that children aren’t learning, what we mean is that they are not fitting into our assessment of their learning outcomes | Picture courtesy: Nilesh Nimkar

When we say that children aren’t learning, what we mean is that they are not fitting into our assessment of their learning outcomes | Picture courtesy: Nilesh Nimkar

THANE, MAHARASHTRA, India, Jun 6 2019 (IPS) – When we look at learning outcomes for children, we only look at standardised tests, ignoring any indigenous knowledge, language, or problem solving strategies they might have.

The brick kilns of Sonale were bustling with activity—children running around, indigenous technology being used, and lots of mathematics being done. I recently went there after a teacher from the nearby primary school approached our nonprofit, Quest, because the children living there were simply not learning. The concern was, if they didn’t even know their multiplication tables, how would they cope in classes V, VI, and VII?

So I went to see for myself. I asked these children, “To make the mortar for the bricks, how many pits have been dug?

“On one side 11; another side 12”

They also told me they would put three containers of raw material in each pit. So I asked them how many containers they would need in total, and after running off to count them, they came back with the right answers. They could also explain how they arrived at those numbers. What I found was that they were counting in threes. Not the way one recites the tables in the schools, but visualising it in their mind.

Clearly, these children knew how to multiply. That they failed to memorise their tables was beside the point. They had understood the concept and had demonstrated a strong meta-cognitive ability when they explained how they arrived at the answer

Clearly, these children knew how to multiply. That they failed to memorise their tables was beside the point. They had understood the concept and had demonstrated a strong meta-cognitive ability when they explained how they arrived at the answer. In my further conversations, I was amazed to see the kinds of calculations the children at the brick kilns did. For instance, 13 multiplied by 11 was done mentally because they were able to understand it within their own context (that of the brick kiln).

Standardised testing disadvantages marginalised children

This example illustrates one of the biggest challenges of our schools today—standardised assessment—which further disadvantages marginalised children. These children have a different type of cultural capital that schools and tests hardly recognise.

Western research in the field of math pedagogy points to the importance of children’s indigenous knowledge and strategies in solving problems and considers them to be the starting point for sound understanding of elementary mathematics. But what are those indigenous strategies in the Indian context? We still don’t know much about them. And our lack of knowledge results in us asking these children to run an unfair race.

Today, when we say that children from marginalised communities aren’t learning, what we mean is that they are not fitting into our assessment of their learning outcomes. By completely ignoring their indigenous knowledge, language, and problem-solving strategies, we have so far continued to focus on what they don’t know, and never paid attention to what they do know.

The process tells us more than just the outcomes

I do not deny the necessity of having some common indicators to understand the status of education in a given cluster, block, district, or state. But setting and chasing these indicators mindlessly could be dangerous.

Take for example, an encounter I had at an SSC exam centre in a rural school a few years ago. While I was visiting, I saw that the teachers were openly giving students answers to questions while they wrote their exams. When I asked why this was happening, a teacher said to me, “These children are weak from the beginning. It is almost impossible that they pass the exam on their own. If they fail, it will affect the result of our school and this would create a lot of trouble for us.”

This encounter is a classic example of what will happen if we neglect the process of learning and just focus on the numerical indicators of success. Our belief tends to be that if we can control learning outcomes, the quality of education will improve. But children can rote learn, or use unfair ways to pass their exams—we have no system that can check it at scale. What’s more, we are forgetting to track whether or not these children truly understand what they’ve been taught.

Ever since the ASER and other such reports have been published, we’ve been talking about how poor the learning outcomes are. But what have we really done to change things? We have been experimenting with examinations more than the actual process of learning, finding newer and newer ways to test the learning outcomes. But, if a pipe is choked, no matter what bowl you put under the opening, no water will drip into it. Similarly, no matter what exams, standard tests, and evaluation tool we use, only a little will change if we fail to address the core issues related to the process of learning.

When we say that children aren’t learning, what we mean is that they are not fitting into our assessment of their learning outcomes | Picture courtesy: Nilesh Nimkar

“What I found was that they were counting in threes. Not the way one recites the tables in the schools, but visualising it in their mind” | Picture courtesy: Nilesh Nimkar

What needs to be done

1. Strengthen the process, invest in teachers

One of the positive outcomes of the Right to Education (RTE) Act is that it improved enrolment rates. But we know that it’s not enough to get children into schools. We need to alter our schools to meet children’s needs. If we want to set the process of education right, we have to strengthen its most impacting factor, the teacher.

Teacher education and ongoing teacher professional development are areas where we haven’t paid much attention. Instead of offering our teachers quick fixes to the challenges they face, we need to begin working with, and for our teachers.

One example of how to do this could be through a technology based distant mentoring system for teachers working across geographies. Quest, the nonprofit I run, has a system like this on a much smaller scale—here, teachers send audio recordings of their classroom activity to mentors (experienced teachers, teacher-educators, or researchers in the field of pedagogy), who then provide them with ongoing feedback to help them fine-tune their skills. This type of support system needs to be created on a larger scale.

2. Change the way we test

We need to alter the tools and parameters we use to assess success. We had a chance to do this when the idea of continuous comprehensive evaluations was introduced. However, the teachers and education community at large could not free themselves from the idea of examinations, and we lost a golden opportunity to bring our focus on to the process.

In a country as diverse as India, the assessment framework could be common for all. But the actual tests should be local and culturally appropriate. For example, I have seen assessment tests that show a picture of a well-maintained French garden or a city park, expecting a rural child to talk about it. In this situation it is obvious that the child will show poor oral expression.

Or yet another example is that of asking children to write words only from the ‘standard’ language—when in reality, Marathi spoken in different parts of Maharashtra is not the same. But normally the assessments are not sensitive to this regional variation, which means that children with a home language that is different than the standard variant of Marathi will always perform poorly.

The question we must ask ourselves is, do we want to make the education system more inclusive, or do we want to use it as a sieve to weed out the ‘weaker’ children? We need to design an overarching framework and build a bank of regionally, culturally appropriate testing items. Unless we do this our focus will always remain on what children don’t know.

Nilesh Nimkar has over 20 years’ experience in the field of early childhood education, elementary education, teacher education and curriculum development. He has initiated several innovative programs for teachers and children, specially in the rural and tribal areas. He has received the Maharashtra Foundation Award for ‘Outstanding social work in the field of education’.

This story was originally published by India Development Review (IDR)

 

India’s Most Significant Innovations Have Roots in Civil Society

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Asia-Pacific, Civil Society, Development & Aid, Headlines

Opinion

Handpumps, participatory rural appraisals, wadi programmes, and so on, all came from an innovation or technology developed by civil society | Picture courtesy: Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India)

Handpumps, participatory rural appraisals, wadi programmes, and so on, all came from an innovation or technology developed by civil society | Picture courtesy: Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India)

AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT, India, Jun 4 2019 (IPS) – When we look at some of the things we take for granted in India today, there is a common thread to all of them. Every single one. They all originated from civil society.

People hear the word civil society and react differently; and it depends on where they come from. For the business leader, social and environmental concerns are impediments to business. “Environment ke liye poora project band hojata hai, what about growth, what about the economy?” (Entire projects have to be shut down for the sake of the environment).

I’ve also been in conversations with some government officers who say, “woh kaam chhota karte hain aur credit bahut le lete hain. Kaam toh hum karte hain paisa toh hamara hai.” (The nonprofits hardly do any work but take all the credit. We are the ones who do the work, the ones who put in the money).

But nothing is farther from the truth. When we look at rural India, and look at some of the things we take for granted today—be it women self-help groups (SHGs), ASHA workers, biogas plants, RTI applications, and so on—there is a common thread to all of them. Every single one. They all originated as innovations in civil society.

Our largest government programmes were born in civil society

1. National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM) and Self Help Groups (SHGs)

When we look at rural India, and look at some of the things we take for granted today—be it women self-help groups (SHGs), ASHA workers, biogas plants, RTI applications, and so on—there is a common thread to all of them. Every single one. They all originated as innovations in civil society.

One of the largest programmes of the government—the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM)—is based on women self help groups (SHGs). And the concept of an SHG was developed by Aloysius Fernandes and his team at MYRADA.

In the 1970s, MYRADA was working with large primary agriculture cooperative societies (PACS), all of whom seemed to be failing. In some of the geographies however, while the cooperatives had collapsed, there were some villages where small groups were saving and giving credit to each other.

Aloysius and the MYRADA team saw this, identified them as empowered groups that the banks could lend to, gave it form and structure, and took it to NABARD.

NABARD realised the value of what MYRADA was helping build, because they themselves were trying to reach out to the poor and their existing institutional portfolio was failing because the cooperatives weren’t functioning. They supported MYRADA and then pushed the banks to lend to these groups of poor women who saved regularly.

So, in a sense the SHG movement was started by MYRADA and to some extent, NABARD. The state was not in the picture at that time.

Then the first SERP programme came up in Andhra Pradesh. They used the base created by NABARD and MYRADA and they promoted the SHGs. And because the SERP programme worked, and because the World Bank was funding SERP, when the government created the NRLM, they used the same principles and structures.

Today the NRLM, which rides almost entirely on the SHG infrastructure, is the only large-scale institutional arrangement that the government has to reach out to poor. Every government uses it, regardless of what end of the political spectrum they occupy. It is pro-poor and still has elements of the market—the state can extend its entitlements directly to the people, while also enabling them to be self-reliant by promoting enterprises. But if there hadn’t been MYRADA, we probably wouldn’t have had NRLM today.

2. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) 

India’s most talked about government programme MGNREGA came about because Jean Drèze and others in civil society drafted it, and advocated for it.

The idea of MGNREGA did borrow from an earlier employment guarantee programme that was started in Maharashtra by Mr Vitthal Sakharam Page—chair of the Maharashtra State Legislative Council, and a social activist—who wrote the first draft in 1965. But it was only when several civil society activists fought for it in the early 2000s, that it became something that the Central government took seriously and passed into national law.

3. Integrated Water Management Programme (IWMP)

The early work around watershed management was done in Sukhomajri in Haryana. A more integrated approach was later piloted at Ralegan Siddhi by Anna Hazare. This, and the Hiware Bazar model by Popatrao Pawar became models to emulate, and the IWMP guidelines that are in place today are a result of contributions from many nonprofits.

These are just few examples but the story repeats itself again and again regardless of the sector. Consider these two others examples; one old and one relatively recent:

  • ASHA workers: The concept of ASHA workers was born in Jamkhed. The Aroles—Dr Mabelle and Dr Raj—started a programme in 1970 which involved semi-literate women delivering home-based care to mothers and newborns. It was taken to scale by the government, and our country now has over six lakh ASHA workers.
  • 108 Service: The 108 service that everyone lauds as a model of efficiency and scale was started as a service by EMRI—a nonprofit in Andhra Pradesh under the aegis of Satyam Foundation (EMRI was later taken over by the GVK Foundation). It was handed over to the Andhra Pradesh government, and later, other state governments implemented it. Today it runs across 15 states and two union territories.

The list continues—handpumps, participatory rural appraisals, wadi programmes, and so on. Essentially, almost any government programme worth its salt came from an innovation or technology developed by civil society. This is not to belittle the role of the state, which is by far the major development actor, but to emphasise the role of civil society in nation building.

Despite this, we are seeing a marginalisation of the civil society sector by markets and the government because we haven’t told our story well enough.

Civil society is too self-effacing

What is the philosophy of a civil society? We believe that we will develop solutions which over time the community will own and the state or market will support. When that happens, we believe our work is done.

In a way, it’s a very phoenix-like approach—you create and you disband. And you start all over again on some other problem. We don’t patent anything; we don’t take credit for anything.

And perhaps this is because we know that something as complex as social change requires the contribution of many people—communities, grassroots organisations, the state, funders, and so on. But we have gone to the other extreme. We don’t even acknowledge our role in the change; in fact, we undermine it.

When people ask us if we have successfully run a programme, we say “Nahi humne toh kuch kiya nahi hai, ye toh sab gaonwalon ne kiya hai” (No, we didn’t do anything, it was the villagers who did everything). And while it might be politically correct to say that we are only the catalysts, and the real work is done the community; it’s not always an accurate representation.

Civil society is more than the catalyst; we are innovators—technical innovators and idea innovators. We take really complex problems and come up with new ways to address them. We do effective work but refuse to take credit for it. And our refusal to take credit only feeds into the government’s view point—if the community is doing everything and civil society isn’t doing anything, then we will deal with the community directly.

People don’t understand our unique proposition

Because we have undermined ourselves, our unique proposition is not known. Our value to society is not only what we do or how we do it, but also at what cost we do what we do.

Many of us work at ridiculously low costs but we don’t document it, and we don’t measure it. So, some corporates, who want to work on social programmes, believe that they don’t need nonprofits. All they have to do is take the nonprofit’s staff and implement it on their own because it seems easy and cheap to do so.

The reality is different. Running a programme is complex. It takes years to build trust. And it requires humility, rigour, and persistence. It requires training, all-weather support, and hand-holding—all things that lead to an enabling ecosystem that a good nonprofit creates.

But some corporates don’t know this; they just want to take on the programmes because they believe they can do it better on their own rather than share space with nonprofits. It’s we who are at fault because we allowed this to happen.

The assumption is that nonprofits cannot scale

Scale is the new measure of ‘success’, where others find civil society wanting. Small, local and specialised civil society organisations are disappearing, and are not considered relevant in this new India which is in a hurry.

If one studies what has worked in the past, one realises that many, relatively small organisations have transformed the country. Consider MKSS, which started its work in a small village in Rajasthan, and even at its peak, worked largely in Rajasthan for the citizens’ right to information. That the RTI Act eventually became one of the most effective legislations by the state to hold itself accountable to its citizens, is a story of how impact is not necessarily a function of size.

We are constantly told by corporates and governments that we can’t scale. But then I reflect on what is it that a large corporate that has scaled typically does? They pick one slice of a human being’s life, for instance, the fact that people might like to drink cold sweet water in summer. It is one need—one would think a very unhealthy need but nevertheless a need. And then a multi-billion-dollar soft drink industry gets created around this need. You serve nothing; in fact, you take a poor man’s good water and convert it into this sweet water and charge him INR 20 for it. That is your net value addition to society. So that is all you know. To understand one very small slice of a human being’s need and address it.

Now compare that to what civil society is trying to do. We are trying to transform the conditions in which human beings live. This is dramatically different from creating a market for one small need of an individual.

It’s easy to scale a product that is uni-dimensional, serves a very specific micro-need, to which you can throw a ton of resources—money, talent, technology. But can you do it when it involves changing entrenched social norms across all aspects of a person’s life and livelihood?

The problem is while we in the sector might know how to do some of this, we don’t know how to articulate it and how to measure it.

And because we haven’t articulated it, we cannot argue for resources, for space, for anything really.

Even if the state hasn’t failed, we will always need civil society

Civil society is that critical third pillar of the samaj-sarkar-bazaar (society-government-market) triangle. Without it, no society can function. Even in most successful countries across the world there will always be people who are marginalised, and issues that are not on government or company radars.

There will always be a human problem which the market will never take up and the state will not realise either, because it is too buried, or too out there in the future. Even in its best form, the government is not designed to look at these things. And countries that have a majoritarian democracy will ignore those who are not a part of their majority. It’s a design problem.

So, who will look out for these people, who will help change entrenched social norms, who will build awareness of issues that matter?

Apoorva Oza is the chief executive officer of Aga Khan Rural Support Programme (India). He is also actively involved in founding and supporting nonprofits and nonprofit networks, as well as influencing government policy. A mechanical engineer with a diploma in rural management from the Institute of Rural Management, Anand, he has also completed courses from Cranford University, United Kingdom, and Cornell University, USA.

This story was originally published by India Development Review (IDR)

 

Forgotten Voices: The Critical Role of the Afghan Diaspora in the Pursuit of Peace in Afghanistan

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Afghan Diaspora

On April 23rd, 2019, the Charge d’Affairsof the U.S. Embassy in Kabul, Karen Decker, hosted more than 120 Afghan youth leaders at the ‘Youth and Peace’ Roundtable conference convened by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Attendees came from various backgroundsincluding academia, civil society, private sector, government, and international organizations. The one-day event was an opportunity for Afghans to openly discuss their opinions about the Afghan peace process in addition to their hopes and priorities for the future of their country. It provided participants with the opportunity to discuss ways their voices could be empowered in the dialogue surrounding the Afghan peace process. Efforts to strengthen the voices of those who often go unheard are critical to the pursuit of long term and sustainable peace throughout Afghanistan.

During the event, U.S. Ambassador John Bass encouraged the involvement of all Afghans in the dialogue surrounding the Afghan peace process. He indicated“Everyone can be part of the national conversation that informs the dialogue on peace, so you can have confidence that the people talking about your rights, your hopes, and your future, know what is important to you.” The open forum showed Afghans around the world that senior officials involved in efforts to stabilize their country value their thoughts, their voices have not been forgotten, and they can play a valuable role in shaping the future of their country. These kinds of efforts are useful models for engaging Afghans across the globe who have seen their country ravaged by conflict and instability for decades.

For decades, scholars and policy makers analyzing the Afghan peace process have criticized its limited inclusion of the Afghan government and diaspora communities around the globe. Intra-Afghan reconciliation depends on sustained dialogue between all parties involved in the conflict. Engaging the Afghan diaspora is a critical step towards making this aspiration a reality. Understanding the grievances and challenges faced by members of the Afghan diaspora , recognizing what they believe can be done to increase the prospects for progress, and ensuring they are given a platform from which they can voice their opinions about the future of their country are important steps the international community should take throughout the months and years to come.

Naweed Kareemi

Many of those who have fled the war in Afghanistan have gone on to pursue meaningful careers in business, academia, the private sector, and government around the world. Providing these members of the Afghan diaspora with a platform from which they can contribute to the conversation surrounding the challenges facing their country is critical. What has become known as “brain drain”has caused substantial challenges throughout Afghanistan and other regions faced with instability and low levels of economic development. The brain drain phenomenon suggests that those most capable of nurturing progress in their home countries are also those who have the means to pursue safer and more prosperous lives abroad. As a result of their expatriation, they play more limited roles in the pursuit of progress in their home countries. Many of those who could make the most valuable contributions to socioeconomic and political progress in Afghanistan are now scattered across countries with higher levels of socioeconomic development. Countries such as the United States, think tanks across the globe, nonprofits, and civil society, should cooperate closely with efforts to provide members of Afghan diasporas the means through which they can contribute to their country’s path to peace.

Though their decision to leave Afghanistan is understandable, the mass exodus of highly skilled labor from the country has affected the Afghan-peace process, socio economic development, and efforts to create conditions conducive to foreign direct investment detrimentally. Encouraging members of the Afghan diaspora living abroad to contribute to the dialogue surrounding the challenges facing their home country could prove enormouslyproductive.Many of those most capable of contributing to the pursuit of peace and reconciliation have left the country to pursue education and heightened career prospects abroad. Members of the large, well informed, resilient, and well-educated Afghan diaspora living in countries such as Canada, the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdom should play a substantial role in fostering the conditions necessary for the pursuit of Afghan peace.

Members of the Afghan diaspora around the world are endowed with an intimate understanding of the socioeconomic, political, and tribal roots of the conflict in Afghanistan. They possess first-hand knowledge of the difficulties faced by ordinary Afghans and their desire for peace is often independent of political interests. Many of these people have the wellbeing, prosperity, peace, and stability of Afghanistan at heart. They can contribute to a more clear understanding of the roots of the conflict and the development of realistic policies aimed at addressing them. Providing opportunities for the diaspora to contribute to the formulation and implementation of policies conducive to peace is of utmost importance.

The constructive nature of diaspora engagement is exemplified by Liberia, a West African country who experienced two devastating civil wars in recent history, which caused a substantial portion of the Liberian population to flee the country. Many settled in the West, with a substantial portion of them eventually resettling in the United States. The Liberian diaspora living in the United States became essential in achieving economic development, nurturing reconstruction, and peacebuilding in the country. As of today, Liberian Americans continue to provide essential foreign aid to their home country. Furthermore, Liberian professionals who lived the United States are returning to the country and providing valuable expertise in fields such as telecommunications, economic development, tribal reconciliation, and finance.

The assistance provided by the diaspora also extends to the political and security realms. For example, by fundingdemocratic opposition, the Liberian diaspora was able to encourage political dialogue and decrease levels of widespread political violence. Furthermore, Diaspora members pressured relatives living in the country to support justice reform and end the practice of trial by ordeal, which often resulted in death and bloodshed. Additionally, diaspora communities across the United States, particularly in the state of Minnesota, brought together diverse actors fueling the conflict who otherwise would not have been at the same table. They acted as track two diplomatic mediators.

Though much progress has been made throughout the past few months in encouraging intra-Afghan dialogue in a spirit of compromise, negotiations, and reconciliation, much work remains to be done. The people most passionate about the pursuit of peace are those who have suffered from its absence the most. It is an unfortunate reality that these people’s voices often go unheard. It is important that they are given the opportunity to discuss their thoughts and concerns, interact with policymakers and other stakeholders, and present a unified message about what they feel the future of their country should look like.

It is both their right and the international community’s responsibility to ensure that members of the Afghan diaspora are provided with platforms from which they can voice their hopes, expectations, and desires for the future of Afghanistan. Members of the Afghan diaspora and their families are those whose futures will be most affected by the decisions made by policymakers. It is therefore their right to make constructive contributions to the development of policies aimed at peacebuilding. Members of the Afghan diaspora possess critical knowledge and understanding of the conflict that has sown death and destruction throughout their country for decades. Including their knowledge and opinions in the shaping of the future of their own country is a vital step towards achieving long lasting and sustainable peace in the country.

Mark Thomas Patterson is a Project Assistant at the International Institute for Peace, Democracy, and Development (IIPDD), an Afghan-U.S. NGO. He is currently studying International Affairs with a specialization in International Politics in the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University in Washington D.C.

Gabriel M. Piccillo is Vice President for Conflict, Stabilization, and Reconstruction at the International Institute for Peace, Democracy, and Development (IIPDD), an Afghan-U.S. NGO. He is based in Washington, DC.

Rich people unsafe as long as there’s poverty – Denise Williams

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Denise Williams

Denise Williams is the president and co-founder of Silicon Valley-Nigerian Economic Development Inc. She tells SUCCESS NWOGU about her background, career and aspirations

Tell us about your career.

I serve on the board of three companies, including Silicon Valley-Nigerian Economic Development Inc, Global Connection for Women Foundation (an award-winning non-profit organisation that has honoured distinguished personalities such as a former President of Malawi, Joyce Banda), and Sky Clinic Connect.

I started my professional career at the age of 23, and I have worked with premier healthcare companies such as Kaiser Permanente, Gilead Sciences, Abbott Laboratories, and the State of California Department of Public Health Services.

I am also a published author and journalist featured on CNBC Africa, Huffington Post, The Guardian, Thrive Global, and many others. I was a featured keynote speaker at the United Nations’ International Day of Education, during the General Assembly.

I have also been the recipient of several awards such as US Congressional Award for Outstanding Contributions to the community, and a US Senatorial Award for Outstanding Community Leadership.

I am most passionate about building a bridge of economic prosperity between Silicon Valley (the technology Mecca of the world) and emerging countries, starting with Nigeria.

What are your educational qualifications?

I earned a Bachelor in Economics /Business Administration, with a major in Marketing, from the University of California, USA. I completed my Master in Business Administration, with a major in Marketing from Edward S. Ageno School of Business, Golden Gate University, San Francisco.

What has been your experience running SVNED?

I find that with running a business, you can have really good days and some days that are not so great. It is important to be surrounded by the right people and securing your present moment before taking the leap of faith into the business world.

SVNED has been a blessing by helping me identify skills I didn’t know I had. To be a co-founder and president was a perfect fit for me because I get to finally be myself – an American from Nigeria. I did not have to try to fit in with Americans or Nigerians. Although I was an avid user of many hardware and software applications homegrown in California, I never thought I would be part of the success story behind bridging the economic gap between Silicon Valley and the rest of the world.

There are many advantages to these two sides of the world coming together to find synergies that will lead to successes and investment opportunities.

Why do you, in partnership with some US organisations, want to distribute five containers of computers to Nigerian start-ups?

The move is geared at developing our technological capacity. An article I read recently stated that a four-year degree is no longer required to earn a six-figure salary. Jobs are created every day with the use of technology, and start-ups are bought and sold every day. So, one has to ask oneself, how does Nigeria rank when it comes to investment in start-up ideas developed by the youth? Those computers can help classrooms and small businesses in nurturing their technological capabilities.

Are there striking talents and innovations in Nigeria that need to be nurtured and harnessed for greatness?

Absolutely, Nigeria has the most talented and intelligent citizens in the world. Sometimes, our intelligence works against us because we are constantly outsmarting the system. But outsmarting the system means breaking the rules, therefore making it an unfair distribution of wealth and success for those who are honest, and law abiding. Credibility is one of our greatest weaknesses (as a people), but intelligence is one of our greatest strengths. If only we could find a balance between both, then we would shatter more records, and break more grounds for an even and fair economic prosperity spread out for all.

What has worked for the United States and many other successful nations is that the people are willing to follow rules and protocols for the benefit of the future and the present. Nigerians, on the other hand, are notorious for bending the rules until they break. And when they break, investment opportunities cease to exist. We have to learn, as a nation, to play fair and be a good example for promoting integrity and credibility for the rest of Africa and the world.

From your point of view, what do you think should be done to uplift the youth and grow Nigeria’s economy?

Youths are usually very excited to learn and get opportunities for new and exciting ventures. Whether it’s educational or professional, they show up in large numbers.

To uplift youths, one has to invest in their dreams and ideas. We have to nurture our future talents because it is out of their minds that solutions that will resolve common problems will be found.

Skill-based training is what SVNED is all about. We have designed a programme that will make the economy more efficient, and it can be applied and replicated in many other areas. Through research and experience, SVNED has developed models that will pair talent and employers together.

One of Nigeria’s greatest challenges is overpopulation, and we have more infrastructural needs than anything else. However, we can induce labour by training and certifying our youths into technical skills. That will advance the economy while they work for free, in exchange for small stipends and housing.

You have lived in the US for some years. Why do you think many Nigerians excel more in the US than in Nigeria?

The biggest difference is the availability of potable water and stable electricity. You can be a dreamer and hard worker in Nigeria, but if you are not born into a family of wealth, you are at a disadvantage, because wealth is not evenly distributed in Nigeria. However, in the US, there is a more even distribution of wealth. There is an opportunity for everyone to become a success story.

The US nurtures the talent of every citizen, and they care about everyone from the moment a child is born. The government supports parents and families to make sure that kids’ growth and development are not disrupted by lack of basic needs such as food or quality healthcare.

Meanwhile, what does Nigeria offer a new mother, and even the child, from birth to graduation? Well, you know the rest.

Why are you raising funds in line with the UN’s quality education goals for the training of about 24,000 people?

In order for us to bring professors and talented individuals from Silicon Valley to train Nigerian youths, there is an associated cost for travel and logistics. SVNED fronted the out-of-pocket cost for training 120 youths in two states back in 2018. We are looking for the top five per cent of Nigeria’s most powerful people to support our initiative. SVNED wants to reduce people’s dependence on government. There is a huge disparity between the rich and the poor. But the rich will never find rest as long as they drive in their Bentleys and fly in their helicopters while there are young children suffering on the streets.

You were quoted to have said you are working towards getting 24,000 Nigerians employed by 2020. How do you intend to do that?

Our training has proved to be effective in transforming lives. Through SVNED immersion programmes, we have had talents that have gone on to start their own businesses or become employed in the tech space and other fields. None of our SVNED immersion programmes alumni are sitting idle. Instead, they have awakened to the possibilities out there by creating a path for themselves and families.

You have written a book. What inspired it?

My book is titled, Akiti the Hunter. The book was inspired by children around the world, who sought out heroes on bookshelves and in movies who resembled members of their families. Akiti has brought joy to many homes because it connects African Americans to their roots in Africa.

What are your principles?

I believe in doing unto others as I would want done to me. I can be very sweet and also very bitter. The Denise Williams you get is a mirror image of the person you present her with.

How would you describe your childhood?

I grew up in three states in Nigeria – Ekiti, Oyo and Lagos. Before my family migrated to the United States, my days were spent playing with my older siblings and cousins. My parents were avid travellers and that afforded us the opportunity to visit several countries. It was a great experience learning about other cultures and people, and knowing that the world around me in Nigeria was a lot bigger than that. Travelling is the best training any parents can give their children, because it truly opens up their world. Now, I can comfortably say that I have lived on three continents – North America, Europe and Africa.

How do you unwind?

I read all the time, listen to music, and like many girls out there, I enjoy my bubble bath with scented candles while playing afrobeat music. I am currently reading five books, including the Bible. I keep myself informed about current events by reading the Wall Street Journal, the Economist and Forbes. I stay up-to-date with world events and continue to do my part in making the world better than I met it.

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Voyage to ancestors

Posted on by emandowa

Tamukwera
Ilala! Ilala! Ilala! Iseee! Tamukwera Ilala eeeh! Ilala! Amama! IIala! Amama!
Ilala ise, tamukwera IIala eee!

Such is the
fast-paced song in rural areas, especially in the North, when the MV Ilala, a
620-tonne ferry, is about to depart a port—a sign of just how much the ship,
which has chugged up and down Lake Malawi since 1951, is revered.

United States-based Malawian musician Chipembere Jnr has released an acoustic version of ‘Ilala’

Ilala is a song that comes from an old
Malawian traditional wedding song. It says we are going on a ship.

On Sunday,
May 19 2019, United States-based Malawian musician Masauko Chipembere Jnr
released an acoustic version of the song as a precursor to his album set for
release on June 16 2019.

In his
version, Masauko, son to political nationalists Henry Masauko and Catherine
Chipembere, believes that the ship is taking people on a voyage to the place of
the ancestors.

It is a
powerful acoustic performance filmed at Stowel Lake Farm on Salt Spring Island,
Canada. The album version of Ilala was produced and recorded by Come
to Life at Milestone Recording Studio in Cape Town, South Africa.

But this song
is just a tip of an iceberg in a music project that captures the story of how a
boy from Los Angeles, who spent years trying to find his African identity,
finally made it home.

“I was a
child of exile,” speaks Chipembere in a five-minute documentary released
recently.

“I was
conceived in Tanzania while my mother and father were running from the conflict
with Kamuzu Banda in Malawi. I was born in Los Angeles. I was actually in the
womb in Africa and then born in the United States.

“My music, I
feel, has always been about trying to figure out how to balance that on some
sort of scale,” he explains.

His father,
Henry, played a significant role in bringing independence from colonial rule to
Malawi. He became a minister in Kamuzu Banda’s Cabinet in the run up to
independence in July 1964.

But barely a
month later, Banda’s autocratic style led to the Cabinet Crisis where
Chipembere resigned and was forced into exile.

“In Los
Angeles, I grew up amongst kids who were troubling with all things that LA had
to throw at you…Malawi was an abstract idea. I came to find out later that,
because of my father’s political situation, it was illegal for Malawians to
come to Los Angeles. Malawians could be punished by death for coming to Los Angeles
because my father was there. So, as a child, I grew up not knowing any
Malawian.

“It was up
until 1994, when my mother went back to Malawi. She was part of the government
that pushed out the dictatorial regime of Kamuzu Banda.

“That’s when
Malawi and the whole Chipembere story became real to me, more especially the
thought of my mother taking a flight to Malawi to fight someone who is an enemy
of pan-Africanism,” he explains.

This short
music documentary about Masauko Chipembere was made over a two-week journey in
Southern Africa to produce his latest record with Come To Life titled Masauko.

For years, he
had been traveling to Malawi to work with artists such as Ernest Ikwanga (lead
guitar), Chambota Chirwa (bass guitar), Kyle Luciano Phikiso (drummer) and Sam
Mkandawire (keyboard).

He, however,
says despite the immense talent that Malawi has, he found it difficult to find
better resources for his album; hence, going to South Africa which “has more
means such as better equipment and studios”.

The album’s
creation finds its roots back during the US Presidential elections of November
2016 when Masauko was invited to a jam session on Salt Spring Island, Canada.

A number of
artists had also gathered on Salt Spring to deal with the coming of the new
regime in the U.S. and to remind themselves that they could battle the
destructive nature of the new political reality with creativity through art.

They sang,
they chanted, they cried, and testified. At the end of a particularly beautiful
jam session, Masauko was standing with David from Guayaki and Daryl Chonka, who
was the sound engineer for the event.

He recalls:
“David said to me ‘We should start a record company’. I simply agreed,
suggesting that the moralistic nature that has characterised the Guayaki brand could
make a positive impact on the music industry. I never dreamed that Daryl would
call me a few months later to say, “We are starting the record company we
talked about and you are the first artist we want to make a record with.”

Chipembere
says although Malawi is financially poor, it is culturally rich; a feature that
he believes his project demonstrates.

Malawians are
a people who have ancient traditions connecting them to the earth, the sky, the
wind, the trees and the ancestors.

His album is
the product of all these elements coming together.

“African-American
community in the United States taught me about ancestors. In fact, I learnt and
heard more about ancestors from black people in America than I have typically
in Africa.

“The belief
there is that we need to come to grips with our ancestors.

But we are a
people claiming that our ancestors were slaves. That means going back into that
is choosing hardships.

“My journey
was to come to grips with my roots in Malawi and Africa.

That journey,
I understand, didn’t have to be pretty. It had to be done because it was the
right thing to do, because people without roots cannot grow.

“So, going straight at it instead of avoiding it has allowed me to find some grace in the sense that I get to know myself,” he explains.

A Call for Concrete Changes to Achieve a More Gender Equal World

Posted on by admin
Civil Society, Development & Aid, Editors’ Choice, Featured, Gender, Global, Global Governance, Headlines, Human Rights, IPS UN: Inside the Glasshouse, TerraViva United Nations

Princess Sarah Zeid is a member of UNHCR’s Advisory Group on Gender, Forced Displacement, and Protection, a Special Advisor to the World Food Programme on Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition, and Chair of the Newborn Health in Humanitarian Settings Initiative.

AMMAN, May 29 2019 (IPS) – On the eve of the Women Deliver conference in Vancouver June 3-6, Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan interviewed Dr. Olfat Mahmoud, a Palestinian refugee and women’s rights advocate.

Princess Sarah spoke with Dr. Olfat about what the humanitarian system would look like if organizations like hers could help shape it, and the messages she hopes to bring to Women Deliver.

Excerpts from the interview:

Princess Sarah: Tell me a little about yourself. What drew you to your work and why does it matter?

Dr. Olfat: I was born a Palestinian refugee, so witnessed injustice all my life. Yet what defines me is not that I grew up in a refugee camp in Lebanon, or that I spent most of my life in a war zone, but that I am a nurse and advocate in my community.

Even amid crisis, my parents were open-minded and encouraged me to be independent, so that is exactly what I set out to do. I studied and practiced nursing during the Lebanese civil war, and through that work witnessed the overlooked hardships faced by refugee women and children.

As a medical practitioner, I saw how essential services for girls and women of all ages – such as psychosocial support and sexual and reproductive health care– were chronically overlooked. And as an advocate in my community, I found that supporting women empowered me as well.

I established the Palestinian Women’s Humanitarian Organization (PWHO) to fill these gaps and fulfill the needs of refugee girls and women so they can lead better futures. Not a single international organization stepped up to do this important work – so I knew that change had to come from those of us within the community.

Princess Sarah: What are the main challenges girls and women face in your community? What makes women-focused civil society organizations (CSOs) like yours most well-equipped to respond to these challenges?

Dr. Olfat: For girls and women, life in refugee settings require superhuman strength. We are particularly vulnerable when it comes to access to essential health services, information, and education, and disproportionately suffer from gender-based violence.

Women-focused civil society organizations are most well-equipped to respond to these challenges because women are the best experts on our lives. Our lived experiences make us better advocates for ourselves and for others in similar situations.
For example, the PWHO women’s centers – staffed by refugee women themselves– have gained unparalleled trust from the community, and become a second home for many.

With that trust, we can more easily identify what women want and need – like access to non-discriminatory health services, psychosocial support, rights-based education, and leadership skills – and design programs that are tailored for them. We can also negotiate with local leaders to push for a more supportive environment for women’s rights – a key ingredient to driving lasting change in conservative contexts.

UNHCR Patron, HRH Sarah Zeid of Jordan, meets with a women’s group at Doro refugee camp in South Sudan. Credit: UNHCR/Jan Møller Hansen

Princess Sarah: What could the international community – including donors, decision-makers, and practitioners – do more or less of to maximize sustainable positive impact for the populations you serve?

Dr. Olfat: The international community wields a lot of power – especially the power of money and the power of influence. To drive real change in my community, international actors must use those powers more efficiently.

First, there is a critical need to fill funding gaps for programs that are specifically designed for refugee girls and women. With more girls and women displaced today than ever before in global history, their needs are rising – yet funding for them is decreasing.

We need smarter investments in programs that enable refugee girls and women to lead better futures, including through education and quality vocational and life skills training, as well as access to sexual and reproductive health care.

Yet money alone is not enough. The international community must also use their influence to challenge national and regional political barriers that hold us back.

This includes respecting and upholding international agreements, including UN resolutions, which support and protect refugees. It also means addressing legal restrictions that keep refugee women from working, obtaining formal education, and exercising other basic human rights in their host countries.

Princess Sarah: Currently only 3% of humanitarian aid goes to local and national organizations – and even less to those focused on girls and women. What types of concrete investments does your organization need to extend your impact and plan for the future?

Dr. Olfat: Right now, the needs we see are greater than the resources we have. To meet those needs, we don’t just need more funding – but more of the right kinds of funding.

Too often, grants and funding opportunities for women-focused CSOs are designed without consulting us on the types of investments we know girls and women in our communities need the most.

Other times, we aren’t able to access grants because of unrealistic reporting requirements that are either unsuitable or unmanageable for a small grassroots organization like ours.

For example, many grants for vocational programs in Lebanon require organizations to report success by the number of jobs their beneficiaries gain as a result – which isn’t possible in a context where refugees aren’t legally allowed to work. To support women-focused CSOs and the communities they serve, we must be more meaningfully engaged in setting investment agendas at the start.

We also need access to more flexible and sustainable funding opportunities, including core funding. It’s impossible to plan for the future when we rely on six- to twelve- month grants. We’re committed to supporting refugee girls and women in our community for as long as we’re needed – but require the right resources to fulfill that goal.

Princess Sarah: You have also been advocating for the international community to more meaningfully engage women-focused CSOs in humanitarian decision-making. In your view, what concrete steps can the international community take to put more power and influence in the hands of women-focused CSOs like yours, and why should this be an urgent priority?

Dr. Olfat: Women-focused CSOs must be heard in humanitarian policy meetings to ensure decisions reflect realities on the ground. This requires inviting us to important discussions held in New York and Geneva, but it also means making sure we can get there through travel and logistics support. And when we are there, it means carving out spaces for us to safely and honestly share the solutions we need with the assurance that we will be heard.

The alternative – excluding refugee women from decisions that affect their work and lives – isn’t acceptable and isn’t working. When we are engaged, we make humanitarian policy and practice stronger and more effective.

Princess Sarah: What do you hope to achieve at the Women Deliver Conference in Vancouver, Canada? What advocacy asks do you hope to bring forward at this meeting?

I hope to raise awareness to the needs of Palestinian refugee girls and women in Lebanon, to ensure that they are not forgotten. And I want to highlight solutions women-focused CSOs like PWHO need – money, influence, and power – to push for the change I’ve wanted to see all my life.

At the same time, I hope to learn from other advocates around the world, and build networks so we can collectively push for a humanitarian system that puts girls and women at the center. Solidarity is our strength and our power – and we need to be stronger together to achieve a better world for all of us.