Today started off well when Richard’s (Jamils’ English name) cousin Angela came to pay me a visit. I received a big hug, hand shake, hands on my face, the whole nine yards. Then, she proceeded to tell me that she has Malaria. Of course my first naïve American touristy mind went straight to thinking “Thank you so much for putting your hands all over my face when you are deathly ill.” Unfortunately Malaria is all too common here which is why I am continuing to take the doxy even though it makes me feel horrible.
Tuesday was the 19th “Edition” (as they say) of The International Day of the African Child. We went to the Bamenda Congress Hall run by the President’s party CPDM. The Secretary-General representing the Governor’s office of the North West Region gave a speech in conjunction with many other speeches given by public officials. Groups of children produced little performances for the Governor which was nice to see. The Secretary-General spoke a lot about children’s rights and responsibilities as well as responsibilities and rights of adults. He neglected to mention any responsibility of child’s rights violations falling in the hands of the government. Nevertheless here is a passage I frantically scribbled down from his address to the community:
“If a child lives with hostility, he learns to part; if a child lives with pity, he learns to feel sorry for himself; if a child lives with jealousy he learns to be guilty; if a child lives with honesty, he learns to know the truth; and if a child lives with love he learns to know that the world is a wonderful place” (Secretary-General of the office of the Governor of the NWR).
Although I know it’s necessary for children to carry responsibility, it is also the responsibility of adults to teach children how to act in a responsible manner. I suppose I’ll save this little rant for a class essay…
Since I begged for an implementation of some sort of schedule at GLOWA (because I’m neurotic and wrote one), the days have been fairly similar with staff meetings in the morning discussing the previous day’s work and upcoming events for the present day; individual and group work based upon the children and adult meetings and individual sessions with victims; individual reading and legal research on the matter of trafficking; and usually a trip of some sort to an orphanage, radio where we are interviewed, field campaigns, etc… Unfortunately the NGO is much more underdeveloped than what was explained to me by employers prior to my arrival. Nevertheless, not all situations will go as planned so I am trying to alter my research a bit and my plans with the NGO.
A man from a local organization came by GLOWA and said that there was a woman who gave birth at the local hospital. She had apparently made plans to sell the baby to a trafficker. The trafficker was caught before the transaction was complete; however due to the government system, the mother was discharged with the baby and the trafficker was released from jail. I thought several of you would be interested in this development (especially my M.A. Committee).
Hope all are well.
Emily
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It's very disappointing to see from your last paragraph that, although people try to help by the initial intervention to stop the child being trafficked...I am assuming it is highly likely that since the mother left with the child, and the trafficker got of scott free, this child will now be given to the trafficker. It would frustrate me to work inthis kind of environment where it seems much harder to do some good with laws helping people do bad.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy reading your anecdotes and about your daily life there Emily! xoxox