Valuing people's language and culture means far more than just changes in lifestyle, education or future options. It impacts who they are, who they have made to be. Take a quick look at this video that explains very nicely some of the key reasons for doing what we do.
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Showing posts with label culture. Show all posts
Tuesday, 21 October 2014
Friday, 13 June 2014
What makes you who you are?
What makes me a man?
What makes me British?
What are the connecting features that help me identify with these ‘groupings’? Or, put slightly differently, what factors make up my identity? Our genes, yes, but that is only part of the picture. What else influences who we are?
It’s a tricky question. It’s not something we think about very often, but yet it’s a very important one. Often without realising it we find that who we are, what we think, what we value, how we choose to act, is shaped by and connected to the circumstances that surround us. Things that we can easily take for granted.
STOP for a minute and have a little think: What makes you who you are?
At one of our community of practice events last year we asked participants that very question: What makes you part of your ethnolinguistic group? These were some of the responses:
And so what? Why does this matter? Well, what would happen if those factors were suddenly no longer around? What if you couldn’t live in a certain place, eat a certain food, wear certain clothes, speak a certain language? Would you still feel connected to others who have similar features? Would you still be you?
These are the kinds of questions many marginalised communities around the world are having to face right now. Key elements that make up who they are are being challenged, looked down upon, outlawed and even destroyed. Their traditional ways of celebrating, their traditional foods, the language they speak, and often the very land they live on is changing and they must decide how to respond.
At its heart, this is what we are working to support. To help communities who have been looked down upon and devalued, to define their own identity and to be proud of it. To see who they are, who they were made to be, and to freely live in those realities. It’s a complicated issue, with many factors, but one that is central to many other areas of life.
Will you join with us and stand alongside these marginalised communities? We do not receive a salary for the work we do and our income is dependent on the goodwill of friends around the world. If you would like to support us either regularly or by making a one off gift, you can do so now by clicking here.
Friday, 21 March 2014
Connections: Green Pastures
Two young children, members of a herder community in Tarialan, Mongolia, wander the slopes of one of the highest countries in the world. At least 40% of Mongolians live a nomadic lifestyle, regularly herding their animals to greener pastures. With the end of communism and religious oppression in 1991, the church has grown rapidly and when a New Testament translation into Halh (Mongol) was published in 2000 all ten thousand copies sold out on the first day. Many of Mongolia’s other 13 unique language communities have some scripture portions available to them, but need more. Please pray for the growing church in Mongolia.
Photo: UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe
Words: Elyse Patten
Words: Elyse Patten
This is the latest in an (ad hoc) series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we start a new year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Friday, 21 February 2014
Connections: Community
The sun sets on a gorgeous summer day over the village of Margau, Romania. Christians in this village are grateful to have a Bible to read, since they know what it is like to live without it. During the Cold War many Romanians risked imprisonment to smuggle, hide and share Bibles. And they haven’t forgotten. The small churches in this town, and other towns nearby, are pooling their resources to achieve something great. Together they support a missionary family to live in Ethiopia and are helping bring the Bible to speakers of the Shek/Maj languages. An incredible testimony to what can be achieved by working together. Read the full story.
Photo: Søren Kjeldgaard
Words: Elyse Patten
Words: Elyse Patten
This is the latest in an (ad hoc) series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we start a new year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Friday, 24 January 2014
Connections: Cultivation
The steep hillsides of the Nepalese valleys are no deterrent for the hungry farmer. Thousands of narrow terraces line the fertile hills of Nepal, right up into the dizzying heights of cloud and mist. Culturally and linguistically rich, Nepal has 124 living languages – 80 of them without any Scripture available. For the last ten years, the National Nepali Language Preservation Institute (NNLPI) has been actively engaged in research and cultivation of Nepali languages. In May of 2009, NNLPI celebrated the completion of its first two New Testaments. A number of other translation and literacy projects are underway. Please pray for the church in Nepal.
Photo: Ari Vitikainen
Words: Elyse Patten
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This is the latest in an (ad hoc) series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we start a new year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Words: Elyse Patten
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This is the latest in an (ad hoc) series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we start a new year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Friday, 27 December 2013
Connections: Mesmerised
Have you ever seen children sit so still? At a dark outdoor meeting with only the glow of the stage lights, this image was captured at a ridiculously slow shutter of 1/8 of a second. But these mesmerised kids didn’t budge an inch. Every year on May Day weekend hundreds of Christians who live throughout the top end of Australia come to the outback town of Katherine to fellowship together. Making camp in the shade, they study the word by day and share items of music and dance by night. Over this weekend in 2011 I met and interviewed many inspirational Aboriginal Christians. I listened to stories of men who’d given up alcohol, women committed to witnessing Christ in their community, and teenagers who read their Kriol Bible every day. I rejoiced to see God at work.
Click here to meet Marlene, a leader in her community at Ngukurr.
Click here to meet Marlene, a leader in her community at Ngukurr.
Photo & Words: Elyse Patten
This is the latest in a short series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we come towards the end of another year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Friday, 20 December 2013
Connections: More Than Rice
Happy kids pose on a small rice farm in Uganda. While western media often focuses on this nation’s struggles, Ugandans are persevering, gentle and strong in faith. Over 82% of Ugandans call themselves Christian. Although many Ugandans have access to the Scriptures in the national language, that doesn’t enable the same level of understanding as a heart language. For example, after attending a basic Bible teaching seminar, Mr. Zaverio, 97, said, "I was not expecting to witness the Word of God being read in Bwisi while I was still alive. This week I have learned the true meaning of salvation, and I have accepted Jesus as my Saviour. I will die in the Lord. They used to tell us that a true Christian is the one who attends church all the time, gives gifts, does good works and prays every evening. But now through these teachings in my language of Bwisi, I am understanding that God forgives our sins through Christ!"
Photo: Andy Kristian Agaba
Words: Elyse Patten
Words: Elyse Patten
This is the latest in a short series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we come towards the end of another year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Friday, 13 December 2013
Connections: Meet Pastor Paul
Closely involved in the translation of the New Testament into his mother tongue, Wala, published in 2008, Pastor Paul references the whole Scripture text of the Bible in Pijin, the national language of the Solomon Islands. He keeps his fingers in the commandments of Exodus 20 while reading Jesus’ genealogy in Luke 3. While such detailed family histories may not excite English readers, for Malaitians it is an important connection between their culture and the Biblical culture. Pastor Paul says, “We strongly believe the word from our ancestors, our customs. We depend on that. Our culture is very important and we need to view it in the light of God’s word. The Bible helps us to understand who God is.” Pastor Paul considers that a recent disregard for family history has contributed to modern problems in the family. He shares from the Old and New Testaments with those gathered for an ethno-arts workshop on the island of Malaita and urges, “We must make the family strong. When the family is strong, then the community is strong. When the community is strong, then the church is strong. When the church is strong then the whole nation is strong.”
Photo & Words: Elyse Patten
This is the latest in a short series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we come towards the end of another year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Friday, 6 December 2013
Connections: Island Life
Dreamy blue-green waters, scattered islands, sleepy boats - where are we again? One of the largest Islamic nations in the world, a major manufacturer of electronics, producer of oil and certainly the strongest and fastest growing economy in Southeast Asia is – believe it or not –Malaysia. I lazily pointed my camera at this scene many years ago while holidaying on the small island of Langkawi.
It is hard to comprehend the diversity that this one nation encompasses. Malay is the official language, reflecting the vast majority of Malay settlers, but a large Chinese population reside here, as do many Tamils and other South Asians. People who are indigenous to Malaysia are in the minority. Scattered over Malaysia’s 800 islands, and deep in the rainforest of the island previously known as Borneo, they speak over 100 different languages. Many of these languages are in danger of extinction which would mean a great loss of culture, knowledge, history and identity to those who speak them. A new website dedicated to endangered languages gives an interesting visual representation of this worldwide problem. Take a look. Please pray for the work of language development in Malaysia.
Photo & Words: Elyse Patten
This is the latest in a short series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we come towards the end of another year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Friday, 29 November 2013
Connections: Ear to Ear
A broad smile and an even broader hat are a charming combination on this friendly man in Yimbéré, Cameroon. One of the languages he speaks is Fulfulde, a language that belongs to the Fulani people but enjoys wide-spread use as a regional trade language used by millions throughout Central and West Africa. In Northern Cameroon Christians use Fulfulde in their worship services and currently a revision of the Fulfulde Scriptures which were published decades ago is being undertaken. Please pray for the Fulfulde translation team.
Photo: Zeke du Plessis | Words: Elyse Patten
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This is the latest in a short series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we come towards the end of another year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Friday, 22 November 2013
Connections: Vibrant Culture
Can you imagine our world without its phenomenal diversity of cultures, languages and expressions? Each wondrously beautiful in its own way, the human being is a multi-faceted creature that merely reflects an astoundingly colourful Creator. Blessed with cultural diversity and a proudly independent history, Thailand likes to display its variety as much as anyone. With a strong appreciation for language, Thais are getting involved in language development and Bible translation around the world and this cultural hub of Southeast Asia is busy with training. Wycliffe Thailand’s director, Tarawat Suebthayat, considers, “Every Christian is a missionary. God has given us different roles to play. Some are on the front line, and some are in the back. As for me, God wants me to nurture the new generation of missionaries now by giving them resources, training and knowledge.” Read Tarawat’s story. Pray for the Asia.
Photo & Words: Elyse Patten
This is the latest in a short series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we come towards the end of another year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Friday, 15 November 2013
Connections: Somalia
A Somali man sits next to his herd of goats at Bakara Animal Market in Mogadishu, Somalia. In the district's animal market, thousands of goats are brought each morning, where they are sold for their meat. With the longest coastline on the African continent, Somalia occupies the eastern-most point of the Horn of Africa with a population of 10 million people who speak more than 10 different languages. Enjoying a warm semi-arid climate, Somalis are credited with domesticating the camel and archaeological research reveals that an ancient Somali civilisation once thrived with a unique writing system that is still undeciphered. Today the vast majority of Somalis are Sunni Muslims, and Islam is vitally important to the Somali sense of national identity. Christians are in the minority. There are 8 language communities in Somalia without any Scripture available to them. Watch a short film about a Christian Somali woman’s journey of faith. Please pray for the work of the church in Somalia. Find prayer requests from Africa here.
Photo: UN Photo/Tobin Jones | Words: Elyse Patten
This is the latest in a short series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we come towards the end of another year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world. MW
Friday, 8 November 2013
Connections: Meet Pastor Dorival
In contrast to his rustic surroundings, Pastor Dorival’s face is alight with joy and excitement. Dorival is an evangelist, travelling far and wide in this old car to share good news with other Kaiwá people indigenous to western Brazil. Dorival is excited to soon have the whole Bible in Kaiwá:
“Before, when the Psalms were only in Portuguese we could not understand them - words like intercession and transgression - we did not know what these words meant. But now we know! I love Psalm 1 that says we are compared to a tree that is planted by living water. That is so beautiful to me. It gives a deeper understanding of who God really is. When we received parts of the Old Testament it was like someone took a huge light and put it up high and said, 'Oh! Look all around here! Here is something you did not know before!' So when I think that soon there's going to be Genesis to Revelation, I feel really happy inside. It's very good. It tastes good to see this happen. So I am jumping up and down with happiness because it is really beautiful, it is almost ready.”
A draft version of the entire Bible in Kaiwá was dedicated on 31 August 2013. Please pray for the 30,000 Kaiwá speakers who are now reading and reflecting on God’s word.
Photo & Words: Elyse Patten
This is the next in a series of blogs from other sources across Wycliffe, 'showcasing' the huge range of impact our work helps to bring about. As we come towards the end of another year, we hope it reminds and encourages you of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what we are doing and the lives of real peoples all over the world.
Friday, 1 November 2013
Connections: Signs
This last week I (Matt) was in Germany at the Wycliffe Germany offices and conference centre for a meeting of the 'Europe Area Funding Network' - basically a coming together of a group of Wycliffe and SIL people concerned with raising funds for the work around the world. As ever it was great to get the opportunity to visit somewhere new, meet some (very lovely) new people, share about the work in Asia, and hear about the joys, challenges and opportunities others are facing around funding and fund raising. As you may well imagine, it is not a particularly easy time to be trying to raise funds in Europe!
One of the excellent 'by-products' of meetings like this is the chance to have my mind broadened once more to the huge range of impact our organisations are involved in bringing about. It reminds me of the connections, sometimes clear and sometimes very fuzzy, between what I am doing and real peoples lives around the world. As we come towards the end of another year, it feels like a perfect opportunity to pause and reflect on the amazing difference God's word can make in peoples lives. I hope you feel as inspired as I do...
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Signs
In a suburb of Tokyo, hidden away in a tiny office full of computer and video screens, a small team of Japanese Deaf are working on the first ever visual Japanese Sign Language Bible. A young Deaf woman named Uiko Yano wasn’t a Christian when she joined the team but they wanted her because she is an, “absolutely phenomenal translator.” While working on a draft translation of Matthew’s Gospel she got to unpack the Christian terminology she had never understood before and says, “…I heard God calling me.” Now Uiko is a believer who is passionate about giving Japanese Deaf the opportunity to ‘hear’ from God and says, “It is so important for Deaf people to have the Bible in their own language.” Read Uiko’s story. Please pray for the Japanese Sign Language Bible team.Photo: Marc Ewell
Words: Elyse Patten
Saturday, 21 September 2013
Sharing: who you are and what you know
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| Meetings in Bangkok |
Meetings with my team in Bangkok were excellent; I came away
with a long list of action items to pursue and a better sense of who I work
with. My visit to Bangladesh was really helpful; I got a chance to learn about
my colleagues’, their work and home situations and to understand better how my
work could help support them. Delivering a paper at a major education and development
conference in Oxford went well; I heard lots of interesting presentations and
was able to have some very helpful discussions with both new and old contacts.
And my time in Paris–representing our organisation at a UNESCO meeting for NGOs
with which they are in formal partnership–gave me another opportunity to
understand the broader context for our work. Although each situation was as
different to the other as could almost seem possible, each gave me the
opportunity to meet different people and expand my knowledge and understanding
in a new way.
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| Conference in Oxford |
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| UNESCO, Paris |
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| Pre-school classroom in Bangladesh |
So, who have you met and what have you learnt, and shared,
today?
Saturday, 23 March 2013
Reminders
Let’s face it, my day-to-day work really isn’t that exciting. Thankfully I’m someone who often thinks about the ‘big picture’ and so I can be encouraged to keep going because of the part my work plays in the bigger picture. That said, every so often even I need a direct reminder of why I’m doing what I’m doing – if you like, the chance to ‘complete’ a task and to see a result! My trips to Asia, such as my time in Thailand in early March, serve as just such reminder.
My latest trip was split into two parts. It started with a visit to a government school near to the border with Myanmar. The school serves a minority language community that, despite having moved from Myanmar to Thailand many years ago, still struggles to be recognised as Thai. The community exist largely separate from the surrounding people groups and because of this they mainly use their own language (their ‘mother tongue’) at home and for daily activities. Because of this the children’s ability in Thai is very limited and so the school is trying to help the children by allowing lessons in pre-primary and the first couple of years of primary school to be delivered in their mother tongue instead of just Thai. It was great to see the children enjoying learning, but the trip also helped me to understand better some of the challenges such initiatives can face. Minority communities, and the institutions that exist to serve them (such as this school), face very real challenges in terms of resources and opportunities. That is why my team, LEAD Asia, are trying to support this kind of work (and ultimately why I do what I do!).
The second part of my trip was based in Bangkok where we (the LEAD team) facilitated an experience-sharing event around the topic of ‘Identity Based Community Development’ (for more about what this means see here [http://wisbeys.blogspot.co.uk/2013/02/exploring-identity-and-development.html]). It was such a privilege to be in a room with 60 people from all over Asia sharing about how they are successfully addressing language and culture in their education and development work. Whilst we did introduce a few new tools/techniques, the majority of the time was spent facilitating the sharing of knowledge between participants themselves. In fact, one of the most exciting things for me to see was actually AFTER the event had formally finished! One morning, on the way to breakfast, I walked past two colleagues from different countries sitting at the end of the corridor excitedly explaining their work to each other! Our events are attended by people who are part of what we call our ‘Community of Practice’, if you like ‘a group of people who do the same stuff’, and they represent all kinds of different organisations and types of projects. Seeing these participants discussing in such energised ways encourages me that there really is a ‘community’ after all.
Now I am back in the UK the real work begins! As part of the funding we are required to write a report, a guide, explaining the discussions from the event. Although it is going to be challenging to summarise such rich and diverse discussions, I am looking forward to sharing people’s experiences, challenges and encouragements with a wider audience. We will try and do justice to the excited conversations that took place!
Before then, however, I am in the middle of teaching on the ‘Language Project Planning and Implementation’ course, helping 23 students think about how they can better plan, monitor and implement their work (literacy, development, translation etc.) so that it brings about change in peoples lives. This is particularly exciting as, once again, the participants come from all over the world and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience. This not only enriches their own learning but also challenges me to think about how these tools can be used in different kinds of situations. These connections, both with the students themselves and the communities with which they are working, again help to remind me why I do what I do. Thank you for continuing to be a part of that with us.
Saturday, 23 February 2013
Exploring Identity and Development
Next week I will be travelling to Bangkok in Thailand to help facilitate a learning community around the topic of ‘Identity Based Community Development’.
Over 60 representatives from all across Asia, representing the vast majority of countries on the map above, will be in attendance, sharing their experiences of development work. In particular they will be focusing on the ways in which they are trying to keep their identity (who they are as individuals and as a community) central whilst still engaging with development opportunities in appropriate ways.
In case you need a reminder of WHY that is important, here is a short video (that we’ve highlighted before!) that explains the importance of culturally relevant information for health issues.
Over 60 representatives from all across Asia, representing the vast majority of countries on the map above, will be in attendance, sharing their experiences of development work. In particular they will be focusing on the ways in which they are trying to keep their identity (who they are as individuals and as a community) central whilst still engaging with development opportunities in appropriate ways.
‘How do you welcome formalised schooling when the curriculum ignores (or in some cases contradicts) your cultural values?’These are some of the kinds of questions minority communities across Asia are facing. As such, the ‘Toyota Foundation’ is funding the event to encourage the sharing of experience between Asian countries. I think it is a great idea; there is lots of good experience in the areas of community development, relationship building and education that can be shared between contexts and countries, so long as it can be applied appropriately in each context. And that is what we want to explore in this event!
‘How can you best adapt innovative farming practices to complement your traditional methods without harming the environment?’
In case you need a reminder of WHY that is important, here is a short video (that we’ve highlighted before!) that explains the importance of culturally relevant information for health issues.
Please remember us all as we meet together. Lots of people will be travelling big distances to attend the event (most of them involving more than two modes of transport!) and will be away from their families/support structures for some time. It is my hope that this can be a really positive experience for all involved and that people can return to their homes feeling encouraged in their work and better equipped to address the needs of their communities.
As ever I will try (emphasis on TRY) to update our twitter account 'regularly' while away. Check for updates on this page or directly here.
As ever I will try (emphasis on TRY) to update our twitter account 'regularly' while away. Check for updates on this page or directly here.
Friday, 15 June 2012
Well put.
One of the great things about being able to read is the opportunity to 'soak up' others thoughts and experiences whenever and wherever you are. Coming from a 'reading culture' we often don't realise just how much we are learning all the time, but for millions of people around the world they are not in a position to do this.
One example of this 'self learning' is when you come across someone who has expressed thoughts and feelings similar to your own in a way that helps you to process and develop your own thinking further. Mark, a friend and colleague of ours now working in western-Tanzania, has done just that in his recent blog entitled 'Economic Crisis?'. Reflecting on the ongoing economic crisis in light of his daily experiences in Tanzania, Mark begins to unpack some of the kinds of thoughts that have been rattling around my head recently:
So, thinking more personally, where do you feel you are at crisis in your life at the moment? What do you think is really being challenged under the observable, surface-level features? And what are the positive changes that you might need to make to address this area?
One example of this 'self learning' is when you come across someone who has expressed thoughts and feelings similar to your own in a way that helps you to process and develop your own thinking further. Mark, a friend and colleague of ours now working in western-Tanzania, has done just that in his recent blog entitled 'Economic Crisis?'. Reflecting on the ongoing economic crisis in light of his daily experiences in Tanzania, Mark begins to unpack some of the kinds of thoughts that have been rattling around my head recently:
"News of economic bailouts and financial crises in Europe seem a little strange to me here in rural Tanzania. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but there is something incongruous about extremely rich people dressed in nice clothes discussing how to preserve the banking system and stave off financial collapse, when our friends around us here in Mpanda are blissfully unaware as they work hard to harvest their crops and earn money to buy a plot of land and build a small house for their family.
So what exactly is the crisis? Is it that people are starving, or being persecuted, or being denied access to basic healthcare? Not generally, no....
I think more fundamentally the crisis is in our belief that if we all act selfishly (with regard to economics as well as in life in general), accumulating as much as possible for ourselves, then the market (or the laws of the universe) will take care of the rest and everything will be rosy. If this entire paradigm is seen to be failing, then we must re-examine the fundamental assumption that greed and selfishness make the world go round. We may well call that a crisis." [Read the whole blog here.]That may sound a little harsh, but underlying many of our decisions we may be surprised (or aghast even) to find that selfishness–the belief that really I deserve to be put first, that I'm owed something–drives many, if not most, of our decision making. As Mark says, when those deep seated but unspoken attitudes are put at risk, suddenly nothing is certain.
So, thinking more personally, where do you feel you are at crisis in your life at the moment? What do you think is really being challenged under the observable, surface-level features? And what are the positive changes that you might need to make to address this area?
Saturday, 2 June 2012
Education, dual-carriageways and prawns
It still surprises me how important education is, despite having had firsthand opportunities to see how
deeply a lack of education can affect people’s lives. Watching an episode of a recent Indian Ocean travel documentary I was struck once more by how education, or the lack of it, can impact all
areas of our lives.
Later in the programme they visit a part of Bangladesh where there is a lot of prawn farming. They show the long lasting damage salt water does to once fertile farmland and the effect that has on the villages and communities around it. As they talked about the issues, and interviewed some of the farmers, I couldn’t help but wonder whether education was an issue there too.
First, whilst driving down a dual-carriageway in eastern
India, the presenter was shocked by all the drivers seemingly disobeying the
rules and driving the wrong way down the wrong carriageway. Turning to his
guide, he asked what on earth these crazy people were doing. The guide simply replied:
“The road is new in this part of India, they don’t know how to use it yet”.
Suddenly, the presenter's seemingly fair assessment of the
drivers (as ‘numpty muppets’), no longer seemed so fair. Whilst some of the
drivers might be deliberately flouting the rules of the road to get to their
destination quicker, the reality is probably more complicated. Most of the drivers probably thought they were obeying the rules just fine, keeping to the
left just as they always do. They hadn’t come across this type of road before,
they didn’t know there was a separate carriageway with two lanes for each direction of
traffic. Education is needed when brand new concepts, such as
dual-carriageways, are introduced. Without it people don’t have the skills to
operate successfully and safely. They're not stupid or idiots, they just haven't had an opportunity to learn.
Later in the programme they visit a part of Bangladesh where there is a lot of prawn farming. They show the long lasting damage salt water does to once fertile farmland and the effect that has on the villages and communities around it. As they talked about the issues, and interviewed some of the farmers, I couldn’t help but wonder whether education was an issue there too.
Sure, some of the farmers might have known what they were
agreeing to when they chose to switch from farming other crops to farming prawns.
They may have heard all the pros and cons, weighed up the evidence and chosen
to make the change. However, I would guess that unfortunately this was probably
not the case for the majority of farmers. Without good education, both
providing knowledge about a situation (prawn farming and its long-term
implications for the land, for example) and providing the analytical skills
needed to weigh up options in both the short and long term, communities are
severely disadvantaged. They must rely on others to make decisions and they are
left at the mercy of their goodwill and honesty.
Education clearly isn’t the only issue in both of these
situations, as it is rarely the only feature in most contexts. However, education
is one extremely important factor that can provide access to opportunities that
would otherwise be completely inaccessible. Much of the work I (Matt) am now
doing is focused on connecting language, education and development. Linking
these things enables communities to move forward in ways that they choose. Ultimately
that’s why we are involved in literacy work with Wycliffe. Would you like to partner with us to help improve literacy levels, and
therefore education, around the world? To find out how click here.
Tuesday, 2 August 2011
Living in print
Can you imagine what it would be like not to be surrounded by this?
How hard would it be to try to learn to read and write if you had…
no
words
to
read?
Pretty hard I’d imagine. As difficult as it is for us from a print-rich culture to believe, many people all over the world live in places where there aren’t written words around them all day. Whilst there may be some shop signs in the market, maybe for Coke or a mobile phone company, these are very limited and can be learnt by heart. The only real time people may see written words, the only chance they get to practice, is in class at school.
That’s why initiatives such as this in Uganda, where students are provided with a national newspaper every week, are so important. Giving people a chance to read, to practice what they’ve learnt and to share it with others around them, is so important for literacy. Only when people are excited about reading, when they have something new to read, does literacy work really start to explode! That’s why Liz’s work, proofreading new books, is so important. Continually providing new materials for people to read is a challenge, albeit a fun one for some people, and a part of literacy work that should never be underestimated!