come come community

Despite the tremendous downpour, our Friday Community Group Meeting occurred. The 40 some-odd parents waited patiently under the tin-roof awning for the thunderous beat to subside, as David, Titus, and I spoke at high volumes to try and get our message across. Erstwhile Bret, my fellow intern, has begun capturing footage for a promotional documentary piece about the work we (Save) are doing here in Pagak Payem as well as bits of the engagement in other areas across Maiwut county.
I’ve been wondering what he’s capturing, including whether my growing fatigue and cynicism are vividly obvious on film, and if he can somehow put a positive spin on our methodology which involves developing a “community action cycle” – a process of how to implement a program – then surreptitiously force feeding/selling it to the community in an utter Pavlovian fashion, in the name of empowerment and ownership.
Surely my skepticism, echoing that of other development critics, is a result of the long windedness of such meetings, and like all my emotions here, waxes and wanes with the heat of the Sudanese sun. I look at the alternative and know that of course the community has to grasp whatever structural implements are meant to create long-term changes. But it somehow feels silly to approach people – who I fully recognize as having knowledge to share and voices to be heard, and with an understanding of their own needs far greater than we could ever know or appreciate from behind our labcoats, protective goggles, and clipboards – that want you to sell them something directly, and pretend that you’re not there with such a purpose.
All this being said, our model is to develop a school-monitoring committee (SMC) that is comprised of parents, our technical-officer and program-officer, the head-teacher/principal (equivalent) of each respective school, and a subsidiary parent-discussion group. My function is really to see the process role forward, from the hiring of the technical officer and 17 teachers, to the facilitative development of a parent groups that meet monthly to discuss issues related to parenting youths aged 0-3, share knowledge, and eventually lobby the government for their appropriate causes. This meeting on Friday was meant to be something of a sensitization engagement, through which we sell this whole strategy to the community itself.
Elections of officers and delegates is meant to happen later this week. For now, a few snaps from the ECD centre and from our meeting…
KK and the welcome gang:


Me and baby:


Cross generational participation:


Titus and some motivational clapping:


Me and Gloria at mtg: