Dumela! We have just finished our first week of camp! Even though it has only been one week, there are many exciting stories to tell. In our problem-solving camp, Camp Challenge, we have gone through the first three steps of the problem-solving model we are teaching. They were defining the problem, identifying the main cause and contributing factors, and listing and ranking components of the problem to solve. The students struggled a bit at first with some of the concepts, but once we presented the material in different interactive activities and games, they grasped it much better. We noticed that there are many cultural differences in teaching methods that the students were not used to such as journaling and making skits, yet they were all very open to participating in the activities we had planned. Although I struggled to learn many of their names, I was lucky that some of them had clever English names such as Mr. Zero, Current, Super, and Mr. Peace, which made my job a bit easier.

Today we finished the week by starting our camp project in which the students, in small groups, decide on a social or civic issue that they would like to try and solve. At first, I was worried that they would not be able to think of any because this whole week we have been mainly talking about personal problems, such as paying for school fees or finding a girl/boyfriend. However, they definitely proved me wrong when they showed how aware they are of their situation and their surroundings. The problems they brainstormed, such as lack of secondary school math teachers and political conflict within Parliament, demonstrated how much they knew about their society, and it was very encouraging to see because most high school students I know do not typically think about these types of problems. As they worked on the first part of their project, which was to more specifically define their problem, I challenged them to think even deeper into the issues, and many of them did that and came up with really well-written problem statements. I hope that this first week was motivating for them and will help empower them to take a more active role in their community.

I must say that the best part about teaching the students at Letsie High School so far is reading their journals. Although initially a foreign concept, each student has been very open about their thoughts and written in rather creative ways, using vocabulary that is even new for me. It has given me the opportunity to learn more about their personal stories and the struggles that they deal with as teenagers. I am just amazed at how strong some of them are, living in their tough conditions. I can’t imagine myself being the same way if I was in their shoes.

Yesterday, the four of us, Brittany, Beth, Beverly and I, had the chance to go to SOS Children’s Village near Maseru to present two workshops, one on dating and courtship and the other on microfinance, to the youth there. We were originally supposed to present both Wednesday and Thursday, but because of miscommunication, we only had Thursday, which still turned out very well. The youth staying there entered the village at a young age, and all of them are orphans who have lost either one or both parents. On Wednesday, when we were listening in on another workshop, I could tell that they were very open with one another and had a lot to say about different issues. During our microfinance workshop, several students displayed much curiosity on the subject and asked many thoughtful questions about how it works and ways in which they could become involved. Since we will be volunteering there at least once week while in Lesotho, hopefully we will talk more about it as well as other topics.

I have learned a little bit more about the political structure in Lesotho from some of the teachers at Letsie, and it seems like there has been much corruption in the federal government. As I listened to them talk about the different problems that arise from government action, I felt very lost as to what I could do to help the situation. Political corruption is not anything new, but I think because I am here in Lesotho, I can see firsthand the problems that they described especially with the education system in terms of government sponsorship for students to attend the university. I just hope that my students are not discouraged by these obstacles and that as a teacher I can still motivate them to achieve their goals.