Shoe-leather development

I’m finding out how grassy and rooty grassroots development can be.  I borrowed the shoe-leather in the title from the term shoe-leather epidemiology, which is where epidemiologists would actually wear down the leather of their shoes tracking disease cases as they sought to figure out what was making people sick.  I think I’m wearing down some shoe leather getting projects and people together.

My current going-ons are 2 PACT clubs, attempting to find out of school youth and show them a movie, talking to some guidance and counseling classes, co-leading a workshop with my counterpart, and planning for an NGO to come and do a training in my village. 

This doesn't sound like a lot considering it’s my full-time job, but let me tell you, it is.  And that’s because I have every day things going on too- school meetings, spending time with teachers and at the clinic. I also have random things going on, like helping to clean out the volunteers house that left, and going to an out of town wedding this weekend.  Also it’s nearing the end of the school term so teachers and students are busy.

It comes down to, I’m actually busy!  Woo! 

Today, case in point.  Walk to Kgotla (where the village chief is) for 8am meeting.  Chief is not there, so there is no meeting.  See from a distance that the social worker is in.  Surprise her in her office and try to get another date to show a movie in the village.  Walk to Lempu and find that exams ARE happening, because the school now has ink to print the tests.  So no visiting a class to talk to them this morning.  Talk with counterpart instead, and arrange to meet tomorrow to plan a workshop we are facilitating next week in another village.  Find teacher that has invited me to wedding, get asked to tea at her house.  I discover I do like soft porridge, hang out with a friend (side note: I have friends!!!), and catch up on Generations.  Walk to clinic to see if we can use a room there to show a movie.  They say they will bring it up in their weekly meeting and tell me Monday.  I see them packing a truck and note that their mobile clinic to another village has moved from Fridays to Wednesday because of transport- this is important because I want to go with them some time.  Go home to finish preparing for PACT club at primary school.  Get a text saying the students are testing so no PACT club.  Go to primary school anyway to meet with guidance and counseling teacher and school head to get permission for teachers to participate in next weeks workshop.   Go home again and try to make travel plans for the weekend, plans for the NGO training, and prepare for tomorrow’s PACT club.

I text and call people when I can, but an awful lot of grassroots development at the village level works much better face to face.  It's partly culture, partly communication.  There's also some formality in asking permission for things here, so I usually can't get fast answers to questions like can we meet here?  The answer needs to come from a committee or a meeting.

So I traipse around my village a lot trying to get things going.  This is by no means a complaint- I like to walk, I have an umbrella to shade myself from the sun, and a good fan to plop in front of when I’m done J  But I might need new shoes at some point.  ^_^