physical education program

[WorldTeach Namibia FD]

Hi summer and semester volunteers!

I wanted to quickly check in about the physical education/nutrition program that I sent you off with care of the Harvard University students. Have any of you been able to implement the lessons at all?

I know during orientation we had a great discussion about the potential value of such a program. What I'd really love is that, now that you've been at site, if you could put some of those thoughts in writing so I can put them together and share them with the project creators.

THANK YOU in advance!!!

Take care,
Jocie

Jocie Jungers
WorldTeach Namibia
Field Director
office: +264 61 2933365
fax: +264 61 2933365
cellular:  +264 811249167

[Jackson Fratesi]

I suppose it's not appropriate to reply to this email with "LOL"?

Seriously though, I've gotten brushed off at every attempt to do anything but teach computers and fix every teacher's computer that has a virus, so I don't have any practical experience here.  But, I would think it's a tough sell at most of these schools.  They keep the kids pretty busy from morning to night and, being at a hostel school, the choices these kids get to make in terms of food are what they eat on their home weekend once a month and whether or not to buy fried fish from the lady that comes to campus.  A physical education/nutrition program is admirable but ultimately impractical at my school and most of the others that I've visited/had experience with.  While obesity and malnutrition are not at all the same thing, I know, I can count the amount of kids who need to "kick obesity" at my school of 1100 on one hand.  So at the very least, a change in program title is in order.  I know a few volunteers have been recruited to teach life skills classes, so you might be able to work in some education there but I feel like the idea of watching what you eat and using the freshest ingredients (I'm not even touching eating locally) is a pretty privileged notion.  For instance, the construction workers that live next door to me (in my garage) are full time workers and I just stopped by to talk to them for a few minutes.  They showed me what they had for food for the week: a bunch of no longer fresh fish wrapped in a large towel and a plastic grocery bag full of beans for the four of them.  I can't speak to whether they are squandering it on drinking or maybe they're saving up their money, but I'll only say what I see: these guys work their asses off all day building the new dining hall/auditorium, they seem to stay in at night, go to bed relatively early, and I know they still have problems toward the end of the week with running out of food.  If this is what adults with full time jobs are working with, how can I talk to kids about choosing their food and watching out for empty calories?  Frankly, I'd be embarrassed.  

Bluntly, I'm not much in support of the program and I feel like the resources that go into it could be better served elsewhere.

[Roger Atlas]

I just read Jackson’s note about the physical education program.

 

I think he is being too kind.

 

I think the program is arrogant.

We may have earned the right to teach computing because we know more about it than people here in Usakos.

However, I represent a country with a 30% obesity rate.

How can I lecture learners about eating habits?

Out of a student body of 288, there are three students who might be considered “chunky”.

There is no obesity.

 

Add to that the fact that few things grow here around Usakos.

I live in a hostel school and eat hostel meals.

I eat squash every second day as a vegetable.

They get occasional carrots or beets.

They are not available in Usakos but the cook drives 30 km to a larger town.

I purchased bags of oranges in Otavi on my way back from the mid-service and donated them to the kitchen.

Their budget does not permit luxuries like that.

No fruit had been served in the previous three weeks that I have been here.

 

Finally, as a hostel school, the cooks determine the meals, not the learners.

Therefore teaching to alter behavior over which learners have no control is a bit silly.

 

On the scale that ranges from (1) incorrectly named but good at heart to (2) unaware of conditions here pertaining to availability of funds and availability of food to (3) arrogant, I would rate it a 2 ½ .

 

Even the soccer ball did not work out.

Usakos is in a desert area where low acacia bushes bristle with sharp thorns.

Soccer balls are punctured immediately.

They use balls made of discarded socks.

The ball was returned to Jocie where hopefully it can be used elsewhere.

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[ars...@frii.com]

Jackson,
Your observations and comments seem to be on target with what I've seen as
well. The Swiss Interteam volunteer who works in the hospital here has
recently been out immunizing children and adults all over, and one of the
'immunizations' is Vitamin A, which, from my understanding, is missing due
to a lack of vegetables and fruits in the diet. It's not that people are
eating Doritos instead, they are simply only eating the fish and beans
Jackson mentions. Veggies are a luxury item for most. Porridge is the
basis.
I have not seen a single overweight student here. Most have lovely teeth
and the few sweets they get don't seem to be creating a dental problem.
As far as using the program in teaching, when I'm not redoing the library
or teaching the computer lit class to teachers, I'm teaching English,
where the Harvard program has not found a home.
Maybe someone else has had more luck, but the program developers may need
to find their continuing dollars and grants via another means. Alicia

> I suppose it's not appropriate to reply to this email with "LOL"?
>
> Seriously though, I've gotten brushed off at every attempt to do anything
> but teach computers and fix every teacher's computer that has a virus, so
> I
> don't have any practical experience here. But, I would think it's a tough
> sell at most of these schools. They keep the kids pretty busy from
> morning
> to night and, being at a hostel school, the choices these kids get to make
> in terms of food are what they eat on their home weekend once a month and
> whether or not to buy fried fish from the lady that comes to campus. A
> physical education/nutrition program is admirable but ultimately
> impractical
> at my school and most of the others that I've visited/had experience with.
> While obesity and malnutrition are not at all the same thing, I know, I
> can
> count the amount of kids who need to "kick obesity" at my school of 1100
> on
> one hand. So at the very least, a change in program title is in order. I
> know a few volunteers have been recruited to teach life skills classes, so
> you might be able to work in some education there but I feel like the idea
> of watching what you eat and using the freshest ingredients (I'm not even

> *
> touching* eating locally) is a pretty privileged notion. For instance,

[WorldTeach Namibia FD]

Thanks for the thoughts so far! Keep the reflections and experiences coming. I'll pull them together into a constructive message to the project organizers in the end.

Take care!

Jocie

Jocie Jungers
WorldTeach Namibia
Field Director
office: +264 61 2933365
fax: +264 61 2933365
cellular:  +264 811249167

[Roger Atlas]

Jocie, Please share with us what you do send (if possible).

I do not think it was mentioned by anyone, but I think the host country should determine what help they want. I am not imposing computing on Usakos, I was invited. On the other hand, teaching about diet is a form of imposition simply because it was not what they invited me here to do.

Roger

---

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[Justine Rogoff]

Jocie,

right now i'm in the middle of the "health" section of the curriculum of dst, so i use class time to talk about nutrition and what not with grade 11.  i'm also teaching pe for my only grade 12 class, so i do some health stuff with them there.  but i haven't been using the harvard stuff.  i did use the soccer ball  few times during pe class, and it gets used by hannah's boyfriend all the time.

have fun with all the year-longs in tsumeb.

justine

[Meredith Baker]

I agree with what everyone else has been saying. Many of my learners live in a makeshift squatter village by the school and barely have enough money to get them to the end of the month when they go back to their villages.. So many are orphans and just eat what they can. I would feel bad telling them what they should be eating when they can't afford it.

 

Additionally, since my schedule is full with computer, English, and HIV/AIDS there isn't an opportune time to talk with them about nutrition when they are starving for extra computer time and other things.

 

I don't see obesity as enough of a problem, and the lesson plan even of enough substance to make an impact at schools in Namibia. It seems there are many other problems where money and resources could go to first here.

[WorldTeach Namibia FD]

Thanks to all of you who have contributed your thoughts! I'd like to compile this into a message to the project leaders sometime soon so if anyone else would like to comment please do so in the next several days.

Thank you in advance!!

Jocie

Jocie Jungers
WorldTeach Namibia
Field Director
office: +264 61 2933365
fax: +264 61 2933365
cellular:  +264 811249167

[Tara Seshan]

I agree with what has been said; I haven't seen a single obese learner my entire time here as all of their meals come from the dining hall. What control do they have over what they eat? Also, their free time is spent out in the dust playing basketball. They seem very physically fit, and I think it's very presumptuous to assume that Namibia is headed to obesity. My time is usually spent with debate, MUN, math, and computers. If the project creators are looking for something that needs help, please let them focus on the lack of critical thinking skills over anything else!

Tara

[Gravity]

Hey. 

Much of my response is the same but I differ in a few respects.

I have not spent any time on this either. Obesity is not a problem among my learners, but some of the other teachers and adults I see have issues with it. 

I do think that the "obesity and malnutrition at the same time" problem might be present in Namibia

Since, from my perspective, it might be healthy for people to eat more vegetables, I think this part of the program is sound. So although I think it is designed and focused quite badly, I think that the "vegetables and fruits are good for you and tasty" part of the message might be valuable. 

That said, Like many others, I would feel very uncomfortable telling people what to eat. As many have said, spending money on things low in calories is not feasible for many of my learners, and I don't want to assume my ideas about the usefulness of vegetables are universally applicable. 

Vegetables are certainly seen as a luxury. However, vegitables are also an oddity to many people here. 

So I have been taking a different tact. I have been sharing vegetables with people every chance I get. The women I live with and I cook for each other all the time, and I always make sure to include lots of vegetables. I also always make sure to mention the names, though if I don't tell them, they often ask. What is that?

At first, people were very skeptical, and looked at me really funny, but now they all ask for their favorite vegetables. Meme Aleta really likes red pepper. Meme Jaco really likes cauliflower. Meme Monica really likes broccoli. 

I don't preach to them, or tell them "vegetables are good for you! You should eat more of them!" I do sometimes talk about how in america we think vegetables are very good for you, especially when we're talking about my eating habits (which they do ask about). But mostly its just a "I love your mahongo porrige, thank you for sharing it. By the way, I also really like yellow peppers and I found one in tsumeb do you want some." thing.

Yes these things are luxuries, and are expensive. I'm not sure if they will be able to continue buying them after I go. But all the women do occasionally buy little things to pamper themselves: a box of cookies, some sweets, a cool drink. Maybe now they will choose to buy vegetables when they have a chance for a treat. 

I also bring vegetables to my learners. Most of them think I'm really weird and a few have refused to try them, but some really like them. I know that right now the kids do not have control over what they eat, but many of them are approaching adulthood, and will soon be running their own households. Maybe they will think the idea of buying vegetables when you have a little extra money instead of sweets is a worthwhile one then. 

I feel ok about it because I am not telling them I am right, and I am not telling them to do something impossible. I am sharing the foods I love. (And sharing food is such a central aspect of social life here!). And I feel like they are getting to choose whether vegetables are a worthwhile part of their diet. 

anyhow. I thought my two cents was different enough to be worth sharing. I'm not sure if my experience is shared by anyone else, but i've really liked it. 

As for the soccer ball, I put it in the office for all the teachers to use, and it does get some use in pe or afterschool, but it doesn't seem to be preferred above the sock balls by a whole lot. I'm glad I brought it, and so are they, but it didn't really change their exercise habits. 

~Halimeda