Rebuilding lives through literacy

Rebuilding h ough l e ac A li e acy p ojec in Sie a Leone is empowe ing communi ies and helping ebuild a wa - o n, impo e ished land, epo s HELEN FALLON I ea iie his yea . This small Wes A ican coun y had been my home o wo yea s, om 1989 o 1991, when I wo ked wi h Volun a y Se ices O e seas (VSO) as a lec u e in lib a ianship. On e u ning o I eland, I became in ol ed in an I ish- egis e ed cha i y, he Sie a Leone I eland Pa ne ship (SLIP), which seeks o c ea e links be ween I eland and Sie a Leone and o highligh issues ela ing o Sie a Leone in he media and elsewhe e. h he public ela ions o ice o SLIP, and because o my pe sonal in e es in eco ding people's expe iences, I decided o e u n o Sie a Leone in a pe sonal capaci y in Ma ch o his yea . My plan was o mee people and o eco d hei expe iences du ing and a e he en-yea ci il wa (1991-2001). Th ough pe sonal acquain ances and SLIP I had an ex ensi e lis o con ac s, including a man called Edison Bocka ie, a eache and adminis a o wi h an adul li e acy p og amme in he eas e n pa o he coun y, he pa mos badly de as a ed by he wa . O e wo weeks I alked o women in a camp o displaced people, a Ca holic bishop, a o me Kamoja (local a my) igh e , Holy Rosa y sis e s in ol ed in a wide ange o econs uc ion wo k, and coun less o he s whose li es had been o n apa by a long and bloody ci il wa . While he e was g ea sadness and loss in he s o ies people old me, I was e s uck b hei abili o mo e on - and. in maky cases,' o o gi e ;he people who had Ka''ahun own pe pe a ed he iolence - and by hei desi e o ebuild hei li es p ojec . His en husiasm and since e belie in he p ojec shone bo h as membe s o amilies and as communi ies. h ough in my discussion wi h him and I hope ansc ip s o he In wha ollows, I alk abou he Gene a ing Empowe men in e iew e lec hose quali ies. h ough Lea ning (GEL) p ojec in Uilahun, in eas e n Sie a In July 1991 I le Sie a Leone. My las weeks we e ma ked by a Leone. I ha e le much o he in o ma ion abou he p ojec in he six o'clock cu ew in he capi al F ee own. A med Khaki-clad soldie s oice o Edison Bocka ie, a eache and adminis a o wi h he pa olled da k silen s ee s whe e, p e iously, s ee - selle s, hei OCTOBER 2006 ADULTS LEARNING 21 ds li by cdndles and lamps, @Ad an a ny o swee -smeu'i ood o ha pa s o A ica. ES ablished by an I ishman, Bishop Jowph and household p o isions, aad W ed he nigh ai wi h noise and Shgnahan, in he & pan d he h en ie h cen uw, wi h an ini ial - laugh e . ocus on educa ion, ~~~'MSHR has expanded i s w&k o heal h and llw six o'dod cu ew was he mul o an w isii in he eas e n pas o al cam and cumn l~wo~ks wi h AIDS ic ims, upeeo and he pa o Siem Leone. This appea ed o be a s&lo& 6um he W=, ins ipa ed b ~~ %b . in minhbou ine Libe ia. Al hmuh &hC is jna he & size U gland, hIb; eas e n p~ceCEis a long jwmsp along po - holed oads, mm F oe m. I le Siena Leone sha ing my shldea s' conhdem ha he igh ing would doon a op. I was msmg. The ebel a my, calI~ng i sel he RG olu iona y Uni ed Fmn (IPUF), made i s wq hugh he counuy, seizing he diamond ml cs, bu ning, kilhg, aping and maiming he people i encoun e ed. I wasn' di icul o ge young men (and somc ies women] o & . The &?ice was 'IWI o be killed'. Ele en yea s o wa lee an &a& aaile emnomy in &U, wi h numben dead >isplaced in we , and sou h ~ia. mei po i j is o p o - ide and suppon ehca ion in he wides sense, while add ewing he needs o &e pa icula ime and si ua ion. One b he p ojec s he Holy RoMly Sisma a e in ol ed in is an adul li e acy p og amme cakd Gene a ing Empowe men h ough Lea ning (GEL). Insie a Leone. I con ac ed Wion Bodu ie, an adminis a o and &e wi h GEL. He agned o ake me o Kailahun o see one o GELS p ojec s and o me* pa icipan s. When he wa b oke ou , EdMon. hen a local de , awsed wi h housands o o he Siam Leonems, in o neigh ou ing Guinea. Th ee nuns ium he Holy &%my o de - Ma y Coleman and B enda L)'Sullwan om Jdmd and Siem Leonean Aneela Ka imu es ima ed a som&m-be ween 50b00 and 400,WO, and hund eds - nwsed wi h hem. " o housands maimed. homekss and des i u e. The eas e n ~ wince The e we e we 750.000 ~eo~le in he cam^.' Edison c ~lained o Siem hone, home o he diampd mines, was pa i&lY badly a ec ed, wi h he majo i y o hospi als, schools, clinics, libn ies and o he &ociaI S UDlne8 desaoged. Rah ming o Sie a Leone On em ning u, Sim Lcwc in Apnl o &IS yea , I m eUed o Kailahun, a own in Eas e n Sie a Leone, nea he Guince bo de . Th ough mx SUE' conncUien, I hew a lii abou he wo k o he ~issio~~@ e s d he a& &say (MS=) in Sie a Leone and . . 'Many o hese people we e om he easia n p o ince - Kono and Kailahun. In hese a eas hue has adi ionally ken a ay high le el o illi e y - abou 85 pe cen . Women ha e been ma ginalised. I you ha e wo child en - a boy and a gi l - maybe you will send he boy o school, he gi l will emain a home. Thudon, he majo i y o ou sism a e illi e a e. The ew ha wem o schml s opped ea ly when hey we= gi en o husbands. Thei a he s would ha e amngedma iaga d hem when hey we e 14o 15. In he &g= camp mos o he people &d no ead o w i e and we e a aid o speak ou , especially he women and child en. E en he a ion ca ds hey go , some imes somebody would ake i om hem and he e was nobody o speak o hem. Some o us came up wi h he idea ha we could ad oca e o hese people. A i s , he e we e six Sie a Leoneans and six Libe ians. The au ho i ies we e suspicious o us ini ially men he Holy Rosa y sis e s saw wha we we e doing hey began o assis us. They p o ided us wi h he aining o become , . - li e acy u o s and o p o ide g oup counselling. We began o each o he s. Some imes he pe son calling he a ion would skip a name. A e he people lea ned how o ead and w i e hey could iden i y hei name in he egis e and be su e o ge hei a ion. So hey we e able o speak up and know hey a e somebody. People began o . ealise ha he age o humbp in is o e . 'Social analysis is he cen e o ou o oe amme.' Edison explains. . - 'As well as being able o ead and w i e we wan people o speak ou and o pa icipa e in discussion o issues. We aim a social change h ough social awa eness. We do his h ough wha we call " he code " . The code migh be a sho s o y o a d ama o a pic u e. We iden i y he conce ns o he communi y. I can he a conce n like co up ion. Then we design he code. We pe o m he code in he class. We lis all he ocabula y ha gws wi h i . A e he language lesson we si and discuss he issues aised and wha can be done o change hings. Fo example, co up ion played a ole in b inging abou he wa We wan people o look a issues a ound co up ion. The policeman aking money om he bus d i e - ha becomes no mal, he pe son ge ing he job he is no quali ied o , people say " no p oblem " . We see hese hings happening e e y day, bu , ac ually, i is no no mal. In his way we in eg a e li e acy aining wi h social issues. We wan o empowe people o ha e a say in he decision - making o he communi y. We ha e cul u al belie s which we ha e o look a and alk abou . People a e no longe being o ced in o child ma iage. We wan , h ough he code, o c ea e a socie y whe e gende is no ba ie and he digni y o bo h women and men is main ained. 'A i s i was e y di icul . All o us we e auma ised because o he wa . Th ough he p og amme people we e able o come ou wi h so ow ul s o ies. They we e e y ea ul a i s bu when hey began o speak abou hose hings ha happened hey began o ge back o hei no mal human li e.' Sa e o e u n Edison explained how he li e ac p og amme sp ead h ough a .. numbe o e ugee camps in Guinea. men he wa was decla ed o e in 2001. he e u ned om Guinea o Sie a Leone o eeis e he o o- " g amme as a non - go e nmen al o ganisa ion (NGO) and o ind an o ice. Following egis a ion, Edison con ac ed he Holy Rosaq sis - e s in Guinea, elling hem ha i was sa e o he aine s o e u n o Sie a Leone. T aine s e u ned o he dis ic s hey came om o wo k wi h hei own communi ies. Wi h he assis ance o he Holy Rosa y nuns who sou ced unding o he p ojec , 15 cen es ha e been es ablished in Kailahun and 15 in Kono, a neighbou ing dis ic o he no h. The p og amme is now beginning in Libe ia. Whe e a li e acy p og amme is es ablished, he pa amoun chie and local people a e e y ac i ely in ol ed. The women in he illages a e in i ed o come o he aining sessions so ha hey can sp ead he wo d h ough he communi y. Edison explains: 'The p og amme can only be sus ainable i he local people a e inside. I hey a e ou side he will say, " This is no ou conce n " .' The locdl peopl; p o ide he land, labou , and sand and s icks o buildine wo k. Bo h Muslims and Ch is ians a e welcome. GEL oa U . , he aine and he p og amme is ee. Class uns om se en un il nine each mo ning. A e ha , pa icipan s go o wo k in hei homes and a ms. So a 750 people ha e lea ned how o ead and w i e, o e 350 women and men ha e been ained in soap making and we hope o soon s a a sewing p og amme. People can ge micm - c edi once hey ha e acqui ed a skill. 'We a e seeing g ea chan~es,' Edison explains. 'Women a e . . coming oge he o o ganise hings, a ending mee ings. Now we ha e chai ladies as well as chai men. The women a e sa ine hines o ," " hei husbands hey would no ha e said be o e. Child en a e going o school. E cn he husband says: " My daugh e has o go o school " . The i s boy child, u ho used o go o he ields o help he a he , he is going o school and men and women a e deciding- oge he on he educa ion hey wan o hei child en. The p og amme has had a pe sonal impac . When you a e discussing issues and conce ns ha a e elel,an o you, you you sel will e lec and a he end o he day you see you sel changing.' While Edison and his colleagues acknowledged he suppo o he Holy Rosa y sis e s, hey emphasised he Sie a Leonean people's owne ship o he p og amme. . .. A ew days la e , back in F ee own, I a end a ecep ion hos ed by he l ish Hono a Consul o ma k he isi o Cono Lenihan, I ish Minis e o S a e o Fo eign Al ai s. The whi ing o a helicop e in he nigh sky b ough a loud chee om he ga he ing. Cha les Taylo , Libe ian wa lo d, was being ex adi ed o Sie a Leone. I am back in I eland when 1 ead ha he will be ied in The Hague, o wa c imes commi ed in Sie a Leone. I'm le wi h a g ea sense o hope o Sie a Leone and o he Gene a ing Empowe men h ough Lea ning p ojec . GEL is one o he mos success ul p oiec s I ha e seen in Sie a Leone. l belie e ha . " i is he in ol emen o local people in all aspec s o he p ojec , lead - ing o hei eeling o owne ship o he p ojec , and he ac ha he li e acy p og amme is embedded in and ela ed o people's e e yday expe iences, ha has helped make i success ul. The o igins o he p ojec in a e ugee camp and he ole o he Holy Rosa y sis e s in helping sou ce unding illus a es how, wi h app op ia e suppo s, adul li e acy ini ia i es coming om he people hemsel es, and embedded in hei li ed expe iences, ha e he powe o b ing abou change in his, he second poo es coun y in he wo ld, and, indeed, in o he coun ies, ich and poo . Helen Fallon is Depuly Lib anan, Na ional Unilie sily o I eland Maynoo h, Co. Kilda e, I eland. Email: helen.b/[email p o ec ed]. Edi on Bockn ie can be con ac ed al GEL, PO. Box 3, Kenema, Easle n P ouince, Sku Leone, Wes A ica, email: gel - [email p o ec ed]. P ac ical suppo o lea ne s OCTOBER 2006 ADULTS LEARNING 23