Life is a bumpy ride...

Life is an interesting journey, because no matter how well we plan out our destinations something along the way detours us down a different road. This alternative route is often a bumpy ride filled with pot holes of uncertainty and ruts of despair. However, as we navigate our way through this rough terrain we discover a new world that is filled with even more possibilities. Surprisingly, it is only the risk takers and adventurers who are willing to bypass the main thoroughfares of life to venture into this new land of hopes and dreams. For those who are willing to set out on such a quest they find that it was well worth it in the end.

My journey has detoured me from maintaining my blog. It is not that I lack the stories or ideas, it is just taking the time to sit down and write. The main detour of writing posts has been seeking permanent paid employment since my return from Liberia in January. During my first two months of job searching it felt like I was stuck in the mud and the prospects of getting out seemed unlikely. Then I was able to land a temporary job and for the next two months I was able to earn an income while rethinking the job search.

This two-month temp job was very much needed, because when it ended I had a re-surge of energy to strategically focus on the steps I needed to find employment. The first step was joining a job transition networking group, so I could get the vital tools and resources plus the weekly support. The next step was determining what credentials I was lacking and how I could change that. Fortunately, I was awarded a scholarship that covered 63% of the tuition for a two-week fast-track project management certificate program starting July 26. The last was signing up with a program that will give me one-on-one support and additional resources and tools in defining what I am seeking. These three steps may have not happened if I was not willing to take a different route.

It is nearly five months since I have returned from Liberia, and yet not a day goes by that I do not think about my experiences and the many adventures (or misadventures) I had while living there. After dedicating a great deal of heart, energy, time and money working with and serving the people of Liberia it is my intention that I continue my work in West Africa. I hope I can find an organization that can best utilize my skills, experience, and knowledge; one that provides the resources (micro-credit), the opportunity (business development training), and respect (cultural revitalization) that will empower marginalized people to regain dignity and obtain independence from charitable hand-outs.

This is just the beginning of my journey that I hope will continue down a different path, because there is so much more I want to explore. So it is my hope as I venture along this unpaved road that I can restart my blog to share my experiences since who knows where this quest will take me.

Transitioning back to U.S. Living

As time has elapsed so quickly into the new year, I noticed that it has been over two months, since I have done any serious writing. I have been struggling with putting my thoughts into writing during this time, because certain life’s stressors were blocking my creative flow. So, after a long absence without sharing my experiences and stories it seems that now is a good time to start writing again.

So much has happened since entering 2010 that my life is in total transition right now. First, I had to return abruptly to the U.S. on January 18 to resolve some concerns that had arisen during my time in Liberia. Surprisingly, this is the second time within an 18-month period where I was summoned home after residing in Liberia for one year. And in both situations my dreams and plans were stymied by the fallout of a failed business partnership in Liberia in which one of the four partners had misappropriated the construction funds and project supplies and equipment.

Secondly, after having no success finding non-profit paid work in Liberia, I returned home seeking employment in one of the toughest job markets in U.S. history. According to a 2009 second quarter Job Vacancy Survey from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, there are eight job seekers for one job posting, so this translates to “240,000 unemployed workers competing for 31,000 unfilled jobs” in my home state (source: Jobs Now Coalition). However, while these statistics are daunting to this eager job seeker, it is far better than in Liberia where their unemployment still stands near 85%.

Thirdly, with living abroad since June 2007, minus a seven-month break to complete my bachelor’s degree in 2008, I no longer have a home, vehicle or other household possessions. As part of my marriage dissolution agreement, I gave up my interest in our home since neither one of us could afford to buy-out the other due to financial constraints of the failed business venture. Also, to graduate debt free I sold my prized 2004 Jeep Wrangler to cover my final semester’s tuition that was paid with my credit card. My final tuition bill was rather costly, because I had registered for 40 credits—combination of classes and independent studies—during my last semester of college.

Fourthly, returning to Minnesota during the winter has been very difficult, since I left the tropics for the bitter cold and dry weather. Even after being back for over a month, I am still FREEZING! Besides wearing two layers of clothes, my winter coat usually remains on while I am inside. At night, I sleep covered with flannel sheets, three blankets and a down comforter to keep warm. Then there is the problem with the cracking and flaking dry skin that takes continual applications of lotion to only give temporary relief. The drastic weather change has taken a toll on me, since I still struggle to adjust.

Lastly, there is the cultural shock. The adjustment of returning to the "land of plenty" after living one year in a post-war developing nation is a day-by-day process. Since my economic means in Liberia was stagnant, I lived on a very tight budget [hand-to-month]. I adapted to not having running water or 24-hour electricity, since these sources have not been restored yet in Liberia. I survived mainly on one meal a day, which occasionally was dry rice (i.e. cooked white rice) and an egg fried with onion and African pepper. Though a vehicle was usually at my disposal, there were times that I crammed into an overcrowded taxi or bus to transport me to town or home. As someone who was accustomed to a higher standard of living before June 2007, I was living for the past year on what would be considered upper-poverty level in Liberia.

What I just described were a few of the transitions that I am facing right now. And as I go through this process, I remain cautious, because I do not want to forget what I endured during this past year. Though it seems that the daily struggles in Liberia would be hard to erase, I cannot ignore how easy it is to assimilate into the structured U.S. system to where your life seems like a computerized program. These experiences living in Liberia have shaped and changed my life so drastically that my existence in this world resides in two countries. This makes the transition between the developing and developed world that much harder.

So since returning home, I have been actively seeking employment while considering my plans to pursue a law degree. I have been keeping pretty flexible with my employment options including type of job and location as long as it is near a law school. As I focus on these goals, my returning to Africa remains in sight.

It is my hope after languishing in uncertainty for over two and half years that the doors of opportunity will soon open. I am ready to go through those doors as I create a new life that is bound with a sense of compassion and humility for those who live on practically nothing. After experiencing many heartaches and losses of my own, I want to go forward with my dreams and goals of giving voice to those who screams of suffering are continually ignored.

I will return to writing soon!

I must take this time to apologize to my followers for this unintentional blackout with my blogging. A great deal has happened in the last three months that prevented me with maintaining this blog. I will soon be writing some new posts along with adding some published articles from December and January.

Many Blessings,

Heather

Our One and Only Planet, What Can We Expect from COP15 (Part 1)

(This article was published in the print version of Liberia's Daily Observer on Thursday, December 10, 2009.)

While many people in developed nations are aware of the UN climate change conference COP15 being held in Copenhagen from December 7 through 18; however, what they might not be aware of is how important this conference is to the people of developing nations like Liberia. The people living in some of the poorest regions on the earth are already experiencing the devastating effects of climate change. This mere fact proves that the impacts of human activities in one part of the world can greatly alter the lives and livelihoods in another part of the world. It is clear that based on the evidence that global warming is a worldwide concern that is not obstructed by borders or boundaries.

One of the many challenges of these talks is to sensitize the leaders and people of the industrialized nations that they carry the greatest responsibility for the shift in temperatures around the world from their manufacturing plants emitting high amounts of carbon dioxide into the air to the high energy demands for transportation and other modern day conveniences creating an over consumption of fossil fuels. The people of developing nations cannot afford to be no longer heard since they are witnesses to major environmental shifts such as extreme droughts and flooding that have weaken their seasonal crop production and caused many to flee their homes being forced to rely on international aid programs for food assistance.

This conference is bringing together approximately 34,000 delegates of scientists, environmentalists, journalists, grassroots organizations and many other people representing 192 countries to address this critical escalating problem. Also, 100 heads of states or government including US President Barack Obama, China’s Premier Wen Jiabao, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and leaders of the European Union (EU) who are set to attend a climax summit on December 18 (Curtain Set to Rise on Climate Change). According to Yvo de Boer, executive secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), this conference is calling for an international agreement of the following four essentials (von Bülow, March 2009):

1. How much are the industrialized countries willing to reduce their emissions of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2)?

2. How much are major developing countries such as China and India willing to do to limit the growth of their emissions?

3. How is the help needed by developing countries to engage in reducing their emissions and adapting to the impacts of climate change going to be financed?

4. How is that money going to be managed?

This conference is addressing a problem that will not correct itself. Clearly every human has played a part in contributing to the problem of global warming no matter how small or large. However, for the people of developing nations their contribution is negligible compared to the people of developed nations. There is no dispute that industrialized nations like the U.S. use more than their share of the world’s supply of non-renewable natural resources like fossil fuels, and essential life sustaining sources like fresh water.

Since the Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, manufacturing companies have been a major contributor to air, soil and water pollution. Also, commercial farming and urban development have stripped away many forests, natural habitats for other living creatures, and precious top soil for growing food and other plant life. With this ongoing advancement of technology and the expansion of human settlements several animal and plant species have gone extinct forever, natural protective barriers such as the mangrove swamps have been destroyed that can no longer hold back the surging sea water, and large sections of land that were cleared of trees for agriculture purposes are being threatened by desertification. These significant changes in our environment can be seen and felt all over the world.

Based on these destructive human generated activities, it would seem as if people feel that another planet is waiting for us once we have destroyed this one. Who knows maybe some people believe that since scientists have discovered how to clone other living things like Dolly the sheep that they are in the process of cloning another earth.

Strangely, some theorists have gone so far to claim that Mars was the Garden of Eden and Noah’s Ark transported us to settle on earth when the “red planet” could no longer support life. As crazy as this notion sounds, it sure seems that humans have taken for granted that this one planet that we all call home is also a living being that can be destroyed and even die. Now in the 21st century as the fate of the earth is unknown, scientists and theorists are debating on whether human colonies can be supported on Mars if the earth becomes uninhabitable because we lost the battle to global warming (Moore).

Regardless of these theories, the planet earth has its own history and there have been certain occurrences that should caution us in being over-confident or arrogant in believing that we humans cannot cause our own extinction.

First one comes from a scientific perspective regarding the extinction of the greatest creatures that once walked the earth, the dinosaurs. For decades archeologists have been uncovering the fossils and remains of these gentle or fierce beasts. They have examined their bones and reconstructed them into skeletal frames to learn more on how they once lived and what may have been the cause to their destruction as a species. There is more than one theory that exists about their untimely death, and yet many of us stand in awe as we look up at these mighty beasts displayed in museum exhibits around the world wondering how such creatures ever existed.

The second one comes from a religious perspective. God one day decided to purge the earth of all the living creatures, because they had become corrupt and violent. He commanded Noah in building an Ark that would safely carry his family and two of each animal living on the earth. That fateful day came where for 40 days and nights the great rains flooded the entire earth wiping out every living thing. When the rain finally stopped it was a new dawn for life of all the species that had been finding refuge on the ark (Genesis 6:1 to 9:17).

Granted, God made convent with Noah to not flood the earth again; however, who knows God might have the prerogative to have a change of heart. There is no dispute that human corruption and violence continues to be our destiny. If God decides to purge the earth again maybe this time humans will not be selected to build the next ark or even be included as one of its passengers.

Of all living creatures, humans are the most destructive and violent beings on this planet. For several centuries now, we have waged war over religious differences, acquisition of large tracts of land through colonization, and also of natural resources and minerals such as oil, diamonds and gold. In this century and beyond wars could be waged over limited supplies of food and fresh drinking water, because we failed as the collective human society to ensure proper and equitable distribution of these essentials to life.

Anyone who has stepped beyond the borders of the developed world knows that we use and waste more food, energy and water than in the developing world. How is it that a smaller population of world’s people living in developed nations uses greater amounts of water and energy while large populations of people living in the developing world are starving and living in extreme poverty? This question can no longer be ignored by the developed world, because the amount of CO2 and other green house gases that have been emitted into the atmosphere have altered the natural cycle of our climate where the increase of global temperatures are having devastating effects, especially in the developing world.

In fact on Tuesday, December 8, the Associated Press reported that “the U.N.'s weather agency boosted the sense of urgency surrounding the conference with data showing this decade is on track to be the hottest since records began in 1850, with 2009 the fifth-warmest year ever. The second warmest decade was the 1990s.” Also, from scientific analysis of tree rings and retreating glaciers conducted by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences they cited that “the last few decades are the warmest period in at least 400 years and probably 1,000 years” based on the evidence they found in their research (Heilprin).

Therefore, the Copenhagen conference is an important convergence of people from many nations and backgrounds to find equitable solutions for this global concern. According to Connie Hedegaard, Danish Minister for Climate and Energy and incoming COP15 President there must be an accord reached by the delegates in effort to “seal the deal” among the nations represented. She views this conference as “window of opportunity” since the momentum is at its highest point ever. Otherwise she commented that “if the whole world comes to Copenhagen and leaves without making the needed political agreement, then I think it’s a failure that is not just about climate. Then it’s the whole global democratic system not being able to deliver results in one of the defining challenges of our century. And that is and should not be a possibility. It’s not an option (von Bülow, October 2009).”

As the world waits for the results from COP 15, we must take a moment to realize that we are fighting for our future existence. We must realize that the earth is a miracle that was created to be our one and only home, which we have been entrusted with its care and preservation of its life-giving and life-sustaining resources. No matter our culture, religious belief, experience or education, we are united as one family and like any individual household we must learn the process of sharing and conserving the earth’s resources to ensure peace and harmony. If we can practice this simple rule from the individual household to our global home then this would be the greatest achievement ever accomplished in human history.

References:

Curtain set to rise on climate summit. Yahoo!® News. 06 December 2009. 08 December 2009
http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20091207/ts_afp/unclimatewarming_20091207024730

Heilprin, John, and Charles J. Hanley. Leaked document stirs anger at climate summit.
Associated Press. 09 December 2009. 09 December 2009 http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5i9TuMrvrknh-ZXwqmZ2N-48kff3wD9CFMQ380

Moore, Matthew. Human colony on Mars 'will make the world a better place’. 09 September
2009. 08 December 2009 http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-
news/6162355/Human-colony-on-Mars-will-make-the-world-a-better-place.html

von Bülow, Michael. The Essentials in Copenhagen. COP15. 16 March 2009. 08 December 2009
http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=876

von Bülow, Michael. Failure in Copenhagen is not an option. COP15. 02 October 2009.
08 December 2009 http://en.cop15.dk/news/view+news?newsid=2257

Life without 24-hour Electricity

It is funny how we take certain things for granted like electricity. For example, in the U.S. we enjoy 24-hour running electrical current, but when there is an outage whether for just a few hours or even a few days we feel totally deprived for that moment. However, once the power is restored we soon forget the inconvenience and go about our day.

Well, 24-hour current in Liberia is only for those who can afford to run their generators morning and night. Keep in mind generators are normally used for back-up electricity; however, in Liberia they are the primary source. So, for the lucky few who have more than one generator and the money to keep them fueled, they are ones to maintain 24-hour current. Though there is brief interruption when exchanging generators either once or twice day to reduce the machines wear and tear, especially for those that carry a heavy electrical load. However, the vast majority of Liberia's people do not have generators, so they rely on candles or flashlights for their evening light and battery operated radios for their entertainment.

In my case I have a 2.5KVA (kilo-volt amps) generator. This size of generator produces enough electricity to operate a fan, small freezer, lights, TV, laptop computer, and charge cell phones and a camera. It runs on gasoline and the current price in U.S. is $3.10 per gallon. I have had to economize my expenses, so I run my generator from 10PM to 4AM allowing me to sleep in comfort with my fan. This six-hour span takes one gallon of gas. If you calculate the cost of one gallon of gas with average days in the month, this six hours each night equates to $93 per month. If it was possible to run my machine 24-hours daily, it would cost about $446 per month in gas. However, these machines need engine oil, spark plug replacement, and other servicing each month so that cost could be close to $500.

In retrospect, I do not remember paying near that amount for my townhouse in the U.S. during the hottest month of the year with running my central-air unit, large and small appliances, and having several lights on throughout the house. But now I realize how we take 24-hour electricity for granted, because we have gotten accustomed to it by enjoying our many modern comforts. So, we are oblivious to how we can easily waste energy just to satisfy these needs.

Well in Liberia, where this luxury is not so convenient, you yourself wishing for 24-hour electricity. As we enter December, it is a reminder that the rainy season's cool weather is about to change to the dry season's intense heat and humidity. This is the time I hope that I can find a way to run my generator more so I can escape the unbearable steamy heat of the afternoon to evening hours. On days like this it can be a simple heaven just to run your fan for a few hours to cool down.

As someone from the U.S. I know that we often take for granted how blessed we have it in our country. We may complain and fuss on how hard daily living is in our perspective, but compared to people who struggle just to survive on daily basis we have it pretty damn good. Life without 24-hour electricity is a challenge, but you have to learn to cope with what you have. I have learned to be grateful for having a generator to provide me some of the comforts I am used to regardless if it is a few hours a day.

Let's give blogging a try...

So many people have expressed interest in what I am doing in Liberia and asked me to write more about it. I have been pondering this suggestion, but I am so obsessed with establishing a freelance writing career that I have been more focused on publishing comprehensive research articles than just blogging about what happened on this day or that day. I know there has been some interesting experiences that are worth mentioning, but they get placed on the back burner.

Why blogging has not made center stage yet, is that starting a writing career in war-torn nation is not an easy thing to do, and especially when "free" is the operative word of the day--meaning the amount I get paid. Prior to jumping into such an ambitious endeavor, I really took my time on understanding what needed to be done to become an online freelance writer and to know what were the various parts to make it successful. One part was getting articles published--check. Second part was finding your niche--check. Another part was marketing yourself--half a check. And the last major part was bidding and applying for jobs--no check. I receive job listings in my email, but the ones that interest me or fit my style of writing require you to be based in the U.S. or Europe. So, I'm thinking I may have to go independent and find publications that are interested in my work and will compensate for it.

Writing was not something I had ever considered as a career. But after reading Thomas Friedman's The World is Flat early this year, it gave me the inspiration. Within this book, he gives both sides of the Globalization equation, and like anything it has it good and bad sides. Yet, when he showed how the internet had really leveled the playing field for people in developing nations, I thought hey let's give it a try.

Another thing that gave me encouragement to take this leap, was having the opportunity to design my own degree and many of my independent studies. It was through this process that I developed my writing style, but I have to give some credit to my mom since she guided me along the way. She is someone that loves to write and is quite eloquent at it. But unlike her I never really got into writing in a journal or diary, except when it was required in school. And blogging is very much the same as writing in a journal, so it is something I have to get use to.

Additionally, as a self-directed student who was interested in law and culture, I discovered that I really love research. By taking ownership of my education and focusing on what I was interested in, some of this research allowed me to realize that my education was not about the piece paper or what job I wanted, but it was about discovering me and expanding my knowledge of the greater world. This love for research is probably due the fact I am a Curious George in a way. I remember reading the stories of this little monkey as kid and all the mischief he got into, because he was led by curiosity of the unknown, strange, and interesting. In fact, as a kid he was one of my favorite stuffed animals and I remember that I had him say one word and that was "yeaaaah!" He probably said this, because I have trouble with the word "no" because I find it too limiting when it comes to curiosity.

So, in the same vein as this cartoon character from my childhood, my curious spirit has brought me to a part of the world that most people may never explore. With that being said, I will actually try do some blogging in addition to my research articles so that I can share with my friends and family some of my day-to-day experiences in Liberia to hopefully give some insight of the struggles and triumphs that people face in war-torn developing nations.

Part 2 - Liberia: What it means to be an educated person?

(This was reposted from the published article on the Liberian Forum at http://www.liberianforum.com/Articles/Part-2-Liberia-What-it-means-to-be-an-educated-person.html)

In exploring what it means to be educated one must take a closer look at how we seek and acquire knowledge beyond the traditional sense. By studying this closer we will discover that there is an evolution of how knowledge has been shared and obtained throughout human history. And it is with this discovery that we will learn that acquisition of knowledge is not a “one-size-fits-all” process that has dominated most educational institutions in the recent decades.

Surprisingly, since publishing the first part of this article in the Liberia Forum on October 19, this concept, of how we define education has sparked a great discussion among some of the readers. This response was quite compelling that it delayed publishing the second part so that I could have time to read all of them and understand the overall concerns and issues.

In reviewing the comments that were shared, it appears that the current educational process has become so convoluted that people have several view points about its relevance and whether a degree determines a person’s level of knowledge. This dialog among the readers shows a divide in how people feel about education to where some see it is a form of elitism. This is a clear indicator why education should be assessable and adaptable. Also, education should be an unalienable right to all types of learners as cited in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights[1].

Another interesting point that was shared in these comments is how some of our greatest entrepreneurs, innovators or leaders were not diploma or degree holders like Bill Gates[2]. These were intelligent and innovative individuals, who often were not stimulated in the formalized structured systems or could afford to continue. Then there are others like Abraham Lincoln, who never attended school but independently educated themselves[3]. This is why education needs to be flexible and also affordable for the various types of learners in a nation. So again we must ask “can we continue to quantify someone as educated solely by the number of certificates and degrees hanging on their wall?”

This is one of two questions that led to the research of this two-part article. This first question was explored extensively in part-one of this article. It first examined the lack of educational programs that could serve Liberia’s seasoned adult learners who had some secondary education along with extensive experience in their trade or field. Since no creative or flexible program exists, these people have been denied an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned from their experiences in cultivating their natural or God-given talents in the classroom of life to obtain their diplomas.

It next examined how many current professional or skilled jobs in Liberia require post-graduate degrees AND several years of experience. This exclusive requirement has led to another problem where many people have bypassed a formal education by falsifying their credentials either with buying fake degrees or fabricating their resume/curricula vitae or other verifying documents. Again, the same seasoned adults who have experience to meet the job qualifications are systematically eliminated from the selection process because they fail to meet the stringent educational requirement.

Proceeding with part-two of this article, it will continue to explore what defines an educated person as it relates to the second question “can we qualify someone as intelligent by their ability to read and write”. It will closely examine whether illiteracy hinders intelligence or knowledge. Next, it will examine why many Liberians, regardless if they can read or write, have no access to critical documents—Liberia’s Constitution, for example,—that can constrain their ability in acquiring essential knowledge such as the responsibilities of the three branches of government or their rights as citizens. This article will conclude on whether nations like Liberia can continue with “one-size-fits-all” educational system, especially when one is emerging from a long history of civil strife.

Illiteracy versus Intelligence

Liberia’s civil war not only devastated human life, but also its physical infrastructure particularly, the institutions that develop and stimulate minds. Since brokering peace in 2003, Liberia has been slowly rebuilding its educational system with international assistance. This includes renovating its existing learning institutions or building new ones, training and certifying more qualified teachers, and creating appropriate learning environments for eager students (the Art of Adult Learning and Education, 2).

However, these initiatives have not adequately addressed the high rate of illiteracy that equates to about 45% of the total population. If we examine the table below, we will also discover that there is a gender imbalance with literacy rates in Liberia. According to the Core Welfare Indicator Questionnaire (CWIQ)—that “surveyed 3,600 households, covering every region, demographic group, income level, and household type” in 2007—women overall had much lower literacy rate than men of 41% to 69% respectively (Poverty in Liberia, 32). In separating urban and rural areas, the ratio of men to women in urban regions is approximately 1.3 to 1, whereas there in the rural areas the ratio of literate men to women is approximately 2 to 1. There is greater gap between men and women’s literacy rates in rural areas.


In examining illiteracy, many people view it as a disease. One example of this is how it can impact someone’s livelihood, because they are overlooked as uneducated or unskilled to possess a job. In another example, is how illiteracy can affect the safety of someone’s life or their families, if they cannot read the warning label on a bottle or machinery. However, if we take a closer look at what “literacy” means, it often refers to “read and write” English or French languages, and it does not take into account whether someone is “literate” in their native dialect. This is definitely the case for the countless countries that were colonized by Europe.

Having worked 18-1/2 years with a Native American business, I have become aware of the impacts that colonization has had on indigenous people. Native Americans and many other indigenous people like Australian Aborigines were forced to learn and speak English, otherwise they were beaten or belittled for speaking their own language. It was through this forced assimilation that languages like English caused many native dialects to or risk of extinction. However, many indigenous people worldwide still speak their native tongue as their first language whereas English or French is there second or third.

Liberia may have not been colonized by a European nation like so many other regions within Africa. However, the English language became Liberia’s official language through the nineteenth century re-colonization efforts of the United States to immigrate emancipated or free-born African Americans back to Africa. Whether it was forced or volunteer assimilation, many of the African American immigrants and indigenous people learned how to speak and write English. Today, most schools, if not all, teach both English and French languages, and some now have added Chinese. However, very few include Liberian dialects in the curriculum.

Regardless of English’s dominance in this nation, there are many native speakers of the recognized Liberian dialects. Many indigenous Liberians, whether formerly educated or not, can read and write English along with one or more of the native dialects. So in understanding literacy we need to ensure that we are not limiting it to languages like English and French that forcibly took primacy over the native dialect of many cultures.

Next we need to determine if the ability to read and write is the only way to learn. There are many methods of acquiring knowledge, but there are three preferred ones. The first are listening [auditory] learners who usually ask for instruction or several questions to understand how something works or how to perform a task. Next there are seeing [visual] learners who read books-magazines-online journals, view pictures or diagrams, or observe others perform a given task or project to know how to do it. Lastly, there are experience [kinesthetic] learners who use their hands to learn how to do something or need to move around to see and try new things. We all have our preferred way of learning and no method is better than another (Shirley).

Interestingly, if we look at the evolution of what appears to be the preferred way of gaining knowledge, we would notice that it has come full circle with auditory learning. In the beginning, our origins were translated and disseminated through oral traditions such as storytelling. In fact, many of us can remember as children listening to a grandparent or tribal elder sharing an interesting story about our family or cultural heritage that has been passed on from one generation to another. Now in the twenty-first century, it appears many people rather listen to an audio book or news podcast than to read a novel or newspaper. Also, computer programmers are continually perfecting their voice recognition software so people can write papers or articles by verbalizing their thoughts rather than typing them in. From these trends, it seems as technology continues to advance, more people are plugging into audio devices that do the reading and writing for them.

Based on the various learning styles, literacy is not an accurate measurement to determine if someone is competent or intelligent. Also, we must consider that there are people who have the ability to read and write that can recite or record the words, but do not understand or comprehend what they mean. So, we must use caution in generalizing people as ignorant or unintelligent because they are illiterate. We must also not define literacy by only the languages from colonizing nations. Instead, we must be open to appreciating along with preserving other languages and dialects, since they are vital sources to a culture’s history and roots[4].

Therefore, it is when we open our eyes and minds, we will discover another person’s intelligence in the nature it was acquired. We will sometimes also find people who have this raw understanding of information without ever referring to book or listening to lecture at a university, which is typically called native intelligence. In seeing things in a new light, we can appreciate the intelligence of someone no matter where they live in the world.

Disseminating Critical Information

The issue of ignorance is not something that we can blame on illiteracy or lack of education alone. Often people are unaware, uninformed or even misinformed, because the actual information is not available or even accessible. So, this leads into the next topic about disseminating critical information to the nation’s populace.

The concept of education is not a matter in how we learn, but what we learn and from what sources. In Liberia, students in primary to secondary schools to universities often do not have textbooks or learning guides for the various subjects they are learning, so they have no source material to refer to when studying. The textbooks that are usually available have been donated by schools abroad and there is a risk that the information is outdated and such. Only a few schools are fortunate to provide computer labs, but they are constrained by using donated older models, operating generators for electricity, and having no access to the internet. And most schools do not have libraries. So, this lack of information sources makes the educational process very challenging for students in all learning institutions.

Having access to key information is not just limited to schools or universities, but also to the general populace. This became quite clear when attending various workshops regarding human rights issues during July.

On July 8 and 9, I attended a workshop on CEDAW (The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women) and there were about 40 to 50 women in attendance. As part of this workshop they were asked to review the Liberian constitution and see how it matched up to the articles in CEDAW. When the facilitator later asked comments about the workshop, a majority of the women commented that this was the first time they had ever seen and read their constitution.

On July 13, shortly after the final Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report came out, I had attended and observed a meeting that brought together members of civil society organizations to discuss the report. As the discussion commenced, it soon became clear that the 50 to 60 people (mostly men) in attendance had not even seen the nearly 500-page TRC report or the other accompanying documents that established this commission such as the 2003 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) and the 2005 TRC Act that was signed in Accra, Ghana among the warring factions.

On July 15, I attended a workshop that brought together the members of community based and civil society organizations to a three-day national conference for the West African Peace-building Coalition of Liberia. This conference was also asked the participants to review and discuss the same above reports. Yet again, a majority of the 70 plus participates (mostly women) had not seen these reports in their entirety except for the excerpts they received in this conference.

Since attending these various workshops and meeting, I have been randomly asking Liberians if they have ever seen or listened to their constitution, and most of them will say no. Some did comment that they saw it once, but do not remember any of its clauses or provisions. Some even commented that they remember it being recited on a radio program at one time. From the sampling of inquires made, it appears for most Liberians no nothing about their constitution and legislative statutes.

In regard to the TRC report, most Liberians have relied on the local media in knowing anything about its contents. Since the report is nearly 500 pages, is not easy to download on the slow internet system for the few who have computers or portable drives (i.e. computer stick), and most of them can’t afford to print or copy this rather lengthy document. This report is a good example how information is not easily assessable to most Liberians, and how the internet is clearly not the best means to disseminate this information since most people do not have access to it.

With Liberia emerging from over 20 years of one civil crisis after another, it would seem clear that the people have access to the documents that brought peace to their nation, govern their lives, and protect their rights. Liberia has made some attempts such as small booklets of their constitution, but this limited to those who can read English and have discretionary income to purchase one. However more can be done to make the constitution and other key documents available in audio and written formats not only in English but also in the recognized Liberian dialects. This does not mean everyone has to have a copy, but the key is making it accessible and affordable to everyone whether they live in the city or village.

More than “One-size-fits-all” Education System…

This two-part article has explored many challenges that are facing Liberia’ current education system that has not been adequately meeting needs of the people during its post-war era. Many Liberians possess the skills or talents to perform many jobs that are currently limited to degree holders. These are people that survived several years of war and destruction, and were unable to continue their education. Also, many people never could receive a formalized education due to poverty or other social ills. However, many people did not let this hinder their learning ability, and they sought out knowledge, wherever they could get it.

Beyond the traditional classroom, Liberia is also challenged as a democracy, because most of its people have no idea of their constitutional laws or rights. Liberia, throughout most of its history, has struggled with concerns of equality and civil rights among the masses, especially with access to education and employment. Since the concept of democracy “is by the people, for the people” to where everyone is treated and valued as equals, it would seem imperative to make the nation’s sacred governing documents available to all citizens so that they can be active participants in this process.

Clearly, education or acquisition knowledge does not start or end in the classroom. We are always learning from the day we are born until we die. There have been some leading individuals who have valued learning outside of the “classroom” and have developed programs to promote education through life experiences, but this article will focus on two in particular.

The first one is Paulo Freire, who was born and lived in Brazil for most of his life (1921-1997). He is most noted for writing the book “Pedagogy of the Oppressed” in 1972 that popularized social change through education in Latin America and this concept was disseminated throughout the world. The reason for this book was “to educate those who had suffered from poverty economically, exclusion politically, and culturally in Brazil…to plant the seed of a new perspective for liberation through education all over the world (Yoo).”

In his paper Education of Adults and Marginal Populations: The Mocambos Problem written in 1958, he proposed “adult education…had to have its foundation in the consciousness of the day-to-day situations lived by the learners; educational work toward democracy would only be achieved if the literacy process was not about or for the man, but with man (Lownd).”

The second one is Myles Horton, who was born in State of Tennessee in 1905 and lived most of his life in this Appalachia Region until his death in 1990. He is most noted for founding the Highlander Folk School in 1932 that later was renamed Highlander Research and Education Center. Again, like Freire, he believed that education should change society instead of maintaining the status quo. He created a pedagogy that led people to challenge the system, to take risks that he called the “two-eye” theory of teaching. The concept was to “keep one eye on where people are, and one eye on where they can be—forever pushing, making them uncomfortable, stretching their minds, helping them grow in their understanding and critical consciousness (Horton, xix-xx).”

The Highlander programs were not developed by the faculty or the school’s administration, but instead were developed by having the adult students participate in finding solutions to their problems such as social issues of racism. The key in doing this was helping people to learn how “to analyze their experience and learn from it”, so that they could respect it. Also, this process of the students learning more about themselves helped the facilitator to better understand their students’ perceptions of social problems that they would work together in developing a solution. Horton believed in respecting the ideas and involvement of the adult learners who were often overlooked due to poverty and racism in the south (Horton, 70). His students were not only learners, but also participants in developing programs that tackled social ills and the teachers that empowered others like them to challenge these same problems such as racism during the civil rights movement.

Both Freire and Horton valued the experiences of their students and created an educational pedagogy that allowed them to use this experience as part of the curriculum as self-directed learners. They also believed in empowering the people that had been oppressed within their society to use their education to influence social change. Also, they both advocated that the literacy process was with the adult learners, and also that they should know their rights as in Horton’s Citizenship Schools[5].

The current “one-size-fits-all” educational system in Liberia has systematically excluded many of its experienced and non-formalized educated people from being employed in the private or public sectors or even recognized as able entrepreneurs in their natural given fields. It is beneficial for this nation to reform its system to offer adaptable, affordable and flexible programs to recognize the experience and knowledge of its underserved population. By creating educational programs that welcome all types of learners no matter their age or background then Liberia is truly developing their most precious resource—its people, and giving way to a brighter future to this post-war nation.

End Notes:
[1] The Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Article 26 states… “(1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. (2) Education shall be directed to the full development of the human personality and to the strengthening of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms. It shall promote understanding, tolerance and friendship among all nations, racial or religious groups, and shall further the activities of the United Nations for the maintenance of peace. (3) Parents have a prior right to choose the kind of education that shall be given to their children.
[2] Bill Gates may have dropped out of Harvard to his multi-billion dollar Microsoft empire (Profile), but he been a leader in reforming education especially for children at-risk of dropping out of high school…“It's the longer-term outlook he's worried about. He sees that social inequities at home and abroad are harmful not just morally but economically, which explains his obsession with confronting the high-school dropout rate. Over time, he explains, a less equal world hurts everyone (Alter).
[3] “Having received almost no formal education, Lincoln embarked on a quest for learning and self-improvement. He read incessantly, beginning as a youth with the Bible and Shakespeare. During his single term in the House of Representatives, his colleagues considered it humorous that Lincoln spent his spare time poring over books in the Library of Congress. The result of this ‘stunning work of self-education’ was the ‘intellectual power'’ revealed in Lincoln's writings and speeches (Foner).”
[4] Every 14 days a language dies. By 2100, more than half of the more than 7,000 languages spoken on Earth—many of them not yet recorded—may disappear, taking with them a wealth of knowledge about history, culture, the natural environment, and the human brain. Language defines a culture, through the people who speak it and what it allows speakers to say. Words that describe a particular cultural practice or idea may not translate precisely into another language. Many endangered languages have rich oral cultures with stories, songs, and histories passed on to younger generations, but no written forms. With the extinction of a language, an entire culture is lost (Disappearing Languages).
[5] The Citizenship Schools were established in the 1950’s for the people who lived on the Sea Islands of South Carolina, who were the last group of slaves brought to the U.S. before the slave trade stopped. In order for them to vote they needed to past a written examination which many of these people were illiterate. This program was established to solve this problem. To allow students to be freer to participate, the teacher was somebody from their own community, who happened to be a successful beautician. The materials that were included in this class were the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the constitution and the rest of the curriculum was developed by teacher and the students went along. This program was later transferred to Martin Luther King, Jr. when it was part of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (Horton, 99, 103, 107).

Works Cited:

Alter, Jonathon. Bill Gates Goes to School. Newsweek. 06 December 2008. 31 October 2009
http://www.newsweek.com/id/172572

The Development and State of the Art of Adult Learning and Education (ALE): National Report
of Liberia. The Ministry of Education and Partners. October 2008. 20 July 2009. http://www.unesco.org/fileadmin/MULTIMEDIA/INSTITUTES/UIL/confintea/pdf/National_Reports/Africa/Africa/Liberia.pdf

Disappearing Languages: Enduring Voices—Documenting the Planets Endangered Languages.
National Geographic. 2009. 25 May 2009
http://www.nationalgeographic.com/mission/enduringvoices/index.html

Foner, Eric. The Education of Abraham Lincoln. The New York Times. 10 February 2002. 31
October 2009 http://www.nytimes.com/2002/02/10/books/the-education-of-abraham-lincoln.html?pagewanted=all

Horton, Myles, and Judith Kohl and Herbert Kohl. The Long Haul: An Autobiography. New
York: Teachers College Press, 1998.

Lownd, Peter. A Brief Biography of Paulo Freire. Paulo Freire Institute, University of California,
Los Angeles. 31 October 2009 http://www.paulofreireinstitute.org/

Poverty in Liberia: The Current Context. Liberia Poverty Reduction Strategy, Chapter Three.
2008. 09 June 2009. www.mofliberia.org/prs/chapter3.pd

Profile: Bill Gates. BBC News. 26 January 2004. 31 October 2009
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/3428721.stm

Shirley, Randall. Which One are You? World Wide Learn: The World's Premier Online
Directory of Education. 2009. 31 October 2009
http://www.worldwidelearn.com/education-articles/how-do-you-learn.htm

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights. United Nations. 31 October 2009
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/

Yoo, Sung-Sang. Freirian Pedagogy. Paulo Freire Institute, University of California, Los
Angeles. 31 October 2009 http://www.paulofreireinstitute.org/

Writer’s Notes: To learn more about Heather Cannon-Winkelman, please visit her blog Uniting Distant Stars at http:///unitingdistantstars.blogspot.com