Ces enfants n'existent pas ici (Those children don't exist here)

^{As part of the joint education sector review that takes place twice a year, the Government (Ministries of Education) and the technical and financial partners conducted a field mission. We visited, among other sites, one of the schools constructed by us and that has been handed over to the Government, and has been used already. I was looking forward to seeing the children learning in the newly constructed classrooms.}

^{We arrived at school. This school had three old classrooms, and the project has constructed three additional classrooms, so that the school can have a full cycle of primary school (from grade 1 to grade 6). We were introduced to a crowd of men including the local education administrator called Delegue Scolaire de l’Enseignement de Base, DSEE (most decentralized delegate of education administration), school director, teachers, and community leaders. Women and children were standing about 3 meters apart. After a brief introduction, we toured around the school. All of the three newly constructed classrooms were used. Among the three old classrooms, only one was used. They explained to us that the school offers 4 classes: grade 1, grade 2, grade 5 and 6.}

^{Where are the children of grade 3 and grade 4?}

^{I asked the DSEE.}

^{An unthinkable response came back.}

^{Ces enfants n’existent pas ici (Those children don’t exist here).}

^{(How on earth can it be possible that the children do not exist in these villages???!!! You mean, there was no love-making or child-making for two years in the villages???!!!) (my heart beating and silently shouting)}

^{Shortly after, the Ministry colleague standing next to me asked one of the children crowding around us how old he was. He did not respond, but instead his mother who was standing behind him responded that he was seven years old, and that he could not start school because they were told that the classroom was “full” when he came to register in the new school year in October. “Your child can come back next year to start the school,” told the Director to the mother. Being refused by the school Director, the child and illiterate mother could say nothing. They went home, and the child has stayed at home since.}

^{Guinean children are supposed to be enrolled in primary school from age six.}

^{The extreme dichotomy between what the DSEE just said and the faces of the children who have been refused to start school as the classroom is full, and who do not even know their right to education, squeezed my heart. I started feeling my eyes hot.}

^{Despite my colleague’s consolation, I decided that I would let my tears continue to fall as I was very annoyed at the situation, and wanted the local education administrators to realize that this situation was not acceptable by any means.}

^{One week after we returned from this field mission, my colleague who accompanied the mission brought good news. The local education administrators and the community took the initiative to identify all children of age 6 and beyond that were out of school. They also identified two teachers—one retired teacher and one university graduate. They will be paid by the community members, until the government can find and allocate additional teachers to this village. Today, over 70 identified children were enrolled and are learning in the two classrooms that had been unused.}

^{I can bet that this situation exists in many other villages in Guinea. I cannot visit and cry in every one of them. Need to think of how to tackle this.}

Candle and fire

^{My colleague looked distressed today. In the afternoon, he told me that he was leaving early to go to the hospital, to see his neighbor who got burned last night.}

^{He continued.}

^{Yesterday early night, his neighbor girl, a 13-year old, was reading for her course review in a house with a candle light as the power was out as usual. She then fell asleep. The candle then fell, and it did not take much time for the candle to reach the bed mattress which incited a fire. Her family members were outside the house sitting and chilling, as Guineans usually do when the power is out. By the time her grandfather noticed the fire, ran into the house and took the girl out, the girl was badly burnt. My colleague took them to the hospital. The girl died the following morning. The grandfather was hospitalized.}

^{Just because the government cannot provide continuous electricity to all citizens; just because the households either cannot afford or does not have the consciousness to buy a safer torch, a young life had to be sacrificed. And they say this is not a rare news in this capital. Too sad, and too frustrating.}

^{同僚が疲れた顔をしていた。午後になると、今日はお隣さんを病院にお見舞いに行くから、早く事務所を出ると言って来た。}

^{同僚は続けて話した。}

^{昨晩、隣に住む１３歳の女の子が、学校の復習で読み物をしていたらしい。いつもどおり停電だったので、ろうそくの火で読んでいたらしい。そして女の子は居眠りしてしまった。その間ろうそくが倒れ、ベッドのマットに火がつき、あっという間に燃え上がってしまった。女の子の家族は、庭で涼んでいた。火に気づき、女の子のおじいさんが、燃え上がる家に飛び込み女の子を見つけたときは、ひどいやけど状態だったらしい。そして車を持っている私の同僚が、女の子とおじいさんを病院に連れ込んだが、女の子は翌朝亡くなってしまった。おじいさんのほうもやけどがひどく、入院が続く。}

^{政府が国民に電気を提供できないから、家庭が電気ランプ・懐中電灯を買うお金がないから、親がろうそくの危険性に対する意識が薄いから・・・若い命が犠牲になってしまった。そして、この首都ではこれは珍しくないことだと聞く。悔しく、悲しい。}

Rainy Monday (in Conakry)

^{I started my day at the clinic to do the malaria test as I have been feeling my body heavy the past few days; then a two-hour meeting with my boss to review the indicators to measure the results of our 2012 programme; lunch with take-away spring rolls while checking emails; telephone consultation with the Government counterpart; meeting with a partner to review and finalize the budget for teacher training planned in the near future; tele-conference with a colleague who works at UNICEF office in the neighboring country; discussion with the Human Resource unit concerning the different opinions on the report on recently-conducted recruitment interview; editing to finish the document requested by the NY headquarters and drafted by a colleague; checking today’s emails that have been accumulating since the morning; checking the couriers that arrived today; preparing for tomorrow’s coordination meeting for literacy education… it was 10pm when I looked at the clock.}

^{Are things that I did today making any contribution being useful to for the children who cannot go to school? Are the tasks that seem not very useful respond even indirectly to “why I am in Guinea”?}

^{I left the office pondering vaguely over these things, and thinking, oh well, I was working with a full speed today as I was deeming ambitiously that I would leave the office by 8pm today since it is Monday… I drive my car home, on the completely dark streets without any light, watching out for pedestrians and puddles. I get a bit annoyed at the cars that come from the opposite direction with their high lights—it blocks my sight almost completely! Then shiny stick-like objects—two of them-- caught my eyes. As I got closer, I saw a man walking with the help of the crutches. I passed him, being very careful not to scare him or splash him water. Within 10 seconds, a shiny wheelchair catches my eyes this time. The man who was riding this wheelchair had legs that were as thin as the aluminum crutches I just saw.}

^{As I saw him crossing comfortably, rolling his wheels with hands, the chaotic highway of Conakry that I often get scared of even on a 4x4 vehicle, my fatigue swept away, and I noticed something. Yes, indeed, I am here now so that people living here can have even a slightly more decent, humane life. Conakry is not a friendly city for people who walk around with crutches or wheelchair in mud roads. But these men I saw have at least the freedom of going out. Guinea must have thousands of those with disability and cannot make steps outside their houses. Including the children who cannot access a school 5km away from their homes.}

^{My short drive home today gave me the opportunity to remind myself of something I have forgotten. Thank god the malaria test result was negative; I should just continue what I can do from tomorrow on!}

雨季の月曜日（コナクリにて）

今日は朝一で近くのクリニックに行きマラリアのテスト（ここ数日身体がだるかったので念のため）、２時間のセクション・ミーティング、ボスと2012年の活動結果評価に使う指標の見直し、（この辺で、メールをチェックしながらテイクアウトの春巻きでランチ）、教育省のカウンターパートと電話打ち合わせ、これから先生の研修をしてもらうパートナーとBudgetの最終検討、近隣の国のUNICEF事務所で働く同僚とTele-conference（勿論仕事の話が目的だったけど、息抜きになった！）、人事セクションとこの間やった採用インタビューの報告書で意見が違うところを議論、NY本部が送ってきた表（また・・・）を使って同僚がドラフトしてくれた資料を手直しし、朝からたまったメールを一通りチェック、今日来たCourierを片付け、明日の識字教育コーディネーション委員会の会合の準備をして・・・いたらあっという間に10時だった。

今日やったこれらのことは、Invisibleで学校に行けない子どもたちに役立っているのだろうか。面倒だと思える仕事も間接的には「なぜ私がギニアにいるのか」に繋がっているのだろうか。

月曜だし８時には事務所を出ようと短距離走を走る意気込みで仕事をしていたのに１０時になり、あーあ、と事務所を出て、上のようなことをふんわりと考えながら、街頭がない真っ暗な道を、水溜りと歩行者に気をつけながら車を家まで走らせる。ただでさえ視界が悪いのに、対向線側からライトを下げずに突っ走ってくる車にイラっとする。ふと目に入ってきたのは、２本の光る棒状の物体。近づくとアルミか何かでできた松葉杖２本を使って道路際の水溜りの中を歩くおじさんだった。彼を脅かさないようにできるだけ車を道路の反対側に寄せて通り過ぎる。１０秒もしないうちに今度は光る車椅子。乗っている男性の足はさっき見た松葉杖ほど細かった。４駆に乗っている私でも危険に遭いそうになるオートルート（高速道路のギニア・バージョン）を慣れた手つきで車輪を回して渡っていく彼を横目で見ながら、ふと気づいて、疲れが吹っ飛んだ。そうだった、私はこの世に生きている人たちが少しでも人間らしい生活ができるように、今ここにいるんだった。松葉杖や車椅子で泥道を歩く人たちに決して易しくはない街。そんな彼らにも、困難ながらもまだ行きたいところに行ける自由がある。ギニアには、私の視界には一生入ることのないだろう、家から一歩もでられない障害を持った人たちも多くいるのだ。５キロ離れた学校に歩いて行くことができない子どもたちも。

「気づき」を思い出さされ、マラリアのテスト結果もネガティブだったし、また明日からできることをやっていこう！という気持ちにしてくれた帰り道だった。

Dawn of Bujumbura in September

The day the lights came back on streets in Bujumbura

Something is different… I looked around as I was leaving the office. Yes, it’s not completely dark yet, but there’s something else. It’s the STREET LIGHT! It was the first street light lit that I saw in Bujumbura. A Burundian friend told me before that these lights were all lit in the 80's, but stopped functioning during and after the conflict. I had to stop the car on the side to enjoy looking at bright lights. May this light continue to illumate Bujumbura's main street...



ブジュンブラに街灯が戻ってきた日

今日夕方事務所を出ると、何かいつもと違う。まだ空が真っ暗ではない。でもそれ以外に何かある。
街灯！ブジュンブラで初めて見る街灯の光だった。80年代には機能していたらしいが、紛争以来つかなくなってしまったと聞いていた。思わず車をわきに止めて、写真を撮りながら見とれることしばし。 この街灯が消されることなく、ブジュンブラのメイン・ストリートを照らし続けてくれますように。


El día la luz volvió en las calles de Bujumbura

Hay algo differente… Miré alredor saliendo de la oficina. Sí, todavía no es completamente oscura, pero hay algo más. La LUZ de la calle! Fue la primera luz de calle iluminado que ví en Bujumbura. Me dijo un amigo que estas luces se encendieron en los ochentas, pero no funcionaban durante y después del conflicto. Tuvo que dejar el coche en el lado para disfrutar mirando las luces brillantes. Ojala que esta luz siga illuminando la calle principal de Bujumbura…

Countryside scenery

Sweet potatos that look very sweet.


Women cover themselves with bright color cloths.