USAID/Guinea: My Guinean Sisters

APRIL 21, 2006

My Guinean Sisters

In order to bolster its support to reform of the Guinean educational system, USAID, through the International Foundation for Education and Self-Help(IFESH) Teachers For Africa program, sponsors dedicated volunteers like Ramya Vivekanandan, who in turn often become powerful role models for young Guinean students. Read her story below.

On November 15, 2003, the National Equity Committee organized a ceremony in the town of Faranah in upper Guinea to distribute prizes of encouragement to 200 girls who received the highest marks on different nationwide exams at the end of the previous school year. The girls came from all over Guinea and were recognized in a lovely ceremony involving representatives from the Ministry of Social Affairs & Promotion of Women, principals and teachers from the girls’ schools, national NGOs, university students, journalists, and musicians from Faranah.

By distributing the prizes, the Committee hopes to ensure girls’ retention and achievement in school, encourage more girls to pursue study in non-traditional domains such as math and science, and encourage parents to continue supporting their daughters’ education.

As this year’s IFESH TFA/Technical Advisor to the Committee, I joined my colleagues in making the eight-hour voyage to Faranah. My initial goal for the trip was to meet and conduct interviews with regional and prefectoral education authorities, members of Faranah’s equity subcommittee, teachers, parents, and students as part of my attempt at monitoring and evaluating the Committee’s decentralization effort and its relationship with partners “on the ground.”

As I was preparing to do this the night before the ceremony, the Coordinator surprised me by asking me whether I would like to give a speech or make some short remarks during the ceremony itself I was initially a bit hesitant, doubting my public speaking abilities in French and wondering what if anything in my experience would resonate with these girls. But my sense of responsibility and sisterhood outweighed these doubts and I agreed, poising myself on the balcony of the guesthouse where we were lodging to write my speech.

Sixth Grade girls who received prizes through the Guinean National Equity Committee (NEC) in Mali, Guinea. USAID provides technical support to the NEC to promote equity in education in Guinea.

The electricity had gone off some hours before, so I was forced to write by candlelight under a dark beautiful African sky of a thousand stars, which I shared with a member of Faranah’s equity sub-committee who was doing some work of his own. I reflected on the trajectory of my education and life as an Indian-American woman—the granddaughter of an illiterate, the daughter and niece of women who sacrificed their educational and professional ambitions for the sake of marriage and family, and the inheritor of a tradition that relegates girls and women to second-class status and denies them the right to make theirown life choices.

I also considered how lucky I have been to be able to escape a similar fate and accomplish and experience all that I have—a topnotch education, chances to travel and work abroad, and exposure to a broad range of fascinating people from all walks of life and every corner of the globe.

Finally, I thought about the many girls and young women that I have met through the course of my work in Africa so far—Annette in Uganda, Nabou in Senegal, Hanifa and Lucy in Malawi—perhaps all that any of them need is the presence of someone who cares, advises, and wishes them well, in short, a role model. Here I was, sitting in the middle of Guinea, with the opportunity to be just that for 200 young girls.

That realization was all I needed, as my thoughts and words flowed onto paper at a lightning pace. When I woke up the next day and arrived at the ceremony, I felt not a single twinge of nervousness, even in the presence of the marching band, reporters, video cameras, and all the other fanfare. I looked into the eyes and faces of the 200 girls in the audience and saw hopes and dreams, curiosity and idealism, and the warmth and affection of sisterhood.

The microphone was passed to me and I made my remarks, speaking about my experiences and encouraging the girls to persevere and believe in themselves. I spoke not from the head but from the heart, and the remarks that I made were not those of an Indian or an American or an education specialist or a TFA but quite simply those of a young woman who not so long ago had been in the same place as these girls.

Everyone listened attentively and at the end, much to my surprise, gave me a round of thunderous applause. I felt accomplished, elated, and thrilled. But little did I know what was about to happen!

As the girls came up one by one to receive their prizes, they started asking individually to take a photo with me. First it was Fanta Camara, then Mariam Diallo, then Fatoumata Sylla. Before I knew it, every single girl was asking for a photo! They also wanted my address and phone number and, feeling inspired, I passed around a sheet to collect all of their contact information as well.

A plan started taking shape in my head—wouldn’t it be great if the Committee could set up some sort of support association for these 200 girls to stay in touch and share experiences over the years? I started talking to the girls, and all of them were enthusiastic about the idea, which led me to realize that this was an important project that I could initiate during my tenure in Guinea.