Dear all,
Here’s a quick overview of what has happened the first days of my mission to share the research results and try to do something positive for the child’s right to education in the Central African Republic.
Saturday and Sunday 4 & 5 November
Arrived in the morning and was greeted by my research assistant Petrouchka. After we left the suitcases full of research reports in the hotel room, we first went shopping for clothes (for which I’d had no space in the overfull suitcases). Other things to do were to set up internet and phone connection, and get in touch with different people I know in Bangui. When in the evening I returned to the hotel, I found the apple I left on the table eaten and even my container with vitamin pills attacked. It turned out the room was full of rats. I decided to accept this fact for at least one night (even though the floor was filled with rat excrement and urine,). However, at 4 AM I woke up because one of the rats had entered my bed and started eating my hand. So I decided to move out. The next day I discovered that in my hurry and shock of leaving the room, I’d left behind the money I’d taken (because there used to be no ATMs in CAR), which I’d hidden in the room. I went back and….it was stolen.
Monday 6 november
Finally a work day – time to get going! Got up extra early to start working early. But of course things are not as quick in CAR as one would wish – so my moto taxi driver turned out to run out of gas so we had to walk to the gas station and wait in line… Finally got to start at 7AM. Content of the day:
- Visit conseiller mr. Villecroix (employee of the ministry of Education). He helped me set up many other meetings, really helpful!
- Visited two schools for becoming-teachers and education inspectors.Met with directors and set up presentations / discussions for their students.
- Visit the Imam to give him the report and establish contact and make plans for cooperation on the sharing of the results.
- Visit the national radio station Ndeke Luka to see if we can make radio emission about the research. They were very interested and we made some great plans!
- Spoke to another journalist for international media
- While moving from meeting to meeting, got completely soaked by the rain :( (on the moto we couldn’t find the house of the Imam so this kid jumped on to show us the way)
