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Education in Africa

It is beautiful what can be achieved with a strong will and help from forward thinking people. I love this movie. It is based on a true story about Kimani Maruge, an 84 year old Kenyan farmer. Maruge is the oldest person to attend primary school. He was invited to present a speech before the international leaders at the UN about the power of education. He inspired a whole new generation of people to go to school for the first time. What is the difference between a child and a grown up?

“Just before a child’s second birthday, a remarkable human trait begins to appear, concern about what others think…. Antonio Damasio has termed this self-awareness the autobiographical self.”

Babies learn more rapidly in their first 3 years of life, then they ever will again. Scientists all over the world are trying to figure out why human brain is processing most amount of information at fastest speed between age 0 and 6 years of age. It is a very magical time and very important for rest of humans life. Learning does not start in school, it starts in infancy through stimulation. This informal learning happens through discovery, exploration and combining different aspects into many possibilities of free expression. This informal learning is important for the formal education in later years.

“By showing tolerance for a variety of cultures, religious beliefs, and family-living styles, children may participate in a learning environment where they are not forced to consider themselves or others in oppositional terms. Such an environment may also foster development of compassion and empathy.”- Dr Jerome Kegan

The term “third world country” originated during the Cold War. Because many third world countries were economically poor, and non-industrialized, it became a stereotype to refer to poor countries as “third world countries”. Today when you look up the map of third world or developing countries, amongst the large areas of “the red zone”, Kenya and Serbia are on that map. Traveling through Kenya I experienced a sense of familiarity. Everything looks different to Serbia but under the surface lies a common language. Children running barefoot in the dusty streets, woman raising children communally, man and animals doing hard labour work and a general sense of generosity even if there was not much to share.

Despite the poverty and the lack of the first world luxuries, I would not want to change my early childhood. I experienced freedom and a sense of responsibly from an early age growing up with other children and woman in our village. It is that love shared that is the basis for strength and courage I needed for the rest of my life. Unfortunately love is not enough in this capitalist world that we are living in where success is measured in jobs. Once we left the safety of our village it became a daily struggle to make ends meet. My mother had to work two jobs and often two shifts. We moved many cities and often out of necessity I was looked after by strangers. Life is vastly different between growing up in a communal village lifestyle and a busy city.

I guess, it is through my childhood experiences that later in life, when I met some of the adults and children in South Africa and other places I traveled to, I experienced that sense of familiarity. And having given birth to our daughter, I am still learning every day more about the beauty of human capabilities and the power of what a healthy environment and circumstances can do for the development of a human mind. It is crucial for children in their first 6 years of life to have not just the basics, like clean water and healthy nutrition but to be given an opportunity to reach their potential through the appropriate stimulation through their environment. Toys, books and caregivers play an important part in this informal learning stage.

Is South Africa considered a third world country? According to the Stefanie Moya article in the Trading Economics, the expanded definition of unemployment, including people who have stopped looking for work, increased to 37.2 percent in the second quarter of 2018 from 36.7 percent in the first quarter in South Africa. There are many children that don’t have their own voice yet to say what they experience daily or what they might need but that is why some inspiring humans and organisations have created a platform where we can all speak up for them by donating used toys, books, school clothes, computers and even volunteer time. The change in this world starts way before collages and universities, it starts with the beautiful developing minds of children before they even start school and we as adults bring the love, safety, guidance and smiles into their lives.

I found some great simple, home made games for toddlers on Adam and Mila, a very helpful site to learn about the developmental stages of children. There are many places that will be happy if you would share used toys or clothes from your little ones, I have listed a few bellow. If you have more information and places you would like to share, email me on kristina@loveandrockets.co.za

Great article by Adam and Mila on early brain development

Early Childhood Development

Inclusive Education South Africa

The Unlimited Child

Code4CT