::Day 5 w/ RIGHT TO PLAY - Bamako, Mali::

I'm on my way home to Toronto now, reflecting back on our trip.  There's a lot going on upstairs, I think I'll recap Friday... it was one of the busiest, and most moving days of the week.

Our first stop was the office of the Minister of Sport and Youth Culture, to take part in a seminar about leadership. Boris (the excellent an eloquent RTP country manager here in Mali) is giving me a pat on the back for attempting 3 or 4 consecutive thoughts en Francais before deferring to the capable interdiction of Moise, translator extraordinaire.  I spoke briefly on how inspired I was by the Malian people, their determination, optimism, commitment to their nation and impressive youth potential. Both Clara and I spoke about the Malian Youth Initiative that we are driving in Ouroun and other rural communities here in Mali. I described the process of developing leaders through sport, the importance of executive capacity, and how a healthy competitive environment helps to engender that quality in those who take part.  I stressed how well I thought the RTP programming was being implemented in the communities we visited with examples from the field.  One such example was how floored I was by the ability of a 12 year old girl in Bougouni to capture and hold the attention of a crowd of OVER 1000 kids and adults for more than 20minutes of RTP games and activities.  Her powerful young voice, enthusiasm and leadership capacity were like a looking glass into Mali's bright future.  Clara spoke in her exponentially improving French (seriously, can you say "learning curve", in French?) from a personal perspective regarding the leaders in her life, and how she developed as a leader through the power of sport.  The minister of Sport also spoke briefly, as did a professional corporate trainer.  Finally, Boris delivered a powerful, sermonesque closing on Right to Play's role in the development of the Malian youth. He convincingly laid out the progress, past accomplishments, challenges and aspirations of the local RTP programming.  

From the Ministry of Sport it was over to the Youth Parliament for lunch with a group of teenagers who meet everyday of the week to discuss the rights of children in Mali.  They report directly to the federal government of Mali, are aspiring doctors, lawyers, journalists and politicians.  Their diction, eloquence and communcation skills (they all speak 3 or more languages) were astoundingly beyond their years. They went around the table and shared their goals for an ideal Malian future.  All were progressive, focused heavily on youth and female empowerment, and their passion was palpable.  Yet another testament to the potential of this beautiful nation.

For possibly the most stark contrast Mali could offer, Clara, the RTP gang and I went from the Youth Parliament to a boy's prison to play some Sport for Development games.  In the picture below the boys and I are lined up preparing for a relay race.  We also played a variation of basketball with a ball hockey ball for a healthy dose of full-on jail-style contact sports.  These boys were smart, in a frighteningly different way than the other kids we met this week.  They were the only kids who spoke to me in english all week, they answered the "reflect, connect, apply" questions with a sort of arrogant non-chalance that could only be categorized as charming.  They shook hands, winked and patted eachother on the back.  These guys were not just street smart, they are savvy and calculated.  These are transferrable skills!  I truly believe the RTP activities, and their extremely capable guidance team are guiding them in the right direction, and helping them to discover who they are and where they fit in a healthy, law-abiding society.  I wish these young men a quick stay in detention, a full and healthy reformation, and good decisions in the future.

And that was our last activity day.  Over, before we knew it.  Actually to be very honest, I was feeling pretty burnt out by Friday night.  We had a great send off dinner and dance with the RTP Mali staff on Friday night, accompanied by amazing live music by "Dabara" a famous local traditional musician and more delicious Malian chicken, (I ate the same meal everyday, and it never got old - Rotis Chicken, fries and fried plantain).

On Saturday we took a drive out to Bancoumana to visit Mali's first Canoe Club!  With some assistance from the UN, Mali has a Canoe Federation, and a few sit on top kayaks.  So we went kayaking on the Niger.  Did I mention that Bamako means "Crocodile River" in Bambara? No hippo sightings, no Croc-encounters, I didn't even really see a bird... but it was a thrilling experience, and nice to have a paddle in my hands for the first time this week... albeit a plastic one.

I'm excited to go paddling tonight at home. Home: Please don't be 0 degrees.

A big thanks and a big WOW to RTP Mali for this incredible experience.  I don't have words to describe what a moving and significant trip it was. So I'll leave it at Merci, Beacoup.

Until next time...  

::Right to Play Mali Days 3 & 4::

So yesterday was Wednesday, and on Wednesday we got up and drove to Bougouni.  We drove down a long dirt road for about 25km to a remote village called Ouroun.  It was there, in Ouroun, where we received what I think, for me, was the most incredible welcome from strangers I have ever received.  No less than 1500 children made a line (the one I'm navigating in the picture below), close to 200m long. Clapping, singing, stomping their feet in unison, high-fiving and cheering our arrival.  It was a busy day in Ouroun - Wednesday is market day, people come from other villages by motorbike, bicycle, donkey and truck to trade goods for the week.  This meant that the turn-out for Right to Play day was, as one female elder put it in Bambara (translated to me into French) "disappointingly low".  Ha!! Good thing I didn't go on Tuesday... I might not have left!

The children of Ouroun are SO happy.  They LOVE Right to Play days.  Children of every age take part in educational programming, the focus of which, being age-driven, varies between hand washing techniques, to malaria prevention, to literacy, to AIDS/HIV awareness to conflict resolution.  

We met the Mayor, and the woman in charge of Ouroun's Women's advancement group, members of the School Parent's association, village elders and anyone who came by for a handshake and a bonjour. Clara and I had the incredible opportunity to sit in a class room of students taking part in a Youth Initiative pilot program to discuss the specific problems they face.  Their school doesn't have electricity, so when they arrive after their chores are finished (many chores are performed in the bush, foraging, leading animals to feed), it's often too dark in the class rooms to read - so they use flashlights.  They'd really like a newer school building, they want benches that aren't falling apart, they'd really like to have their teacher recognized by the ministry of education, so that he can be paid accordingly.  These young people have big goals, they want to lead.  One youth said he'd like to be mayor one day, another said she wants to teach healthy living to young women in her village.  They're all taking part in the pilot program to take that first step in their respective goal's long journey - to become literate.

It was tough to leave such an engaged conversation.  The majority of my visits to the communities I've been to in Africa are play-based, and mostly with kids under 12.  These young people were inquisitive, intelligent, thirsty for perspective and knowledge... I really appreciated my time with them.  I won't forget it, and I promise to do what I can to ensure the Youth Initiative continues to meet the needs of young Malians.  

In a flash of goodbyes to the village elders, we were off down the long bumpy road which brought us to the most welcoming place I've ever been, on Market day.

We arrived in the city of Bougouni after about an hours drive (I slept), at the RTP offices where Virginie made us a delicious chicken lunch with local side dishes; plantain, rice, onion/lemon sauce... it was amazing.  Bougouni has a youth centre which houses the area's only local disabled youth facility.  10 men with lower body disabilities put on an incredible show of hand-ball; a close, competitive and extremely combative game, where the men basically run on their hands, and dribble the ball between them (a foot-ball is treated as a hand-ball is in soccer, with a free kick). Their range and accuracy was amazing, I saw at least 3 half-court goals.  It was "Dignity day" in Bougouni, and these men redefined the word by owning a game, demonstrating their proficiency in a highly competitive environment, and entertaining a large crowd with their prowess.  A big WOW to the athletes. (A big Wow is a local kudos/congratulations/I'm impressed saying, which really requires no explanation at all, but why not elaborate, right?  It's my blog...).  The activities came to a close with a quick youth game, just for fun type clapping and stomping, and just as we were wrapping up a FIERCE thunder clap came out of nowhere... it wasn't even really cloudy, and scared half the children into a furious scamper around the playground, 5 or 6 grabbed onto my t-shirt and shorts in terror, I jumped too it was SO super loud. We all calmed down quickly and said our goodbyes. With that, it was off to Piemont to check into a hotel for the night.

We had about an hour before dinner, so I stood out in the rain for a bit to cool off, and I saw a soccer ball fly up high across the street, so I ran to my room got my shoes and RTP nxne soccer jersey on to join them.  I asked in crappy French "peut je jouet avec vous?"... some of the older kids laughed and pointed in the direction that I was going to be running and kicking the ball in a manner way-less-good-than-them (queue my high-school English teacher's groan, cause Miss Salvo is too young to be spinning in graves).  One of the kids motioned that I tuck in my jersey.  Really?  Do I look that sloppy?  No, ingeniously, these kids do that so they can tell what team their on.  I was on the preppy side. (Also, I was on the older kids team, which, I soon realized, was how they organized the two teams, 10-13 on one side, 13+ on the other.  We won, by like 5 points... but the anklebiters scored twice!)  I asked afterwards (in the pitch black, cause we played until dark, and one kid spontaneously yelled "Fini" - and every kid picked up and jetted home)... I asked if the kids knew about Right to Play - they all had, they love it.

Today we visited communities around Bougouni before coming all the way back to Bamako.  First we had an information centre with the lovely and talented RTP Bougouni staff... Merci Beaucoup pour votre perspective!  Next we drove out to another rural community and toured their community.  We took part in a health session targeted at mothers and children to improve nutritional practices and to familiarize them with vaccination procedures - their measles / poliio / tetanus vaccines are coming tomorrow.  They learned how to use corn maize flour, lemon, sugar and water to make a really tasty and nutritious breakfast for enfants (yes, I tried a little!).  We checked out some of their local crops and wells, both traditional and modern.  They prefer the modern pumps, because the water comes up faster and cleaner (they still have to boil it), to their traditional ground-level bucket drawn open wells.  But apparently the modern wells always break, and are difficult to fix.  Want an engineering project Smarty Pants University Engineers?  Design an effective well pump you can fix with ONLY simple bike parts and tools.  The rubber gaskets should be recycled inner tubes... cause they have lots of those.

The best play-day Djambala has ever seen was our last stop in Bougouni.  We broke up into groups after the Community Elder and mayor showed us how to dance in the BEST energizer warm up I have ever been a part of.  He totally busted a move, and if there was a rug, it would have been thoroughly torn-up.  We played some tag games, human pretzel, elephant ball, and did some relays.  It was so awesome.  Bougouni kids know how to play.

Now we're back in Bamako, looking forward to one last play day tomorrow, and a rest/vacation day on Saturday.

A shout out to all my Canadian Teammates in Mexico at the Pan Am Games, keep on racing so fast!! Nice work K4s, Bonne Fete Em, and Good Luck/Bonne Chance!!

Day 2 in Mali... Right to Play Blog deux.

Today was a big day!!  It started at dawn for me with a run to the National Park (which is beautifully manicured and perfect), there's a gym there, open and empty at 7am so I did a quick workout and ran back to the hotel, stuffed breakfast in my face and caught a ride to our first stop for the day.

Above, is a small group from an area called Banconi.  The kids from Banconi are famous in Right to Play circles because of what a group of them did in 1996.  There was nowhere to play in Banconi, no flat pitch to kick a ball on or anything.  So the kids started moving stones, rocks, and boulders, literally an entire rocky hillside was moved. By hand. By kids-hands.  What is there now is a soccer-pitch with a shockingly flat clay surface, with nets.  It's well maintained, and very well used. This is an inspirational community!

And the kids we met today were no different.  Clara and I enjoyed some pre-class play time with a group of kids varying in age between about 9 and 13 I'd guess.  We played a game that incorporates teaching around AIDS/HIV stigma, myths and fallacies using more self-generated trivia.  The game also utilized the iconic red ball, and involved plenty of physical activity and silliness.

From there we put on our adult-hats, and met with the some of the community partners which Right to Play Mali has developed working relationships with.  There were representatives from the School Board, Community Centres, and a local Women's shelter.  We shared a great conversation; they spoke of their challenges, accomplishments, and the importance of RTP activities in their respective community settings. We shared our ideas with them, and had a delicious lunch together.

In the afternoon we visited a training session for new coach trainers. I've never been to one before, so I found it fascinating.  We went through a variety of case studies, and identified which human rights violations each one illustrated.  The group was proactive, diverse, intelligent and inspired... it was thrilling to see how enthusiastic these community leaders are about implementing RTP programming.

From there we travelled to Gradem, a women's shelter for teenaged girls who have been abused, and have young children.  I was worried that it might be a little too much to handle, visually and emotionally, but Clara was super supportive and made everyone feel really comfortable.  It was another opportunity to learn and grow, and see why health education and female empowerment are absolute MUST HAVES in all areas of the world.  The staff at Gradem are angels.  They exude compassion and love.  The girls are in such a difficult place, and the little kids are so tiny and vulnerable and cute.  The staff educate the young women, teaching them literacy, maternal skills and health.  They can learn how to operate, and work towards owning a sewing machine - an excellent way to establish financial independence in their communities, when they are prepared to go home and care for their young child.  It's a safe place, it's a caring place, it's a learning place, and these young women were so obviously and graciously thankful for a place like it.  It was an uplifting experience, and the clearest affirmation of the absolute necessity of compassion I have ever witnessed.  

It was a day packed with perspective-gaining experiential education for me.  Tomorrow we're off on a two day trip to Bougouni.  If I can't update the blog while there (it's unlikely...) Sit tight and I'll write another on Thursday!

Thanks for stopping by.

Day 1 - Bamako, Mali avec Right To Play

Bonjour tout le monde!

After one day in Mali with Right To Play, I'm already in love with this country and the people that live here.  The photo below is just of me handing out some "Merci beaucoup" pins/keychains to RTP Mali's incredible staff team (above is "don't trust your eyes"... more on that shortly)... I promise more good/better pictures to come, and thanks to Sarah Stern @ssstrn for posting it on twitter.  The motto in the Right to Play Mali office is appropriate, as my amazing and inspiring travelmate/Hopefully-London2012-Teammate (we hope we both make the team, so it's official) Clara Hughes already pointed out in her blog... "Power through Knowledge" as Boris, the country manager put it. Their presentation to us today was astoundingly informative, insightful into the challenges that Malian children face, and eloquent in two languages (Moiz apologized for his english in perfect english, rarely switching to his native french to be more precise, and waited until dinner that he also speaks (6 six!!) local indigenous dialects as well, ahem... Knowledge indeed).  Following a delicious lunch of local fare we went out into Bamako for a field visit to visit two community centres.  Thanks to funding from CIDA, a beautiful concrete slab was installed earlier this year for basketball and volleyball. The same area is used for RTP games and lessons, a few of which Clara and I joined in on.  Today the game was "don't trust your eyes" (see pic above) - a behind the back hidden ball game of deception which teaches AIDS/HIV awareness with trivia-style questions from and to the students for every wrong guess of the location of the ball. The game also incorporates gender equity and cooperation lessons, and is a lot of fun for everyone involved.

After just a day, a few things are abundantly clear to me...  Mali needs Right To Play, and the local staff are doing an incredible job ensuring that kids here (more than forty-two thousand every week!) are learning from and enjoying the RTP programming provided by yet another incredible group of local volunteers and teachers.  Mali is a growing nation, with a strong commitment to education, female empowerment, sport for development initiatives and health.  Malian kids love sport and play, and are anxious to learn.  Mali is optimistic and hopeful, and clearly motivated to improve their beautiful nation, and recognize that their children are their greatest natural resource.

More Mali-blog tomorrow.  We've got a big day planned, so I need some sleep!!