Education Works-in-Progress

Education is changing, all over the world. The traditional, mechanic repetitive, rota education method in rural African schools are about to change too.

We hope to inspire communities to empower their children to become creators of jobs, to be builders of communities, to be engineers of tools for main stream activities, and to be humanness though-leaders. All in the aim for education to be relevant in the local context, in rural Africa too. Thus also addressing issues like agricultural practices, animal husbandry, and cultural expressions, which techniques are put in practice daily, but not necessary at school though.

Education is instrumental in raising change-makers to counter the 'bad three': poverty, ignorance, and decease. Of course, focus on Reading, Writing, and Arithmetic will remain, however, Reasoning and Rhythm are to be added to the mix. The latter two to understand the difference in thinking in the world at large, and to empower the search for harmony with traditions of history of mankind in Africa.

In my view it is always time for breakthrough in education, on all levels. Innovations that help to think local, act global - telling stories of the past that shape the future – feeding brains with wholesome thoughts – engender success stories by and for students, that entice holistic post-disciplinary thinking – utilizing all border slashing and assistiveness Information and Communications Technologies can bolster – supporting true life long learning, wherever one is – involving the whole community in all aspects of education – and using the strength of youth.

Are we caught in chicken and egg situations? Where are the bold ideas, where the future bringing visions? We are working on them, and I like it!

Harmonized Outcome

During recent encounters in France I noticed French appreciation of individual thinking, as during interacting with philosophic treatise. I met francophone intelligentsia passionately espousing the value of pursuit of purely academic activities, as in entering new grounds in mathematics.

At the same time, close encounters with German intellectuals showed how their passion grew attacking tangible situations, in pursuit of emerging of tangible products.

I am thus re-sensitized to what the African culture mostly values as the result of its toils: relationships.

Yes, the most important outcome of activity is relationship. Aiming at that outcome, the Chief arbitrates. Thus the community conduits opinions and needs. Thus local culture probes stakeholder positions, keeps verbal record of communications, and stores ingredients for building unity. Thus correctness surfaces in terms of harmony.

In Africa I notice that value is recognized in those that facilitate problem solving approaches, affect joint gains, and bring together differing parties. Those who engender relationship.

Macha Works Citations

Fully connected Macha tweets(1)⁠, feeds(2)⁠, and meets(3)⁠. Macha Works' theory of change(4)⁠ is made practical through the Macha Works model(5)⁠.

LinkNet(6)⁠ executes its masterplan(7)⁠, bringing Internet connectivity using a collaborative approach(8)⁠ for use in rural areas of Zambia(9)⁠ in line with locally expressed needs for Information and Communications Technologies(10)⁠.

Engineering in Macha has impact(11)⁠, for instance through rural implementation of a mixed wireless mesh network(12)⁠ and internet usage and performance analysis of the wireless network(13)⁠ and its traffic characterization(14)⁠. ePiano, a case of music education via internet(15)⁠, is one of its innovative uses. More featured in BBC Clicks' documentary(16)⁠, fueling outlooks on futures of technology in Africa(17)⁠ and scores like finalist of the Stockholm Challenge(18)⁠.

Research and Development findings appear in blogs(19)⁠, local reports as Integral International Development Case study: Macha(20)⁠, eLearning for rural communities(21), and internet as non-monetary incentives for human resource retention in the health sector(22)⁠. Further deliverables are invited articles like 'an inclusive world'(23)⁠, presentations, among those for Zambian regulator(24)⁠, IEEE(25)⁠, House of Chiefs(26)⁠, CTO(27)⁠, conferences(28)⁠(29)⁠, and universities(30)⁠, posters(31)⁠(32)⁠, and book contributions(33)⁠(34)⁠.

1. Macha Works. Macha Works (machaworks) | Twitter [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jun 19] Available from: http://twitter.com/#!/machaworks

2. Vision Broadcasting. Macha Broadcasting | YouTube [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jun 19] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/machabroadcasting#g/u

3. Macha Works. Macha Works | Facebook [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jun 19] Available from: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=7101983147

4. Macha Works. Theory of Change | Macha Works [Internet]. 2011 ;[cited 2011 Jun 18] Available from: http://www.machaworks.org/en/what-does-macha-works-do.html

5. Van Stam G, Van Oortmerssen G. Macha Works! [Internet]. In: Frontiers of Society On-Line, April 26-27th, 2010, Raleigh, NC, USA. 2010. [cited 2011 Apr 1] Available from: http://journal.webscience.org/339/

6. Co-operative Societies R of. Certificate of Registration LinkNet. 2007 ;

7. Van Stam G. LinkNet Masterplan, Communications for rural Zambia [Internet]. 2006 ;(February):33.Available from: www.link.net.zm

8. Matthee K, Mweemba G, Pais A, Van Stam G, Rijken M. Bringing Internet connectivity to rural Zambia using a collaborative approach [Internet]. In: International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development. Ieee; 2007. p. 1-12.Available from: http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/lpdocs/epic03/wrapper.htm?arnumber=4937391

9. Van Hoorik P, Mweetwa F. Use of internet in rural areas of Zambia [Internet]. In: Cunningham P, Cunningham M, editor(s). ST-Africa 2008. Windhoek, Namibia: IIMC International Information Management Corporation; 2008. p. 1-14.Available from: http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/CPSI/UNPAN031149.pdf

10. Chief Chikanta HRH, Mweetwa F. The Need for Information and Communications Technologies [Internet]. Macha, Zambia: 2007. Available from: www.share4dev.info/kb/documents/4782.pdf

11. IEEE TV. Tryengineering “Careers with Impact”: van Stam [Internet]. IEEE TV; 2010. [cited 2011 Apr 5] Available from: http://ieeetv.ieee.org/Careers/tryengineering-careers-with-impact-van-stam

12. Backens J, Mweemba G, Van Stam G. A Rural Implementation of a 52 Node Mixed Wireless Mesh Network in Macha, Zambia [Internet]. E-Infrastructures and E-Services on Developing Countries. 2010 ;32–39.[cited 2011 Apr 1] Available from: http://www.springerlink.com/index/q14v1w1317501062.pdf

13. Johnson D, Belding EM, Almeroth K, Van Stam G. Internet Usage and Performance Analysis of a Rural Wireless Network in Macha, Zambia [Internet]. In: ACM Workshop on Networked Systems for Developing Regions (NSDRʼ10), June 15, 2010, San Francisco, CA, USA. 2010. Available from: http://portal.acm.org/citation.cfm?id=1836001.1836008

14. Johnson D, Pejovic V, Belding EM, Van Stam G. Traffic Characterization and Internet Usage in Rural Africa [Internet]. In: Proceedings of WWW, March 2011, Hyderabad, India. 2011. Available from: www.www2011india.com/proceeding/companion/p493.pdf

15. Shoemaker K, Van Stam G. ePiano, a case of music education via internet in rural Zambia [Internet]. In: Society On-Line, April 26-27th, 2010, Raleigh, NC, USA. 2010. [cited 2011 Apr 1] Available from: http://journal.webscience.org/340/

16. BBC Clicks. BBC Clicks - Macha Works [Internet]. BBC; 2011. [cited 2011 Apr 5] Available from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDVAxJLVFOE

17. Grosskurth J. Futures of Technology in Africa [Internet]. The Hague, the Netherlands: STT Netherlands Study Centre for Technology Trends; 2010. Available from: http://www.stt.nl/uploads/documents/192.pdf

18. Stockholm Challenge. Macha Works, Finalist 2010 Stockholm Challenge [Internet]. 2010 ;[cited 2011 Apr 5] Available from: http://www.stockholmchallenge.org/project/2010/macha-works

19. Van Stam G. Observations from Rural Africa [Internet]. [cited 2011 Jun 4] Available from: http://gertjanvanstam.blogspot.com/

20. Bets J. Research Series: Integral International Development Case study: Macha, Zambia. 2009 ;165.

21. Pais A. eLearning for rural communities. Africa. 2007 ;(April):1-22.

22. Van Stam G. Report on Non-Monetary Incentives for Human Resource Retention in the Health Sector. 2006 ;(July 2006):

23. Van Stam G. An Inclusive World. IEEE GOLDRush. 2008 ;4.

24. Van Stam G, Mweemba G, Mweetwa F. A Vision for Rural Telecommunications Connectivity in Zambia [Internet]. 2008 ;[cited 2011 Apr 5] Available from: https://sites.google.com/a/link.net.zm/20081218--communications-authority-of-zambia/

25. Van Stam G. IEEE Technology for Humanity [Internet]. 2008 ;[cited 2011 Apr 5] Available from: https://sites.google.com/a/link.net.zm/20081018-ieee-technology-for-humanity/

26. Mweetwa F, Mweemba G, Van Stam G. A Vision for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in Rural Areas [Internet]. 2009 ;[cited 2011 Apr 5] Available from: https://sites.google.com/a/machaworks.org/20090514-house-of-chiefs/

27. Van Stam G. Investments in ICT transforms Rural Economy [Internet]. 2009 ;[cited 2011 Apr 5] Available from: https://sites.google.com/a/machaworks.org/20091210-cto_invest_in_ict/

28. Van Stam G. Experience in ICT roll out in Rural Zambia “It is all about the Local Talent” [Internet]. 2009 ;[cited 2011 Apr 5] Available from: https://sites.google.com/a/machaworks.org/20091203-africomm_2009/

29. Van Stam G. Rural Development with Information and Communication Technology as Key Enabler [Internet]. 2008 ;[cited 2011 Apr 5] Available from: https://sites.google.com/a/link.net.zm/20081203--innovating-across-borders/

30. Van Stam G. Case: Village Turn Around in Rural Zambia with ICT as Engine of Change [Internet]. 2008 ;[cited 2011 Apr 5] Available from: https://sites.google.com/a/link.net.zm/20081023--ucsb-have-u-got-what-it-takes---rural-africa/

31. Stam G van, Oortmerssen G van. Macha Works! [Internet]. Available from: http://machaworks.academia.edu/GertjanVanStam/Talks/20323/Poster_Presentation_Macha_Works_

32. Shoemaker K, Van Stam G. e-Piano, a case of music education via e-learning in rural Zambia [Internet]. Available from: http://machaworks.academia.edu/GertjanVanStam/Talks/20324/Poster_Presentation_ePiano

33. Geelhoed J, Samhoud S. Be Useful. Academic Service; 2011.

34. Samhoud S. The World into Connection. &Samhoudt; 2010.

Rural Africa's Rhythm sustains Progress

The solidity of every day life in rural Africa never seizes to impress me. The strength to stand tall amidst tidal waves of difficulties, enshrined in the collective search for wise guidance in situations of change, humbles me each day.

It is the strength of rhythm, the tuning into local culture, which sustains balance. The sense of belonging aids in finding equilibrium, time and again.

Daily I am taught in the rewards reaped from honoring birthed connections with one's family, the community, the nation, the continent, and humanity at large. In such environment ethical behavior is defined and regulated, and works measured and evaluated.

Human values as love, solidarity, and empathy fuel caring for the other, the environment, and ecology. This yields balance in expressions of humanness, also in music, poetry, dance, and sports.

In such solid basis, change only occur when roots go deep, like well grounded, slow maturing hard woods. Then change will allow for fair play, and sustains courage in times of difficulties. Then change will last. Of course, no quick results, nor short lived fruits.

Change in rural Africa can and will sustain change in towns, change in country, change in continent, and change in humanity.

Post-disciplinary Research

While studying, debating, and writing on the evidence witnessed in rural communities, senses of excitement and frustration intermingle. Discoveries and additional knowledge are butting all over the place, accelerated because of good connectivity. Regrettably, what I witness and interact with in my daily routine does not to relate well with outcomes from current research.

Current science provides models, languages, into which realities are translated for dissection and scrutiny. Such floats on post-modern paradigms, tossing individual – supposedly aggregated – parts, through filters of compartmentalized theories and vogue methodologies, to scientific disciplines that questioning them to pieces.

How to understand the holistic and oral rural African realities through such thinking and processes?

How suitable is the current approach to transform the many relationships and operations of existing rural African reality into scientifically described relationships and operations in a disciplinary dissected image - to transform from one domain to an other domain, as if it is a mathematical Laplace transform operation? And, after formulating findings in the transformed, disciplinary image, does an inverse transform to reality really work? Misses and failures of many systems of intervention, projects that do not scale (up), and technologies whom function start to deteriorate right after implementation seem to point in a different direction.

Disciplinary approaches seems to lose crucial information on dynamic issues and human ingredients. And its outcome often has limited applicability in the holistic environment of real life in rural environments:

• Human ingredients? Think of, the social codes as in practices, politics as in human interaction, collective knowledge as in culture, inclusiveness as in hospitality, and religion as in worldview.
• Dynamic needs? Alignment as in values, job creation as in existing domestic environments, bridging as in social and economic divide, engagement as in poverty alleviation, and esteem as in progress.
  

Instead of focussing I am drawn towards widening. The interlinked and interdependent society is just really complex, and is difficult to see even when using multi-diciplinary lenses.

Lets get on with it, and engage in post-disciplinary research.

Respectfully Yours

Everyday I am thrilled to be able to interact with people in rural areas, to witness characteristics of individuals and communities, and see rural leaders and members wielding their power of choice.

How valuable people and rural areas are! What a privileged times, in which we are connected, together focussing on inspiring each other to reach our common and individual potential.

I am thankful for the local communities to open their societies, and provide welcome to me and my family. I am grateful for the national leadership for permission and guidance, to associate and live. It is instructive to live up close and see structures of leadership - how chiefs and headman work in governing their subjects – and to appreciate the complexity of tasks at hand in national government.

I am humbled by the support provided by many, often from far away. I recognize the sacrifices, made by individuals and associations, to support rural communities and people they do not even know.

I thank all persons in authority – local, regional and national civil and social leadership - and numerous partners, for abundant blessings, and for allowing us to partake in rural life, which is life to the fullest!

Impact Indicators

Is an intervention worthwhile? What is its impact? Resounding questions, often resulting in hefty debates when answers are being posed. Questions that demarcate real battle grounds, and rightly so.

For me, a world-dweller living in rural Africa, these questions are almost existential, providing the basis or justification of our very presence. And thus they tend to lead to big boosts when agreement about the answer is found, or to stress when answers are being challenged.

Of course, I have got lists with indicators to watch and communicate about. Their relevance are presumably based upon conclusive research, that did prove causality with the higher goals set.

It is actually a daunting process to (have to) accept or (less often) set indicators! To be able to do so well informed, we follow much research on many subjects. I try to assess applicability and relevance of proposed indicators for specific activities to measure our performance on inspiration of people in rural communities to reach their collective and individual potential.

However, I have a lingering feeling of uneasiness about most indicators. Is it because the underlying process of deconstruction feels so foreign to the holistic nature of the rural African reality? Is it because underlying research seems to be done from desks placed in the North, from an expatiate subculture, or in locations conveniently near hotels or airports? Is it because it feels that indicators and goals seem more based upon priorities and supply from the North, then requests from the South? Or is it because they point to outcome only, not to process nor culture?

Progress, or impact, results from a process. They are not a product that can be purchased. A process must being experienced collectively, by all stakeholders involved simultaneously. Processes lead to change - from situation A to situation B. Most indicators are helpful in quantifying each of these situations. However, they do not describe the process, nor impact within specific cultural environment, and thus do not necessarily give indication of local worth, nor value, or impact.

In the rural African setting the process within its specific cultural setting is most important, as it indicates the attainability and sustainability of the outcomes, and possibly replicability. Thus I propose indicators that, for instance, measure welcome of the change by the majority of the community. Indicators depicting if a large number of people has come to support the change within existing cultural realities wholeheartedly, with individual community members displaying explicit comprehension of the change and its benefits, and each testify about having a hand in the change. Such, in my view, provide for real indication of worthwhileness and impact.

Cultural Bumps

I have seen quite a number of international people leaving rural Africa, quite a number preterm. After a extensive period of investing and giving it all, they are often depleted, disheartened, or even cynical. Also I have seen the rural community query international people, wary of motives, highlighting misunderstandings, and resenting interference. These are all hurts due to cultural divides.

It is not a pretty picture.. In rural Africa, foreigners are still mythical creatures, considered equal to having money. People from wealthy countries – and, remarkably, nationals from major towns, arriving in private vehicle - are considered as having unlimited resources, and consequently approached as such. Explanations of resource limitations fail to register. Possibly, only local persons living long term and close with such mythical people might dare to attest to certain levels of resource limitations.

On the other hand, international people often have little knowledge of the local environment, or even the country. Communication is difficult due to language barriers. Further there is a gaping divide in levels of experience making evenly matched dialogue practically impossible. Also, international people in rural Africa are limited in their abilities to extend relationships to the middle class, mostly living in cities, whom possibly address identical contingencies.

Due to the cultural divide, local and not-local people are hampered to interpret answers received on questions from each other. Knowledge of social codes and structures are imperfect, and understanding of the context, within which 'who communicates what', 'how does communication takes place', and 'why does communication takes place' is limited. Therefore assessment of answers is heavily challenged and underlying reasoning is often validated only after a long time of observation.

Frequent resource sharing requests by local people lead to mutual frustration, with international people not recognizing communal inclusion offers, and local people not recognizing the others' intend. Of course, the local environment is pervasive, and people from outside face the issue how to assimilate or risk emotional depletion and separation.

Theory of Change

In a changing world, the rural and deprived areas in the world seem to get the 'short end of the stick'. There are numerous calls for action, in all disciplines, but little change is being observed in most rural areas in Africa. However, need for change continues to persist, to attack the lack of availability of skilled people and prohibitive high costs of service provisioning in rural areas.

Based upon an innovative and methodical approach, in Macha change resulted from action and consistent focus on people. Documentation followed, seemingly in a paradoxical process involving well thought/discussed-through interventions with on-the-fly model adjustments. This interactive learning processes, consistent over eight consecutive years, is based upon action research using observation methodologies like appreciative inquiry and backward mapping. The resulting Theory of Change now guides the overall process and fuels programs aimed at special user groups or at large-scale capacity building, all designed to bring about community-wide change.

All in all, the focus remains – and must be - people, in our case 'the local talent' (or local hero, or change-maker, whatever you call them). A local talent sacrifices an imminent, and often hallowed, ambition for western/urban self-development to a season of personal growth benefiting traditional/rural community-development. The local talent has reached a measurable level of fruitfulness when that person is training her/his successor.

The organisation facilitates this process by capacity building in both human and engineering assets – involving values, training and funding - and aiming for retention capacity thus created in the Works Group. We learned that when the local talent is supported within a respectful learning environment, whether on site or remote through e-learning, while taking care of bare existential necessities (food, shelter, health, etc), personal growth can be explosive. That growth of local talent is aligned with a process of involving all stakeholders deciding on local priorities and focus within recognized local cultural expressions.

And the local talent, seeing the environment progress sustainably, with quality of education and healthcare for her/his children improving, is encouraged, and stays, and leads.

Reminiscense

Almost one year after formal hand-over of leadership at Macha Works to Fred Mweetwa and his team, I look back with gratitude. It has been a roller-coaster ride for the team, from the word 'Go' being brutally tested by suppliers, stakeholders, and users alike. Against all odds, and with much discouragement from those apparently in denial that Africa-Can-Lead, Fred and his team have shown unique aptness in leading a rural based African cooperative organization forward.

There is still lots to learn and innovate, for instance on African relatio management styles, and how to reconcile such with dominant rational approaches. Also there is need to grow the collective environment to embrace both the intangible and the tangible, so all will be able to recognize the team's great achievements.

Of course, in successful institutes, usually the originator is not there five years later. Maybe the person might be on the board, or somewhere else, but the person is out, usually with bitterness. "At its inception, a company is often the 'lengthened shadow of one man,'" Peter Drucker wrote in Practice of Management, "But it will not grow and survive unless the one-man top is converted into a team." Inspiring team work is not an overnight event. It takes time, and maybe even more so in a resource-challenged environment as rural Africa.

In my perception, from its inception, LinkNet/Macha Works has been a team effort. From a western perspective it might have looked like Drucker's description. But from an African perspective it has not looked like that at all; From that perspective the governing attributes are clearly seen, encompassing inclusiveness, cooperation, flexibility, and care. Thus, there is no room for bitterness, there is real joy.

Focus on progress of Local Talent has resulted in teams of highly talented persons, set free to progress towards reaching their collective and individual potential. These women and men are taking their commitments seriously, and develop competences in a thoroughbred African culture inclusive of innovation. As such a wonderful future is assured, whatever the circumstances.