Even more rewarding was of course seeing all the wonderful children, receiving us with their big smiles, amazed about seeing a couple foreigners for the first time in their lives.
Having set out the investigation as a part of an interesting piece of work for our Master's Thesis, which we both were and still are very passionate about, the actual reality we're touching with the field work is indescribable, touching on so many levels and to an extent that made me, Joni, define a big part of my professional desires for my future.
Now, a year and a half later, I'm finally reaching the availabilities to not just continuing the academical research but more importantly to really being able to make a difference, although for only a tiny fraction of the children in need on the short run, but by developing a practical-academical model that really helps the children develop their potential and find aspirations in life great things can be achieved. I'm not only blindly believing in that, but actually feel that I've found the intellectual and practical connections needed to come a long way during a visible amount of time.
lunes, 23 de febrero de 2009
06 Meeting with the Principals
Meeting principals and head teachers was most rewarding as we could observe and hear about their dedicated work to the children. Many of the principals are naturally mothers to the children in the District with a great sense of responsibility in the community and thus with great enthusiasm and passion create these small schools which they have to fight hard for to get recognition from the State, something that is questionable if they really should need.
05 Planning and Mapping
Planning and mapping the routes were a key part in the execution of the entire field work. Having got official information of addresses to all registered schools in the district Aguablanca and its 3 communities, 13, 14 and 15, together with maps, the daily routine consisted in planning which schools to visit depending on their location and our access and escort there.
In the background - my hammock, lent to me by my house mate Ivan.
In the background - my hammock, lent to me by my house mate Ivan.
04 Corporación Juan Bosco
At the head office of the NGO whose people were key in the success of our data gathering.
From left to right: me (Joni), Gerardo (our second guide and escort in community 14 - amazing person and friend), Dora (in the front - another amazing person who got robbed twice in one weekend and a year later sadly lost a child), Angela (psychologist working with disarmed guerrilla youths) and Patrik (my Master's Thesis Partner and intellectual inspiration during the entire Thesis work).
From left to right: me (Joni), Gerardo (our second guide and escort in community 14 - amazing person and friend), Dora (in the front - another amazing person who got robbed twice in one weekend and a year later sadly lost a child), Angela (psychologist working with disarmed guerrilla youths) and Patrik (my Master's Thesis Partner and intellectual inspiration during the entire Thesis work).
03 Dora - our first Guide
For the field work, the idea was to recruit university students to carry out the school visits for us, since Aguablanca is a very complicated district to work in. At least that was what we had been told and following the advice from James Tooley and Pauline Dixon, doing all the work ourselves would have been very time consuming. And so it was, as it turned out, as we were lucky enough to find Dora and her NGO, Corporación Juan Bosco, who started accompanying us to some initial schools, while we were still in the plan to visit her university where she studied pupular education to recruit some of her fellow students. Dora and her colleagues from Juan Bosco were such good escorts, knowing all the corners of all the communities and knowing how to move around them without stepping on anyone's toes, that we in the end managed to personally work the entire District with their help only. This of course incurred very long days but ensured our entire data to be coherently gathered and safe from any other errors than our own.
How we found Dora:
How we found Dora:
- Informal contact Karol, who presented me to:
- her teacher Fernando Urrea, who we had mailed from Sweden long ago because of his publications of the ethical situation in Aguablanca and who we finally could meet in his house to present our mission, a meeting in which he called and presented us as his friends from Stockholm to a "black community leader":
- Don Jamie Perrea, who very interested met us and took us to his friend:
- William Rodriguez, professor at the Valle University and teacher of:
- Dora's, who he recommended to us as our first guide.
02 ReCapturing the Field Work
Too many exciting events have occurred since the field work for it not to be presented thoroughly for the public. And even more exciting events are likely to take place this year requiring a complete recapturing of the field work, if not for anyone else, at least for me to be able to present the results of the Master's Thesis for the University here in Cali and 25 of its investigating teachers. Thanks to my neighbor and friend Rodrigo, this is planned for next Friday.
Just days ago my Thesis Partner Patrik updated me on his achievements back in Stockholm with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida, and their interest in finally follow-up on the results that their funding helped finding.
On this picture, Patrik (the tall one) and me in one of the poorest areas of the district investigated, Aguablanca in Cali, Colombia.
Just days ago my Thesis Partner Patrik updated me on his achievements back in Stockholm with the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida, and their interest in finally follow-up on the results that their funding helped finding.
On this picture, Patrik (the tall one) and me in one of the poorest areas of the district investigated, Aguablanca in Cali, Colombia.
lunes, 12 de enero de 2009
01 Año Nuevo - Proyectos Nuevos
Aunque el año empezó muy lentamente para mí, tratando de disfrutar de las vacaciones pero no logrando completamente porque la falta de dinero no permitió ningún viaje, todavía estoy contento por las oportunidades que se han presentado hasta ahora. He estado ansioso por empezar los proyectos del año y por fin siento que las idéas e iniciativas del año pasado están por empezar y desarrollarse a historias maravillosas de éxito. 3 palabras claves:
1) Investigación
2) Tecnología
3) Educación
1) Investigación - mis resultados de la tesis (exitosamente encontrado y analisado con mi compañero de tesis Patrik), junto a mi persistencia de continuar la investigación y el trabajo aquí en Cali y el área más grande de bajos recursos Aguablanca, han resultado en oportunidades para un futuro interesante. Pauline Dixon, una economista de educación reconocida de Newcastle, Inglaterra, me ha preguntado si me interesaría liderar un proyecto de investigación para mi doctorado desde el próximo año, de 2010 a 2012. Una posible oportunidad maravillosa y muy motivante sentir el apoyo continuo de una gran investigadora y su centro de investigaciones EG West Center, con un interés tan grande por el área que tanto me interesa.
También una de las universidades aquí, Universidad Autónoma de Occidente, ha mostradointerés en mi investigación y en incluirme en sus proyectos presentes y futuros, mucho gracias a un contacto personal, Rodrigo, quien trabaja en la universidad y tiene muchos años de educación en su experiencia profesional, incluyendo un par de años muy interesantes por el Gobierno. Un gran proyecto de investigación que la universidad está proponiendo ante la Unión Europea puede resultar en un gran flujo de caja a una de las comunidades aquí, con el enfoque en reducción y prevención de conflictos entre los niños en áreas de violencia. Esto podría incluir un elemento educativo, lo cual sería mi responsabilidad.
2) Tecnología - 10 años de investigación increíble en la India y en otras partes del gran catedrática Sugata Mitra podría ser una parte clave del elemento educativo para el proyecto describido arriba. Haberme encontrado con Sugata Mitra y haber sido presentado su investigación personalmente en el centro de investigaciones EG West Center en Inglaterra después de una invitación de la maravillosa Pauline Dixon, las posibilidades son muy realistas de realizar trabajos similares aquí en Aguablanca (Cali, Colombia). (Ver la imagen del experimento de Mitra "El Hueco en la Pared".) La receta del éxito está en mis manos. Espero que la oportunidad de sembrar las semillas me alcanzará.
3) Educación - Este año será de muchos desafíos. Con promesas tan bonitas para el año siguiente y ya desde el próximo semestre, cuando una posible facultad de educación abrirará en la Universidad Autónoma, tendré que lograr con comenzar investigación profunda en Aguablanca - sin dar importanci a la dificultad financiera. Tengo a mi gran compañero Rodrigo quien está altamente motivado y compasivo. Estamos pensando en iniciar una fundación este año, por lo cual este blog espera poder despertar interés y apoyo y por lo tanto invita todo tipo de ayuda.
En resúmen, prospectos maravillosos con grandes desafíos integrando la educación para aquellos de bajos recursos, con la última tecnología y investigación.
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