ブログで最終的な活動の報告みたいなのがなかったので、
活動のファイナルレポートを公開。（英語版だけど）
２週間後にはまたザンビアに行くんですけどね。
FINAL REPORT
1.0 INTRODUCTION
2 years has passed since I came to Kitwe YMCA as a volunteer
in February 2010.
Before I came to Zambia, I worked at human resource
development department in Toyota Auto Body Co., Ltd. I was in charge of the new
employee training programme. On the other hand, I also worked as a volunteer at
the free school for refusers to attend “normal” school. I organized some
workcamps there as a camp leader and also interacted with pupils and youths who
participated in the workcamps as volunteers.
At Kitwe YMCA, I worked as a Youth Development Coordinator to
develop children and youth programmes such as cultivation of aesthetic
sentiments, workshops, club activities, and events. Kitwe YMCA is the
organization with a vision of having a generation of empowered young people who
are motivated to be productive citizens of the nation and kingdom of God. They
achieve this vision by offering youths and children the above mentioned activities.
I believe that it makes the youth and children busy to avoid the dangers of
HIV/AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse etc. as well as develop them in terms of mind
and body.
To help to achieve their vision, I set two objectives:
1) To give the youth and children various
opportunities
2) To empower youth to change the society
and to take action towards the social problems by themselves.
2.0 ACTIVITIES
To achieve my objectives
above, I implemented three activities, Cultivation
of Aesthetic Sentiments (2.1), Organizing Events and Workshops (2.2), and Supporting Club Activities (2.3).
2.1 Cultivation
of Aesthetic Sentiments
I taught OVC (Orphans
and Vulnerable Children) music and creative activities at Wusakile YMCA and
Kamatipa YMCA once in a week under my objective of giving children various
opportunities. I introduced Japanese and English songs, simple musical
instrument, arts, and crafts to develop their individual personalities. I also
could give them the opportunities to perform.
Although I didn’t have
the experience of preschool teaching, teachers helped me to control the class.
The lack of material was a challenge for me, but I used rubbish to make
instruments. I hope that they learnt something important from my class and that
they will develop their individual personalities.
It was very unfortunate
that Wusakile YMCA stopped offering preschool lessons to OVC in its community.
2.2 Organizing
Events and Workshops
I tried to organize
events or workshops once in three months* to empower youths. In the first year
of my assignment, I held events and workshops for the members of YMCA. But I
realized that it was more important that YMCA held these not only for the
members of YMCA but also for the communities or vulnerable people. I tried to
organize those with youth members and let them facilitate to develop their
implementation skills. Especially drug abuse prevention workshop for street
children and bilateral workcamp were quite successful. These two were what I
wanted to take form. Youth members worked as volunteers in this time although
they asked for an allowance every time.
Since Kitwe YMCA had
financial problems because of NAPSA, it was very difficult to implement youth
programmes. But I managed to organize some fundraising events, which was also a
good opportunity for youths to understand how important to save money or how
difficult to make money.
I could say that
participants/volunteers of these events and workshops developed themselves
through interaction with other youth members including me and I hope that they
learnt something important such as a sense of responsibility, punctuality, and
voluntary spirit.
*Events and workshops
organized during my assignment period
Youth Camp at Mwekera Forestry College - April 2010
JOCV 40th Anniversary Event - July 2010
Drama Club Performances/Fundraising Events - October to December 2010
Drug Abuse Prevention Workshop - March
2011
Some Fundraising Events - June to July 2011
Bilateral Workcamp - August
to September 2011
Drug Abuse Prevention Workshop - December
2011 (coming)
2.3 Supporting
Club Activities
Kitwe YMCA drama club
was started by five members who were actors of the drama in JOCV 40th
Anniversary Event in July 2010.
One of the biggest
performances for them was the project called “Hope of Love”. They performed it
at Kitwe Little Theatre. It was a very hard way to realize this. They raised
K700, 000 for hiring the hall, advertised it on TV, and practiced every day. By
the grace of Nkana-Kitwe Arts Society, this project was successful. Now, Kitwe
YMCA Drama Club collaborates with them. Besides, they also performed in the
events such as Youth Day and World AIDS Day.
The core members of this
club are highly motivated even if sometimes they quarreled with each other.
They had a lot of ideas and gave me pieces of advice every time. So I tried to
direct them on how to make plan and how to put those ideas together. I could
learn how to work in Zambia through management of this club.
I hope they will
continue their club and someday I would like to see them on TV or the films.
2.4 Other
activities
Community School
I also supported one
community school near Kamatipa YMCA one of the youth members introduced me to.
Mainly I helped them to find the sponsors or donors. The head teacher was so
motivated that he kept looking for the donors by himself every time he came to
town. And finally he received donations from one company and some individual
donors. I was very happy that he didn’t rely on my help but he achieved it by
himself. I hope he keeps his motivation for the school and finds the sustainable way.
Friends of the Street Children
I taught music at Kawama
Boys Center of Friends of the Street Children, an NGO which deals with the
problems of street children. They had the keyboard but they didn’t have the
teacher. I visited them once in a week and taught the keyboard and guitar to
children and staff who had the interest. The staff was very cooperative and
helped me a lot. Some of the children played nice music (and composed!) although
they had never touched the keyboard before.
3.0 CONCLUSION
“Develop Community
Through Youths” was my second year’s motto. I implemented activities according
to this.
Sometimes it was very
difficult to organize things with Zambians because of the cultural differences
such as what is called Zambian time and lack of a sense of responsibility. And
also it was challenging to keep motivating youths as well as myself. However,
children in compounds, street children, and pupils were my incentive to work as
a volunteer. I really enjoyed talking with them in Bemba. I wish their future
to be bright and become leaders for the next generation.
I hope that I could
empower youths enough to take action towards the social problems through my
activities. Every Zambians I worked with has good ideas so that they just need
to carry the ideas out.
Finally, I appreciate
that a lot of Zambians and organizations such as Friends of the Street
Children, ZNBC, Nkana-Kitwe Arts Society, Drug Enforcement Commission, NICE,
and YAZ helped my activities. And without the staff and members of Kitwe YMCA,
I could have done none of those.
4.0 RECOMMENDATIONS
It is essential for
Kitwe YMCA to work together with other organizations since YMCA doesn’t have
the programme staff that is specialized in specific fields for example peer
education or social counselor. For the same reason, YMCA doesn’t need to
hesitate to apply proposals. Besides it is also important to develop YMCA’s
original programmes, I think club activities, international exchange
programmes, and international workcamp I organized in August 2011 can be the
ones, to drive the membership.
Furthermore, I strongly
recommend finding international volunteers from other countries and sending our
volunteers to other countries more
and more through YMCA network since YMCA is worldwide organization. And give
all youth members equal opportunity. This will motivate youths and be the
attractive and original programme of YMCA.
Finally, the
communication among the staff is also important. As I practiced, the project
proposal, the plan, the report, and the financial report should be submitted to
the Senior general Secretary every time they organized something to share the
information. This is the duty of the staff in programme.
