Communication, Gender & Youth Power

After spending two weeks teaching about HIV/AIDS, health, and life skills the challenges of stigma and discrimination against those infected with HIV/AIDS and gender inequality have again proven themselves a serious reality. Throughout these two weeks we have challenged the students' views on nonviolence, gender equality and human rights. For many, these were not entirely new ideas but others remained firm in their beliefs that it is acceptable for a man to occasionally beat his wife, that men have more responsibilities than women, and that people infected with HIV/AIDS should not be allowed I the classroom, to teach or to learn.

In the classroom, the girls in general were more reluctant to answer questions than the boys. They spoke very quietly and were not likely to make eye contact with the teacher, often smiling and bowing in shyness before finishing a reply if they were so brave as to raise a hand. The day camp lesson plan included many group activities, included presentations and skits in front of the class. All students struggled with this task of speaking in front of their peers, resulting in our constant prodding for them to speak up- Sauti! Sauti! -which only caused some to become even more quiet. People here tend to speak in low tones anyway; conversations between two people are often only murmurs that cease to exchange greetings if someone enters the room or walks within close proximity. I have become extremely conscious of my own volume and the volume of conversations with other American volunteers and have quite frankly found the level and tones to be quite harsh and headache-worthy compared to the soft tones of Tanzanians.

It is interesting to observe the students' passive speaking styles which completely contradict their physical behaviors. Playing sports and games quicklyturns aggressive with pushing, hitting and tackling. This style of playing is common for both boys and girls although more extreme in boys, as is typical throughout many cultures. While conversations may be quiet and have minimal eye contact, there is more physical touching: friends of the same gender hold hands, calling a person to come includes grabbing the wrist to lead the person where to go, and setting a hand on a shoulder or around the waist is common during conversation.

At school the students have duties appropriate to their gender role: girls carry water for chai and boys bring firewood to the kitchen. All students clean the classrooms, using buckets of water to wash the floors. During a lesson on delaying pregnancy we discussed daily tasks and responsibilities, comparing this list to another with the many additional tasks of parenting. The students reported that their day begins early, for some at 5am, to wash dishes, bathe and prepare water and firewood for the day. Some have a breakfast of chai and bread or leftovers from dinner before walking to school, while others go to school without the food. School ends around 3pm and the students sometimes play sports and games or socialize with friends for a bit before returning home to gather more water, wood, wash clothes, sweep/clean, cook dinner, eat, and finally study until they can no longer stay awake. Cooking and cleaning are exclusively duties for girls, while boys help with other tasks until they have gone through puberty when in which they are expected to help with the work of their parents or the family business.

During another lesson we compared gender expectations for boys and girls. It was during this lesson that some boys expressed their belief that women have fewer responsibilities than men. However, the girls in class were ready to challenge this belief and did not take long before we had a debate between the genders about roles and expectations concerning what work is, what a man wants in a women and a woman in a man, and what one should wear. Despite their frustrations and protests, the girls remained passive in their communication style and more aggressive physically as they shook their fists or applauded in dis/agreement. The boys were more likely to speak their mind and would stand to defiantly make a point. Being in the classroom setting this debate remained under control, although only a thin line separate it from chaos.

I think the ultimate challenge of teaching is wondering if the information being learned in the classroom is being put to action when the desks are empty and students leave at the end of each day. The post-surveys proved that the majority of students understood what we taught them about HIV transmission, steps for prevention and how to make decisions that will lead to a happy, healthier life, but will the students be confident with their knowledge? Will they have enough food to eat well balanced meals and remember to boil their water to prevent water-borne illness? Will they avoid peer pressures to have sex while in their youth, during which 60% of HIV infections occur? Will the girls break the tradition of being submissive to men when they are being mentally and verbally abused? One can drive their self crazy wondering about answers to these questions. I am encouraged by a few students, particularly one determined girl who stood proudly with the scouts to sing the school anthem every morning- the only girl in the troupe of ten- she constantly took notes throughout class, was always ready to express her views when called on, and has set her goals high to be a civics and biology teacher to help improve her society. She and and a few other students are the youthful promise of change that consoles my sometimes pessimistic worries about the spread of disease, hunger, stigma and discrimination that can destroy family networks and communities in Tanzania and all around the world.