Global Literacy Matters

Day 4 Ngororero is the project site where IFLI partner Umuhuza has been working to strengthen families. We met with 15 trained practitioners to hear their successes and struggles with the project. We met with local officials to hear their impressions of the work. We visited several homes to hear from parents how the program has benefited them. Yesterday, we celebrated with 100 families who have completed the parent training sessions. Umuhuza chose to go to remote Ngororero with the IFLI early learning curriculum because the first genocidal massacres took place in this region back in the 1950s. Umuhuza is an agency focused on creating a culture of peace in Rwanda. They believe that the IFLI curriculum is a way to create peace within families that can then have a bigger effect on society. We heard many testimonies from parents, practitioners and local officials about the reduction in domestic violence.

Thursday, May 27, 2010 We left India on a high note, after meeting with the core team on Saturday to reflect on the training, review the evaluation forms and processes and to discuss issues and concerns, resources and next steps. A strong image came forward that day about the state of the Potali Project. It is like a tree whose seed has been planted and has grown into a sapling. There are many people who are watching this young plant and helping it to mature into a strong adult tree. We named this widening circle of support including 1100 participant families, 40 plus practitioners and supervisors, the core team and international team, three partner agencies, global stakeholders and many volunteers who share the value of strengthening families. We asked the question of what this tree will look like in its mature state. The branches of the vision include: 1) expanded program delivery; 2) staff development model; 3) international networking; 4) revenues from sales of Potali materi...

Reflections from Tina Spencer: India We finished our first day of training with around 40 participants which include practitioners, supervisors and coordinators of the Potali project. The event began with a ritual lighting of the lamp of learning. Introductions were made by Bhimrao. Flowers were presented. The new chairman of BHT, our financial and programmatic partner, welcomed the group to their training center and encouraged us in our work with families and small children. Miriam gave the overview of the three days and then we launched into our first session focusing on the Practices that Make Us Strong. Many practitioners are using the techniques. Several parents on the site visits told us how they are using and valuing them. Today each practitioner received a set of blue activity cards describing these practices in Marathi (the local language). We learned on the site visits that parents and practitioners are hungry for more printed materials in the lo...

Day 1: The plan was for Miriam to arrive in Mumbai a day before the rest of the team so that she could help with the set-up of the team. Unfortunately, it took me over 48 hours to travel from Toronto to Mumbai due to the Volcanic activity in Iceland. Maryanna and Tina reached Mumbai before Miriam and Nasinya (Miriam's 2 year old daughter). Miriam is still waiting for her luggage to catch up with her. This has meant that we have hit the ground at a runners pace without much time to recover and definitely without our running shoes on. Nevertheless, it has been an inspiring time. Mumbai is over 40 degrees Celsius ---and because it is on the ocean, very humid. You don't have to do a thing to sweat. It is also a swirling mix of car honks, smokey diesel fumes, fishy smells, other scents that are unimaginable. From the window of a vehicle the thought of stepping out onto the streets is very daunting. I did today walk a block to get a coffee from a coffee shop and felt like I had ear...

May 14, 2010 The IFLI Global support team is in the midst of visiting project sites in India and Rwanda. The focus of our time in each place is to celebrate with local teams the work of the past 2 years, meet and talk with practitioners and families who are experiencing the work, conduct training with practitioners and supervisors to strengthen their knowledge of early childhood, and to work with local teams to strengthen the sustainability of each project site. Over the next 3 weeks Mary Anna, Tina or Miriam will send updates about our work. Many thanks, Miriam Patterson Program Development Officer, Int'l Family Literacy Initiative