Training our little Namumu-ans (Namumu-ites? Namum-ans?)

The Official Namumu Carpentry and Welding Training Program is up and running smoothly these days. Finally.

Here’s the thing. These kids won’t be staying at Namumu forever. When they turn 18 and finish school they will be expected to move out of the Orphanage. They’ll be out, living with other relatives or perhaps on their own. Obviously, it’s important for Namumu to help them gain the knowledge and skills necessary to prepare them for post-Namumu life.

And that’s why we have started programs like this carpentry and welding training for some selected children. Carpenters and Welders don’t make too much money around here. Most just eek out a living. But, in a developing country plagued by unemployment, both are still jobs that pay the bills. While we’d like all our Namumu children to grow up to be doctors or lawyers or scientists or journalists, it probably won’t happen. Hence, we have this program.

In our carpentry and welding operations we have a senior carpenter and a senior welder, both with assistants. In the past we’ve encouraged certain children to stop by the workshop whenever they are free to learn a thing or two. Some actually got pretty good. But we never really had a formal training system in place. Not one that lasted, anyway. Things were never really organized well and therefore the training wasn’t as effective as it could be.

Now, I know that putting together a simple training program for a few children sounds incredibly simple. Many of you may even be wondering why it has taken so long to get things like this going. In fact, if I was reading this from back home, I know I’d be wondering that myself.

Well, there were a number of obstacles for starting this program in particular, most of which are difficult to foresee if you’ve never lived in southern Africa. I think that by looking at this program in particular it gives you a good idea about what general obstacles we face here and what will and won’t work.

So here’s why it took so long...

First of all, we’re dealing with kids here. The ones we are training are in the 12 to 16 age range. Like many early teens all over the world, these children can be very difficult to keep in line, with short attention spans and wavering interests. Maybe they felt like doing carpentry yesterday but have changed their mind today. Maybe today they want to be something else. Or maybe they don’t feel like doing anything at all. Even though they are growing up and maturing (most of them, anyway), they are still children and it can be difficult to keep them on track.

And, given the fact that they are all living at an Orphanage, it’s not like I can call up their parents and ask them to get their children in line. Both the boys and girls have a caretaker, but that’s not quite the same.

Secondly, there’s the issue of time. Time is treated differently here in Africa. It’s one of the first things you notice when you get here. Nobody is on a tight schedule. Church services that are scheduled to begin around 10 am usually start around 10:30 or even 11. Sometimes they might start around 10, but who knows. It’s totally unpredictable. Nobody knows and nobody seems to care much. It’s just the way it is.

So, setting up a system where children come at 2 pm after school and work until 5 pm is doomed to failure. It will never happen. Schedules just don’t exist.

Third, there’s the fact that their school schedules are ridiculous here. Because the Namumu Community School caters to grades 1 through 7, and because there are only 4 classrooms, they have a staggered schedule. And not only that, sometimes their schedules shift throughout the year. And not only that, sometimes the teachers set things up in the afternoons where the children have to come back to the school to clean it up.

Needless to say, setting up a training program around the school system is not easy.

Finally, there are limitations to what can and can’t be done at our carpentry and welding workshop. It is not a big workshop. In fact, it’s really not much of a workshop at all. There are a few tables and benches set up underneath two small tin-roof shelters. There are a limited number of tools. Namumu is always financially strapped and this is probably the way the workshop will stay. This puts a limit on how many children can be taught and how effective that teaching can be.

So, there you go, that’s what we’re dealing with.

Now, instead of going into all the wrong ways we’ve tried to set up a program, I’ll just go ahead and tell you the way we’ve got things now. The right way.

At the moment we’ve got 2 boys training in carpentry and 1 training in welding. At first, Namumu Management pushed for more children to be taught at once, but this way has been much more effective. With small numbers they get the individual attention that they wouldn’t get if they were part of a big group.

This small group will only be training for 3 months, at which point their skills will be evaluated. After that, we will start with another small group. Three months is enough time for them to pick up the basic skills that they need but is short enough of a time period that the guys can remain focused and motivated throughout. There’s an end in sight and gives them something to work towards.

There is no set schedule. They are simply expected to come over to the workshop in the afternoons whenever they aren’t at the school. If they can only make it for 30 minutes or an hour, that’s fine, as long as they make it over. They are expected to be there every week day unless they have a good excuse.

As for enforcement, I’ve happily taken on that roll. I do a little patrol every afternoon, walking around to the boys’ dormitory to make sure they aren’t just lazing around and giving them a George Lyle Ear Flick if they are. Kebby, the boys’ caretaker, is on patrol as well. We had some problems at first, but now they’ve caught on and usually get over without my prodding.

So, there it is, the program is up and running. Our carpentry and welding guys are doing a great job with the children. They’ve already learned a lot. While it may be just a small accomplishment, it’s still a step in the right direction.