So you are in a car ...

Your good friend was driving the car, you were the passenger ... he/she was driving too fast for the posted speed limit when you hit a pedestrian. Later, the lawyer is asking you to help out your friend by testifying in court that they were driving within the speed limit. Do you agree? Yes or No

I'd be interested to read your opinions and answers.

So what's with this question anyway? It's part of our training ... Dealing with other groups cultures. Learning how to be an intercultural effective person.

There are three parts of our training as we get set to travel to Mozambique. One is your own research about the country, your placement, and technical resources you'll need to fulfill your duties in your placement. The other is online training that Cuso and VSO had setup. The third is the SKWID training in Ottawa about a month prior to our departure.

Yeah ok, but get back to the question. How would you answer it. Well as you may have guessed ... It depends. It's all about context - I need more information. Such as how much in excess was my friend speeding, what time of day, what happened to the pedestrian, was the pedestrian talking on the phone when they got into the street/ got hit, etc. It would be perfectly ok to side with your friend in some parts of this planet, while others it would absolutely not be acceptable nor expected. But these are the kind of questions you'll be dealing with, all the time asking yourself what's the real story behind what I'm observing.

Now, no matter how well trained you are, or how much you've traveled I suspect you'll fall once in a while: fail to recognise the cultural context of your actions or those of others around you. For example nodding of the head while saying no. Or placing your palm of your hand in someone's face trying to tell them to stop, but in reality your cursing them!

I'm sure you've got your own stories... So by all means please share them in the comments below.

About Mozambique

You'll notice that there's an ongoing poll in the left side-bar. I'm curious about how much people know about Mozambique, so please complete the survey after all it's one question. I must admit that I did not know much about it other than where it was located geographically.

So what have I learnt so far? While its development was influenced by many local groups, heavy interaction with the Islamic Empire was part of its growth up to the arrival of the Portuguese. Similar to other parts of Africa and the Middle East, the latter interaction with the Europeans had quite an impact on its development. Please refer to this timeline[1] and economic report[2]for a better understanding of this region.

We've been talking to other volunteers currently placed there, as well as expats who have lived there - they all like and love it! Some want to live out their retirement there. Other volunteers have extended their stay through other placements. In terms of reception, it seems that foreigners are very much welcomed. As many places in this world, you'll have to be patient with the paperwork regarding permits to work and reside within the country.

It's hard to write more about Mozambique without living there ... it seems to distant to write extensively about it. All I can do is read more and prepare for our trip, which will be in the latter part of March. I plan to have regular postings once I'm in-country.

______________________________

References:
[1] http://crawfurd.dk/africa/mozambique_timeline.htm
[2] http://www.doingbusiness.org/data/exploreeconomies/mozambique/

Help make it happen!

Cuso International is a non-profit, international development agency that works through volunteers. Each year, they place hundreds of volunteers who collaborate on development projects in Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and the Pacific. As a strategic alliance partner of VSO, a worldwide network of Voluntary Service Overseas organizations, they make up the world’s largest non-governmental, international development organization that works through volunteers.

The organization places educators and health professionals overseas, but also sends volunteers from many fields of expertise, ranging from agriculture to human rights, from community economic development to AIDS prevention, from eco-tourism to technology. Volunteers work collaboratively with local people to equip them with the skills they need to ensure they can exercise their basic human rights. These include the right to a livelihood, an education, basic healthcare, a safe environment, a say in the future, and equal access to opportunity.  

As a charity they ask all volunteers to undertake a target of fundraising to help sustain our work in this vital area. In this case there’s an agreement between Cuso International and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) with regards to leveraging funds: CIDA will contribute $9 for every $1 Cuso International volunteers raise. This ensures that Cuso International can continue to send volunteers overseas.

I encourage you to make a donation and help me reach my fundraising goal of CAD $2,000. Of course, you’ll receive a donation tax receipt if you’re in North America. If you are in the U.S.A., there are US 501-C3 tax receipts if you give through this link, please mention my name and it will be credited to this effort. If you can’t donate, please do pass on the word to colleagues, friends, and family.

Many thanks :D

Why volunteer?

“If we are to make poverty history, we must have the active participation of States, civil society and the private sector, as well as individual volunteers. If our hopes of building a better and safer world are to become more than wishful thinking, we will need the engagement of volunteers more than ever.”
- KOFI ANNAN, UN SECRETARY GENERAL 1997–2006

Donating your time, energy and skills are important in a civil society, especially when it's in the form of volunteering. While I am no expert on volunteering, it seems to me that its a valuable opportunity. One in which an exchange of cultural views and beliefs, ways of thinking, and information are freely exchange amongst those involved. In short: Education.

Why am I doing it? For exactly the reasons above and more importantly because I want to be part of positive change in this world. Be it helping out companies in the Alternative Energy or within the society.

I've had great experiences and have learn a great deal from my volunteer experiences. Be it as a volunteer snowboard instructor with VASS or with organizations such as the VEF and the GreenTech Exchange.

Obviously, this placement is a much larger commitment, than a couple of hours a week snowboarding down the slopes of Grouse Mountain! It's an opportunity to be on the ground and involved in international development, especially within the area of education. A long time ago I used to think that technology would provide the solutions for our problems. I've since learned that while it's good to have useful technology around, it's ultimately the choice of society as to use it or not. That's where education comes in, and I want to learn more about that process ... it's all about sharing and exchanging information as succinctly presented in the following Cuso International ad.

Cuso International introductory video ad 

Preparations ...

View from another lens ...

So ... I'm off to Maputo, Mozambique! Why? As a CUSO International volunteer to help out the ICT department of the ministry of Education. This is a good opportunity to learn from others and to help out however I can in the further development of Mozambique.
 
Well, actually not so fast ... there's still two months to go that's absolutely filled with preparations - paperwork, vaccinations, packing, arranging stuff & logistics, not to mention travelling!

I'm looking forward to living in yet another country! The world is such a small place nowadays that, for me, it would be sad not to travel and experience what there is to offer.