Agronomy Training in Butare Part 2

This week we've been in a town called Butare, in Southern Rwanda. I was picked up by my boss on Monday morning and driven down here. The whole week we've been conducting a training session on proper techniques to grow coffee to maximize yield and therefore increase incomes at the rural level. Our audience (about 17 people) are elected representatives from co-operatives in Southern Rwanda.

So, basically the idea is - we teach these people the basics of getting the most out of your coffee crop - pruning, mulching, fertilizing, pest management, erosion, shading techniques, etc. and then they go and disseminate the information they gained to all the people in their co-ops. The purpose is to spread knowledge on coffee growing techniques to as many people as possible, as fast as possible. Higher yields, higher incomes. From my perspective thus far, it seems like a good plan. Education is always sustainable.

This afternoon, I was lucky enough to ride in one of the vehicles with half the class (I've been riding in my boss' car up to this point) on our way to a field trip. There were about 7 women (mostly mamas) in the car, myself and a couple guys - all Rwandan except me. Up until this time I had been riding mostly with my boss. The people started opening up to me. It was cool. One guy spoke a little English and asked me to introduce myself. I asked him if anyone knew Swahili and he said they knew a little. So, I introduced myself and told them all where I was from. We joked around and I think they gained respect for me because I could at least speak an African language and was hanging out with them. By the end of the ride, everyone was singing and clapping - praying that "Philip sets the exam easy tomorrow." (I told them I was writing the exam for them which they take tomorrow - and yes, its easy) Everyone was laughing and singing, it was awesome.

Often times Wazungu (white people) are seen as different to Africans. Especially in this setting - they can be seen as a teacher would be seen by students. So, the students hang out with each other and act differently when around the teachers. I don't think development works like that. I think you can have a much greater effect when people see you as one of them. You can understand them a little more, and they can understand you a little more.