A delegation of the Swiss Association for Living Values (SALV) made an exploratory visit to Cameroon from 5th to 15th February 2007. The visit was part of a training programme for educators, generously sponsored by the ACCENTUS charitable foundation, Zurich, that includes a similar on-going project in Ghana and is part of the overall Living Values Education project for West and Central Africa being conducted by SALV. Project coordinator Helen Sayers led the visit, accompanied by Semy Ntamwira, a LVE trainer from Congo DRC, and they conducted presentations in the country’s three major towns of Yaoundé, Douala and Buea. Invitees included representatives of certain ministries, UN agencies, NGOs working for the benefit of children’s education and religious organisations, together with a number of individuals interested in supporting LVE in Cameroon.

At each presentation a brief overview was given of the LVE project for West and Central Africa, followed by an open forum in which participants exchanged ideas on values-based education in Cameroon and explored proposals for implementing LVE. A number of participatory exercises were introduced to convey an understanding of the experiential approach of LVE, which encourages educators and children to “explore, experience and express” their values. In all three towns a local committee was created, a focal person identified and subsequent meetings planned in order to begin organising a training workshop for educators in April 2007 in each town.

In Buea, the presentation took place at Fakoship Plaza and invitations were extended to the South West Provincial Secretary for Lay Education, Mr Mbu Stephen Takang, the Provincial Delegate of Employment and Vocational Training for South West, Mr Foretia James, proprietors of schools, NGO officials and head teachers. The event was coordinated by Mr Orock Thomas Eyong, Project Coordinator, United Action for Children (UAC), and the provisional Focal Point for LVE in Cameroon.

In his opening remarks, Mr Thomas highlighted the timely arrival of LVE and how it could help Cameroon’s educational system to meet the holistic needs of children. Semy Ntamwira gave a dynamic presentation of his experiences using LVE with street children and explained how, by valuing these children and giving them the opportunity to use their imagination and creativity, it helped unlock huge positive potential in them.

One school in Cameroon has been quietly implementing LVE for three years; it seems that it won’t be long before others follow!

A two-day intensive Train-the-Trainer workshop in values based education was held on 10th and 11th November 2006 for 14 potential trainers selected from among educators who had participated in three LVE workshops held in Ghana in June and August 2006, for pilot schools, street children educators and early childhood educators. Also invited were two delegates from each of Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Togo.

From 13th to 15th November the new trainers co-trained with Mrs Fatima Dike, an experienced Living Values trainer from South Africa, and Helen Sayers, the Swiss Association for Living Values Education’s project coordinator for West and Central Africa, in a workshop for 130 students of Early Childhood Development, at the University of Education, Winneba, Ghana. The team also included Benoît Duché, Director of ALIVE; Hon. Nsikak Obot Ekanem and Pastor Bode Omokaro from Nigeria; Kafui Zinsou and Pierrette Afangnide from Togo; and Antoine Nayanga and Appoline Zerbo from Burkina Faso. The new trainers also put their skills into practice at the National Nursery Teachers Training Centre for Early Childhood Educators and at a variety of centres for street children.

The Vice Chancellor of the University of Education has given his support for Living Values Education to be integrated into the curriculum for early childhood teacher trainers from 2007. Additionally, there is now a committed local coordinating committee that will soon be forming a national association for LVE in Ghana which will help in planning and implementing the project further. The group has already come up with a number of interesting ideas for grass-roots projects involving children, parents and teachers in the community, as well as plans for future training workshops for educators and for street children social workers.

Chairing the event, Patron for the local Living Values organizing committee, Mrs Augusta Sena Gabianu, advised the students not to look elsewhere, but within themselves, to find their innate values, values which would also be treasured in the community. Fatima Dike set the tone of the workshop with a rhythmic clapping sequence from South Africa which had everyone on their feet in a spirit of unity. Speaking of the need for participants to discover their true self, put others first, and never lose sight of the African concept of the family, which often encompassed a whole village, she also shared the proverb “If a child loses hope the future loses hope”. Joana then taught the students a song based on values; she and others added more songs at intervals throughout the workshop to build up a repertoire that they could later use with their children.

As part of their practical experience the new trainers were invited to co-train in a number of half-day workshops for street children and their carers, from 18th to 21st November. These workshops and activities are part of a project to promote values-based education in Ghana, which is generously sponsored by the ACCENTUS Charitable Foundation, Switzerland. In order to determine a suitable approach and appropriate activities for the children, LVE representatives had previously met directors and members of three organisations working for the benefit of street children: Street Girls' Aid (S.AID), Catholic Action for Street Children (CAS) and The Child Care Foundation.

The three-hour workshops at each centre were highly interactive and experiential; involving the minimum of resources and materials (just paper and crayons) they included: ice-breaking exercises, exploring personal values, expressing ideas on values and discussing these in small groups, simple creative activities such as sketches to act out a values to be guessed by others, visualization exercises and cooperative games. In the visualization exercise children, together with the adults, imagined a better world, shared ideas on what that world would be like, how people would behave, how I would be, and so on, then they thought about what they could to make the world a better place. This encouraged the children to think beyond their immediate reality, and helped them to create aims, follow their dreams, and feel a sense of being worthy and having a purpose in life. It also led to a discussion on the importance of taking care of ourselves (hygiene, good diet, rest, etc).

In each of the three workshops, which lasted over three hours, the children remained attentive and enthusiastic, in spite of crowded, hot conditions. They responded well to the reflection and visualisation exercises, maintaining their concentration in silence, and sharing very positive ideas. The trainers were very impressed by their excellent behaviour and found the children to be affectionate, cheerful, naturally creative and cooperative. It is hoped to repeat such workshops in the future, extending the duration to a number of days.

“At present I am in Nagercoil at Lata Kumaraswamy's place to attend ‘The Pioneer School Day’,” reported Chithra Lakshmaman, a LVE Trainer and one of the board members of the LVEP Inc, the national LVE organisation in the USA. “My husband and I have been invited as chief guests for the function. We feel honoured indeed. The school is at present accredited to 12th grade and has 350 students. LVEP has been integrated into the curriculum for three years. Last year the school was recognised as a 'School of Excellence' and I was told that one of the components to the measure of success is the value-based environment of the school. The children are happy, motivated, loving and respectful. Values are indeed a ‘GIFT’ we impart to children through the LVEP books in a natural process. All the books are available at Landmark in Chennai!”

Rula Kahil is a Director of ALIVE and home room teacher at the American Community School in Beirut. At the end of 2006, as the city was still picking itself up after the fighting earlier in the year, she was working with the theme of “This I believe” and shares below some of her reflections on this inspiring idea:

“First memories are very profound and enlightening. They constitute who I am, the “human being” and not only the “human doing”. Within the rush of everyday life, I tend either to forget or to ignore their impact on me. Writing about ‘This I Believe’ offers a chance for self-reflection and getting in touch with my “human being” through my memories.

“My early memories take me back to my small village in the southern part of Lebanon. Memories of the fresh scents of the fields and the soil after the first rain; grandma’s baked eggs, all inter-twined with the rotten scent of the shelter walls that I spent a long time hiding in due to the war. Such a contradiction! Amidst the pleasure of childhood and the turmoil of war, my small eyes were thoroughly observing the ‘magical people’ of my childhood, who have helped make me who I have become as an educator.

“My father, my childhood ‘magical person’, a principal of a small school in the midst of the war, profoundly impacted the educator in me. My dad, an educator, a resilient person, a listener and, most of all, my hero! The eyes of the child in me observed him in the midst of the war, holding on to his belief in his students’ right to education, and refusing to give up on his school in order to keep alive a learning arena for the southern students. My dad held on to the being in him by staying true to his values and not compromising his students’ mental and emotional health. I believe that my passion as an educator and my belief in the right of our children to learn and develop as whole people in a country struggling to survive is inspired by my dad’s role in my childhood. I believe that it is my duty to make a difference in the lives of the youngsters I am responsible for, my students and my children. Just as my experience was shaped through observing my dad, I believe that my students’ observation of me is very critical.

“Among many people who passed through my life later on, I was lucky to have met a few who made me want to change for the better: my high school teacher, who believed in me, taught me how to look beyond the obvious, how to think critically, and how to learn from everything I encounter; and my current principal, whose love for children and adults, love of learning and belief in each individual make me long to make a difference and stay as positive as I can. Yet among the most beautiful magical people’ of my life are the children, my own and my students. Their belief in the adults around them, their pure sharp intellect, and their big wide eyes that observe me every second, all motivate me to work harder on myself. For all of those people, I keep on striving for a better me: a better educator, mother and critical thinker.

“I believe that as the love of others brought out the best in me so also will my love and belief in my students. My journey started and is still continuing. My eyes are wide open searching for ways to help our children become better people in a world of conflict. I believe that they will make a difference in the lives of others as well! As one of my students stated in his journal: ‘I believe that children can change the future because they are the future. Children can make the world peaceful. They can make the world a better place by not fighting small, so they don’t fight big’. Such an affirmation from a child keeps my faith in a better future and in our critical role as educators! After all, ‘we teach who we are!”

Dr. Anand Awootar, the President of ALIVE Mauritius and an Associate Professor at the Mauritius Institute of Education, has been a wonderful supporter of LVE over the years. He recently organised a ceremonial launch of ALIVE Mauritius which took place on 28th February 2007. The Chief Guest at the launch was none other than the President of Mauritius, The Rt. Hon. Sir Anerood Jugnauth who, most appropriately, was joined by the Minister of Education. As Dr Awootar reported, “The ceremony met with a resounding success and the Minister of Education promised all support with regard to our activities in our schools.”

He continued: “The spate in unethical behaviour in the world, including Mauritius, leaves us all speechless with agony. Such gratuitous flouting of the most elementary standards in ethical behaviour, which has assumed planetary dimensions, is fast becoming the norm rather than the exception. It reveals the sour side of humanity's otherwise creamy layer. In the Mauritian context, now that ALIVE Mauritius has been officially launched by the President of the Republic, we are all set to saddle ourselves to the task of promoting values at the level of educational institutions before the situation spins irretrievably beyond control. A programme of activities has been prepared for the year which will culminate in a Gala Night. As part of this programme, ALIVE Mauritius has published a new book 'Tales of Wisdom' containing a series of 18 highly interesting and captivating values-based stories. This publication has been very well received in many schools; a few schools in Mauritius and in Rodrigues are using it as a textbook.”

ALIVE Mauritius is offering the book, which has colour illustrations, to teachers at the special price of US$7 per copy, including freight, and all funds generated will be used to help promote its work. Please contact Dr Awootar on mauritius@livingvalues.net or d_awootar@hotmail.com for further details or if you would like a copy.

The first LVEP Street Educator Training to be held in Mozambique was held in Maputo from 26th February to 2nd March 2007 for eighteen participants from eight organisations principally working with street children or children at risk. Conducted by Rodrigo Brito, the coordinator of Living Values for street children and children at risk of the Instituto Vivendo Valores, which coordinates LVE activities in Brazil, Dipty Naran of the Living Values Association of South Africa, and Samantha Fraser who coordinates LVE activities in Mozambique, the event was highly successful.

Ms. Fraser shared a few highlights of their days together as follows:

• “Having a chance to identify and write down the qualities that they saw in each other created a wave of happiness. At one point they decided to do this activity moving around the table. The only way to describe the scene was as a train of values as each one at the same time wrote a virtue on the back of the other.

• One participant shared: “There was so much benefit in having moments of reflection. It gave me a chance to rediscover the values within. Although we know it is important we often we do not make time for this.”

• Through art many values can be expressed as we are not limited by words.

• One of the main things that came out of the Building Positive Behaviour session was an understanding of what changes behaviour: a positive attitude and values. One participant said that it is not the discipline that will change behaviour but it’s the love. The same sentiment was echoed throughout day three particularly as the participants had an opportunity to experience the lessons used for street children. They said that the solution to the variety of problems that street children face is to provide the love that they lack. This discussion was concluded with a very powerful statement by one of the participants: With love nothing is impossible.

• Practical lessons dealing with the death of a loved one helped some of the participants to deal with their own losses as they went through the exercise. One of the participants shared that she had a deep sense of sadness inside her due to the loss of her father. She said that she was able to liberate herself from this sorrow through this activity and was left with a deep sense of peace.

• The conflict resolution session helped participants to realize their role as mediators – to help the disputants find a solution and not to try and give solutions.

• The last session gave participants a chance to role play some of the stories used in Living Values. Once again they enjoyed this part of the training and proved to be very good actors. But more importantly they could appreciate the powerful messages that could be transmitted through drama.

• The sentiment at the end of the training: “This programme should be for the whole of Mozambique.”

“Since July 2006, the Living Values Education Association of Vietnam has been working in partnership with VTV2, the Government Education Channel for National Television,” reports LVE Association Director, Trish Summerfield. “Together we have developed a series of programmes on LVE. The first of the series of 48 programmes, each of 45 minutes duration, began airing at 6:00 pm on the 7th March 2007. Each programme will be screened twice during the week and will run once a week for 48 weeks with four programmes covering each of the 12 values specifically covered in LVE including peace, respect, honesty, peace, responsibility, unity, tolerance and so on. A typical programme includes creative student-centred activities on the specific value with eight youth participants from a variety of backgrounds. Several are university students, one a high school student, another student who is HIV positive and one student who is physically challenged. Aware that roughly 98% of youth in Vietnam who become addicted to heroin are introduced to it by their friends or family members of a similar age group, the programmes aims to explore the development of skills to manage peer pressure effectively, build self esteem and be tolerant of differences, as well as to introduce active listening and conflict resolution skills and aid the development of youth through participation in reflective and focusing exercises.”

Please also send us:

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