Research Log 2 - A slowish start!

Here is week 2's Research Log. Not a lot has happen since last week, but underneath things are definitely progressing. I'm looking at it as the mega that is about to become the lava of my research.... Maybe I'm just trying to talk myself into all of this!

I hope you find it at least a little interesting. Time permitting I will write another blog non-research related. Also, once I get into the field my logs should be a bit more interesting!

Interview Delays
There have been a some delays in the commencement of interviews this week. I had hoped to get into the field and interview official and community leaders; however, due to coordination and transportation issues this has been delayed until early next week. This is a minor setback, which will have minimal impact on the research schedule. It will actually allow for more time to review the interview questions and structure.

Translators
I have worked closely with our translator this week. Emily and I created a detailed Translator Guide which clearly outlines the rolls of the Translators and Researchers in given situations. We have closely reviewed the research plan, purpose of the research as well as questions for the approaching semi-structured interviews. We have also carefully explained our expectations of them as research translators. This should help us avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings while in the field.

Semi-Structured Interviews
On Monday of next week semi-structured interviews will take place in Muko Sector. We have organized 4 small groups focus groups (2-4) people per group. The 4 groups are as follows, Group 1. Cell Leaders, Group 2. Head Masters and Teachers of Primary Schools, Group 3. Head Masters and Teachers of Secondary Schools, Group 4. Parent Teacher Association Leaders and Members.

The small groups will allow us as researchers to maintain more control of the process. This is preferred at this time as we are still testing out our translators and we are uncertain of their moderation skills. I am however worried that I may have scheduled too many groups for one day. I have estimated that these group meetings will take between 1.5 and 2 hours each. We are not looking for in-depth discussions at this time, but rather a general overview of the situation. Should we need to gather deeper information from these participants we should not have a problem contacting them again.

The goal of these initial interviews is to gain a perspective of the perceived problems/lack of problems and general attitudes related to child labor. We also are looking to define terms such as what is a child, what constitutes (child) agricultural labor, what constitutes (child) domestic labor. These questions will assist us with formulating impeding interviews with parents and children as well as the household surveys.

Participants will be supplied with refreshments. If the meeting were longer we would also supply them with cash (around $6) for their time and transportation. Additionally, since interviews will take place near their homes/place of work there should be no need for transportation reimbursement. However, as of now I am awaiting for conformation of the participants and the location exact of the interviews. I will have this information within a few hours of posting this blog.

While in the field it is my plan to schedule the next group of interviews. Hopefully we will be able to return to Muko later in the week (Thursday or Friday). Emily will return to Rwanda on Monday the 15th and will also participate in these interviews.

Working with Children
As a proportion of our interviews are to be conducted with children (including orphaned children) we must take ethical and legal concerns into consideration. We are in the process of tracking down the laws and procedures for gaining necessary permissions. In addition I will pose this issue to officials while in the field on Monday.

There has been some difficulty tracking down solid advice and methodology concerning child-centered methods, as most of what I have come across is more psychologically based. I will continue to investigate this issue.

Research Log 1

As expected the LUMID program has kept me very busy. I haven't spent much time on the computer that hasn't been work or school related. It also means that my endeavor to keep a blog is dwindling. In an effort to regain momentum I have decided to use my assignments as a jump off for my blog.

Over the next month and a half I will conduct research that will be used in my thesis. As part of research tasks I am required to create log entries regarding my progress. I'm not sure if this will be of interest to my readers, but it is what it is.

The Research Question

The research will look into child domestic labor within child headed households and adult headed households. We will be investigating the gender component and how this may or may not effect educational attainment. As we become more familiar with the situation we will narrow and modify our research question.

Joint Research
Emily and I intend to do our research as well as write our thesis together. However, we have had an early setback, Emily returned to Ireland late last week due to an illness in her family. We are hopeful that she will be able to return to Rwanda before the end of the month of November.

We will conduct this research while simultaneously conducting baseline data collection for a new project area of our host organization. This will allow us to spend more time in field as well as support our access to community we might otherwise have difficulty entering.

The First Visit
On October 25th we visited Muko Sector, where our research will take place, and met with local leaders including Executive Secretary, Secretary of Social Affairs, Police, Village and Cell Heads, Head of Forest Activities, Head Agronomist, Head of Security, and Head Masters of Schools. We were able to explain our research as well as data collection objectives. The community was very accepting of our intentions and welcomed us into their community.

We also had a short meeting with the Secretary of Social Affairs. She was very open and willing to provide us with any data available. We provided her with a list of preliminary data and she agreed to prepare the data before our next visit.

Translators
Since Emily and I speak a very small amount of Kinyarwandan we will primarily work through translation. We used a few translators for our project evaluation in September, however they did not work out as well as we had hoped. One of the girl’s confidence and English skills was not where we would have liked it to be and the second had a poor attitude and was a bit confrontational. Unfortunately this meant we had to find new translators to work with. After interviewing 5 additional possible translators we settled on 2. One of then accompanied us on our trip to Muko, we found him to be patient, easy to understand and even tempered.

Modifying the Research
Emily and I both understand the obstacles we must overcome, but we still intend to push forward with our joint research. Emily and I will remain in close contact as we revamp and adapt our research. We will be able to contact each via Skype periodically. I will keep Emily posted on the progress or lack of progress I am making in Rwanda. We intend to continue to work together on interview questions and surveys.

Emily and I have organized a gantt chart detailing our research schedule, which includes focus groups with children, semi-structured interviews with officials and leaders and conducting a number of household surveys. Given that Emily will no longer be here for most of November I am considering what is most important for our research topic and what is feasible for one person to manage. At this point it is my intention to schedule the semi-structured interview with officials and leaders for next week. This week I will be finalizing the questions for the semi-structured interviews. I will also spend a few hours with the translator reviewing the research purpose, interview questions, discussing expectations and familiarizing him with the research methodology.


So there you have it, my first research log ever! More to come over the next few weeks.

Fun Week Finish - Snapshot Blog

The final fun week entry brings us to Shingrio in the Northern Province. Joining us is Muzungu Joss.




The children arrive and the day begins!









Who is that strange looking kid in the back?









The children can't believe how white Muzungu Joss is.









The Fanta Arrives, just in time for fun day.









The children inform the audience of their rights.









We dance for the rights of the children.








Top Students are rewarded for their hard work.











Fanta and Rwandan donuts are enjoyed by all.











The children love the camera!









A satisfying week's work indeed. These are the days that you remember. These are the days that keep your spirit high. These are the days that remind you why. These are the days I feel privileged to experience.

More Fun Week Fun

On the second morning we headed deeper into the surrounding mountains. This time it took us over an hour of inclines, bends and turns to reach the school. This school was at the top of the hill with a 360 degree view of the valleys all around. The children gathered upon the slope of the hillside and awaited the arrival of the Fun Week Team. As I rounded the corner of the audience their smiles lite up, seeming to say, “Today really is going to be a FUN DAY!” Just as the day before, the event began with the National Anthem and introductions of the leaders and guests.

Shortly after, the fun beings. The children once again perform poems, dances and songs. All in honor of Children’s Rights and Fun Day. The third act (which can be seen in the video blog) is a traditional warrior dance, which is traditionally performed only by males, but today the girls are breaking down these centuries old barriers and perform alongside the boys. This creates an exciting buzz throughout the audience. The dancing is fantastic. The ground vibrates and the dusty earth rises in support of the children’s passion for a positive change in their community.

Once the performances are over the children are each given a Fanta and Rwandan Donut. Such sticky excitement.

Today I have asked to interview a few members of the community about the day’s events. It may seem like such a simple thing, a day for the children to celebrate themselves, stand up for their rights and to be rewarded for their hard work, but this is an unfamiliar activity for the community.

Here are some excerpts from my interviews.

Each grade is given two awards; one is given to the overall top performer and another for the girl with the highest marks in sciences. Nizeyimana Marie Garth was the top female in science in the 6 grade at Sanza Primary school. “The books and pens will help me with my studies and the book bag will help me carry my things to school. But my favorite prize is the dictionary, because I want to become an English teacher! Thank you for the kindness and support you have given us.”

This is Damien’s second time attending Fun Day and his second time winning the top student prizes! Congratulations Damien! When Damien is at home he doesn’t have much time to study. He spends most of his free time doing chores around the house. Each day collects grass for the family cow, afterwards he walks 1 km to fetch water. How does Damien do so well in school? “I always study while I am at school and next year I will study even harder so that I will be the number one student in my class again.”

Mukamurara Beatrice, a 51 mother of 3 girls is a member of the Sanza Primary school PTA said, “Today was so special for all of the children. These school celebrations will motivate children to stay in school and work harder. It will also encourage children who have dropped out to return to school. It is wonderful to see all of the children in the community benefit from your sponsorship of our community.”

Such a simple day, truly changes lives.

I dedicate this post to 3 of my friend who have all lost a family member within the past week.

To Jessey, you have been a longtime friend of mine and supported me with my brother passed away. Thank you for your support then and you and your family are in my thoughts now.

To Hesron, I am very sorry for the loss of your 3 year-old niece. I only wish I could communicate this to you better.

To Crystal, safe travels to Canada. We will be here in Kigali when you return.

Fun Week Fun

On Tuesday night I and 5 staff headed due East until we hit Lake Kivu. The journey was in the dark and like many roads in Rwanda they twisted and hugged the sides of the mountains. The road was built by Chinese contractors; in fact it seems the Chinese build all of the roads in Rwanda. The road to Kivu is particularly impressive as it has been cut into mountainside and hovers over steep valleys, but this isn’t something I would notice until our return journey to Kigali two days later. We arrived at our lakeside hotel in Kibuye just after 8 pm and settled in for the night.

Ten hours later I awoke to the sound of waves hitting the shore line that was just beyond my window. I opened the patio door to discover the island dotted Lake Kivu. As my eyes adjusted to the rising sun I tried to envision the shores of the Democratic Republic of Congo that were just on the other side. But that is a development tale for another day perhaps, today was the first day of Fun Week.

After a simple breakfast we headed 30 minutes into the mountains, which is a really short drive. As we arrived so did the children. A teacher and a whistle guided one of the schools down the mountain and announced their impending arrival. But to their astonishment a Muzungu was cheering on their arrival. Once they caught sight, the entire school stopped in their tracks. They slowly approached and gathered around saying nothing and only able to respond to, “How are you?” with “I am fine, teacher”.

It quickly became obvious that the chosen meeting location of the local government building was not a suitable place for 2,000 children. The solution was to send them to the “field” on top of the nearby mountain.

It turned out the “field” was a pine forest, but this was a blessing as the day was spent in the shade rather than the equatorial sun. The event started with the signing of the National Anthem. It’s always a wonderful experience feeling the National pride of a country beaming through the voices of young children. Short introductions, including the Muzungu trying her best to speak the very few words of Kinyarwandan she knew, lead to the children’s performances.

All of the songs and dances were written and choreographed by the children. The theme was fighting against child related violence and the promotion of children’s rights. Each school took their turn dancing, singing, reading poems and entertaining the crowd. Given the number of children at the event it was a bit of every child for themself and they slowly pushed in on the stage area, while other children took to the trees to get the best view in the house. I’m pretty sure if I would have climbed a tree at my school’s event I would have been very quickly escorted from the event.

After the performances prizes were handed out to the top children in each class. One prize was for the overall top student, while the second was for the top performing female in the sciences. This is done to encourage female students not only to stay in school, but to work just as hard at classes that typically thought to be only for boys. The children were very proud to have won the prizes, but they really didn’t know how to react. There were so many people looking at them, they were given such nice things (new backpack, English dictionary, math set, notebooks and pens) and a Muzungu was asking them to smile for a photo! It’s a lot to deal with for sure.


After all of the prizes were handed out it was time for the good stuff, Fanta and a Rwandan donut for all! The children were organized into their classes and made to wait for the arrival of their treat. As the tops were popped off their eyes were fixated on the fizzing sweetness just out of their reach. Fanta, Coke, Sprite and a few rogue Tonics were dispersed throughout forest. Their sticky smiles were quickly filled with baseball sized donuts.

As I wondered the forest I was greeted with curious eyes and eager handshakes. I’ve recently taken to the Obama style fist bump over the grubby handshake. Thankfully they love it and laugh when I complain they are too strong. We exchanged names, said hello, found out our age and then resorted to the camera for endless entrainment of taking photos and then showing them off.


The day ended with a typical meal of bruchett (meat skewers) and chips (French fries). Contrary to my travel goals and practices I don’t have any photos of Rwandan food, but I intend on taking some photos and sharing the Rwandan cuisine with you all soon.

Videos from fun week

Children dance and sing about Children's Rights and ending violence against children.
This dance is traditionally done by boys. Today girls join in on the fun.






I don't know how they dance with pots on their heads! They are great!

The settling of dust

As I write this entry I am sitting in our gazebo in the front of our house in Kacyiru. We are incredibly fortunate to be living on a newly paved road as most homes are off a road that is off a dirt road that is off another dirt road. We are in the middle of the long dry season so many of these dirt roads have now become dust roads. Walking down any of these roads results in a dust cloud Pigpen would be jealous of. The dirt covers the lower half of your body, and somehow chemically binds to your ankles in a way that only a pumas stone and Listerine can remove it. We are told that the rainy season is coming, actually we have not been told that is coming but we have been give exact dates as to when it will be here. One source told us August 15th, another September 1st, and yet another September 15th. Each person makes their claim with great conviction. August 15th is less than 24 hours away and as it stands the skies are blue and partly cloudy, depending on the part you are looking at. Either way, once the rain starts it will be here for at least 2 months, with downpours expected twice daily, this is yet another reason we are incredibly fortunate to be living on a newly paved road. Those living on the dust roads are excited for the rains to come and wash off the 6 inches of dust, however given that all roads are on hills and they are already rutted and potholed I don’t see how a muddy, slick, rutted and potholed road is a better option. But then again, what do I know, I have only been in this country for 3 weeks. I’ll keep you posted on this one.

Kigali is very different than any place I have ever lived. Coming from Minnesota, Ha Noi, and southern Sweden the first thing that will hit you is the never ending hills. Each hill is basically its own suburb and each is connected by several windy and twisted roads. To get around town we usually hop on the local taxi buses. The system is simple, but you have to know how to use it and there are no written clues. So basically you need to know the neighborhood you want to go to and which stop it comes to. Standing on the curb you listen for the drivers to yell out Remera or Mumugi . Then you aggressively cue to get a one of the 15 spots on the bus. Once they are full they fly down the windy roads and you hope they are going the direction you need them to. As you approach your stop you knock on the roof to signal your stop. The average cost is 180 RWF or about $0.25. The average travel time from our doorstep to our destination is about 45 minutes, so just going into town takes a bit of planning and appreciation of cheap public transportation.

Kigali itself is a very chilled city, especially for its size of 1 million. The city is so separated by the hills that each suburb is mostly self-contained. The center or “town” takes less than 10 to circumnavigate by foot. The main taxi-bus stop is smaller than the bus park at my high school. Town is where head for treats such as vinegar (which I have yet broken down and paid the $4 for), potato chips, wine and western canned goods. Every purchase is scrutinized, do we really need it? How will we use it? If we buy it how much will our meal cost and how many meals can we get from it? Yes 95% of our treats are consumable.

We have been slowing getting to know the expats in the community, but since our budget is as tight as a sausage casing we pick and choose our activities carefully. The top our list has so far been quiz nights, movie nights (at friends), cheapish dinners and picking up returnables from the nearby “Smarter” super market. Emily has put together a hiking group so we hope to organize some weekend outings soon!

As for work nothing too exciting has happen in the past few weeks, but next week is “Fun Week”. I will be in the field for 4 days and fun is sure to happen! Details and photos to come! Whoop, Whoop