The Dawn of the Maasai

Often when learning about development issues, we are faced with tragic stories about the injustices of gender inequality, poverty, inaccessibility to basic services, and lack of opportunity. However more often than not, we learn about a story filled with hope and ambition to overcome these challenges. People such as Malala Yousafzai, Nelson Mandela, and Martin Luther King Jr. are prime examples of people who have faced these issues head on and have become advocates for positive change. I recently read about another inspiring individual who defied all odds to pursue a better quality of life for herself, and the people in her village.

Her name is Teriano Lesancha. Teriano is a Maasai woman that comes from a small village in Eastern Kenya. As fate would have it for many Maasai girls, Teriano’s marriage was arranged the day she was born. Thus, her life had already been set to marry a strange man, cook and clean for him, carry his children and take care of them. If there was any ever thought about a career or education, that aspiration was far fetched. However Teriano was determined to educate herself, and with her parents support she convinced her father to sell her cattle dowry to pay for more schooling. With the help of the World Vision Foundation and Ryerson University, Teriano became the first Maasai woman to ever graduate with a university degree.

Along with her degree, Teriano established her own non-for profit organization called The Dawn of the Maasai, which promotes education for girls and provides opportunities to female entrepreneurs. In order to commemorate this auspicious graduation, the Dean of the University flew to Teriano’s village in Kenya to conduct a special graduation ceremony. At the ceremony, one of Teriano’s brother who is in his first year of high school spoke about how Teriano is paying his school fees. He said, “look here, I’m a boy but I couldn’t be in school without a girl”.

Teriano’s determination is truly an inspiration. I think so many of us take our education for granted, but after learning about women such as Teriano and Malala we come to recognize the value and power of education. Like Malala said in her address to the United Nations, education is the solution to all of our developmental problem and it is the one thing that can create peace and harmony in our world.  

Omar Khadr: Canadian War Child

The case of Omar Khadr is one that defiantly hit home. Perhaps this is because Omar and I are very similar in some aspects. Our nationalities, ages, foreign ethnicities, and aspirations in life to educate ourselves are all the same. Yet the last 11 years of our lives have been very different. A Canadian youth like myself spent the last 11 years going to high school and university while someone who is demographically very similar to me, spent the last decade in the world’s most dangerous and torturous jail against his own will, even though we are subjected to the same constitutional rights.

Incase you are unaware of Omar’s story, here a bit of background information. Omar, a Canadian citizen who was 15 at the time, was accused of killing a US medic during a cross fire in Afghanistan that took place in an local compound, where he worked as a translator with his father. Omar, who was immediately blinded in one eye from the attack, was then shot three times in the back leaving him critically injured. After the cross fire, Omar was captured by the American Military and transferred to Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp for ten years. During this time, he was brutally tortured and was held in solitary confinement for three years where he had no access to legal aid. 

Unfortunately, Canada did not come to the rescue as Omar’s constitutional rights were never enforced by the Canadian government during his time in Guantanamo Bay. Perhaps this is because Omar would have likely never been convicted under the Canadian law since he was a minor, and even if he were convicted under the Canadian law, he probably would have not served a complete sentence due to loopholes such as parole and bail, which do not suit the American agenda. As a result, Omar’s case was left in the hands of The Guantanamo Military Commission, a body created to deal with specialized cases such as this, that had been rejected by US civilian and military courts. This commission convicted Omar of war crimes that did not exist in 2002, which is an illegal act under the International Law.

As a Canadian Muslim, I speculate whether Omar would have been treated differently and his rights would have been restored if he were not a Muslim?  How important are the roles of ethnicity and religion in determining the outcome of a human rights violation in Canada? Evidently, they play a critical role, as Omar was the last Westerner to be released from Guantanamo Bay. Therefore this makes me question Canada’s position on protecting its citizen’s rights. Is the country that prides itself on diversity, acceptance, and safety really as pluralistic as we think?

Regardless of whether Omar is guilty or not, I believe that there have been apparent human rights violations that should not have taken place to any child here in Canada, or elsewhere. 

WARECOD, Vietnam

I am ecstatic to officially be living and working in VIETNAM for 8 months in September. The organization that I will be working for is called the Vietnam Centre for Water Conservation and Development (WARECOD). It was founded under the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Association. WARECOD aims at promoting the sustainable use of Vietnam’s water resources as well as educating the population about the adverse effects of various water development projects in both urban and rural areas.

Vision:a world where people are aware of the value of water resources and cooperate together in solidarity to conserve these resources and ensure their equitable and sustainable use.

Mission: protect Vietnam’s water resources, in order to contribute to ensuring the well-being of river ecosystems,  sustain biodiversity, and protect the livelihoods of communities that depend on these resources.

Although this organization was not my first choice, WARECOD thought that I would be a perfect fit for their team. I was initially hoping to work with an organization that focused on urban development since I have experience working with rural development projects, but after researching about the organization, I think its a perfect match. I have always had a keen interest in human rights, and WARECOD advocates for the rights of ethnic minorities living in the rural areas that have inadequate access to clean water. Everything happens for a reason and I am sure that I will have a great experience. Water conservation is an issue that affects many countries around the world and I am looking forward to learning more about conservation strategies. I am also very excited to be working with the Vietnamese people who live in the rural areas, I am sure it will be fascinating to experience their culture and way of life. 

Currently, I am unaware of my position in the organization or what the next steps are but  I will hopefully know soon. For more information on WARECOD check out their website here! 

I am an Indevour!

As a part of my pre departure training and my last semester of classes, myself along with the rest of my cohort are part of a non-for profit group known as Indevours. Indevours is an organization that is managed by each incoming class in their third year before they leave for their international placements. Our goal is to raise awareness about who we are and the importance of sustainable development along with raising funds to offset the cost of our international unpaid internships.

Indevours define themselves as a group of twenty-seven diverse university students heading to seven different countries around the world in search of ways to make a 
positive difference in the realities of international development.

Our vision is to create positive and sustainable development for societies, the environment and the economy. We seek to empower and build capacity in others locally and globally by harnessing diversity, innovation and opportunity.

Our values are:

Optimism – We seek ways to embody a positive sense of determination, and believe that change can happen in a world ridden with adversity and challenge.

Education – We gain theoretical and hands-on knowledge and experience by learning from and with others, to take action in solving real-life problems.

Stewardship – We aim to be accountable to those we collaborate with, and foster sustainability while working in our environment.

In order to raise funds and spread awareness, Indevours have organized a variety of local events around the KW area. Our first event was The Battle of the Bands that took place at Bobby O’Brien’s Pub in Kitchener where we had several local bands perform who competed for an awesome grand prize. Our second event was a Family Fun Festival located at Waterloo Square, which featured local games and crafts from each of the countries we will be working in.

Our next event will we held on July 27^th 2013 in Waterloo. The Indevours are organizing a Global Gala, which will feature a keynote speaker, a three-course meal and a silent auction. To find out more about Indevours and the Global Gala check out our website.

Love is Love

This summer I had the chance to complete one of the tasks on my Bucket List. I attended The Toronto Pride Parade with a few of my closest friends. Initially, I wanted to attend the parade because I was curious to see what it was about- especially because Toronto celebrates Pride Week in such a fantastic way. Although this is something that I have always wanted to do, I am glad I waited until the near end of my university career because I was able to witness the parade from the stance of an International Development student and an advocate for pluralism.

Watching the parade was like no other. Besides all the glitzy costumes (or lack of costumes) and loud music, was a collective expression for love that goes beyond gender, race, and sexuality. It was amazing to see people representing different countries, religions, places of work, ethnicities, and sexual orientations as advocates for the right to love whoever they choose too.

Marriage and love equality tie into a lot of development issues that are faced in the Global North. There is a lack of awareness regarding same sex marriages and relations that lead to the spread of diseases. In many cultures and countries, people are killed if they deviate from societal and cultural norms. Therefore education and the spread of knowledge regarding these issues are key facets towards eradicating the stigma associated with gender, love, and marriage inequalities around the world.

The biggest affirmation I had from attending the parade was that love is love regardless of any orientation. Unfortunately we don’t live in a world where we can love freely. But once upon a time, we also lived in a world where people of different races could not attend the same school, or get married and where woman were not allowed to vote. Some of these things might seem irrational today, but back then they were just as controversial as love equality is today. However, progress has been made on many of these issues, and I believe that love and marriage equality have the potential to be recognized by everyone through a pluralistic outlook that involves open dialogue and acceptance.