Making Connections—Book by Book
May Lan Dong, 18
Massachusetts
My school book bag weighs thirty pounds and at the end of the school day, my back aches from lugging it around everywhere. My chemistry book alone weighs ten pounds!
It was on my very first trip to Guinea in Western Africa that I saw, while touring the Sangaredi High School, that students did not have any textbooks! Naturally I thought to myself, "What is going on? Where are the overstuffed bags and slumping kids?" In the classrooms I visited, each packed with 30-150 students under one teacher, not one textbook could be found. The teachers write the lessons on the blackboard and students copy everything down-it takes hours to write and copy every day.
I asked the teachers and school directors why there were no textbooks. The answer was simple: No money! They did not have the funds to supply the students with textbooks.
So I resolved to help them get textbooks. When I returned home from my spring break in Guinea, I contacted nearly forty French schools and libraries to see if they could part with any old or used French textbooks (Guinea is a French-speaking country). L'Ecole Bilingual, a local French school, was happy to donate several books, since their librarian discards some old editions to make room for new books every year. Luckily, the Companie Bauxitee de Guinea agreed to ship the books for free back to Guinea on one of their empty containerships. With lots of people willing to lend a hand, the mission was a success!
Upon revisiting the Sangaredi High School during my second trip to Guinea, they told me they were in great need of math and science texts. L'Ecole Bilingual pitched in again by lending me some textbooks and I brought them to Guinea for the teachers to evaluate. Fortunately, the teachers said that the books matched the national curriculum exactly.
It was fortunate that L'Ecole Bilingual was changing their curriculum so they were discarding many textbooks, mostly math, geography, and French language texts which they have donated to me. Unfortunately they do not have spare science textbooks so I raised money to buy these for the school.
This experiment has changed my life in ways I never imagined. Helping these children has been extremely rewarding and has given me a feeling of true happiness and satisfaction. Even though my contribution might not be huge, I feel that I am making a difference in the world. Though these are baby steps I am making, it is an inch toward giving these kids a chance at a better and richer life.
As I continue to visit a country in great need, I have pushed myself to do the best I can to help. I have also learned to appreciate more of what I have at home. I have learned to value even simple things such as running water and electricity. Reflecting on the poverty in Guinea, I recognize and respect the value of my own education. Whenever I am tempted to complain about a history test, learning Spanish verbs, or carrying around a thirty-pound backpack, I remember the kids in their bare classrooms and count my blessings instead.
If you have any spare French textbooks or know of someone who would like to donate some, please contact me at maylan_dong@yahoo.com.
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