Thinking Beyond Borders

In a few days, Sandy and I will board a plane and head back to the United States, ending nearly three months of traveling around the world. While copious amounts of work kept us from doing much sightseeing in the countries we visited, the incredible individuals and organizations we met along the way have certainly left a deep and lasting impression upon us both.

The TBB program itinerary is designed to help participants confront some of our global society’s most important and pressing challenges. While this process is a crucial learning experience for our next great leaders, it can also be a bit depressing. In the past three months we’ve visited orphanages overcrowded with children whose parents have died of AIDS. We’ve been to agricultural communities that have existed for hundreds of years, where the changes of the past few decades have threatened the sustainability of those communities. We’ve seen cities where the residents say that the rapid growth of the last decade has amassed massive amounts of air and water pollution that seems to be worsening daily. We’ve listened to school teachers and administrators explain why many of their qualified and capable students will never have the opportunity to attain a high school education for lack of facilities and funding. We’ve encountered everything from metropolises to villages to rural elementary schools where the water quality and sanitation systems were so poor that rivers were used as both wash basins and toilets, and leaking septic systems were only a few feet from the well.

Yet, in each of these locations, we also met people who were working toward a better future. Among them were women who cared for orphans 24 hours per day, 6 days per week for virtually no pay. There were university trained scientists who chose to live in rural areas to help farmers live more sustainably and improve their standard of living. There were successful business people from the local community and around the world who had given up their prosperous careers to found and build NGOs that work toward environmental awareness and pollution reduction. There were teachers who, in the face of great challenges like minimal curricular resources and class sizes of 40-50 students, still worked passionately and with faith in the youth they were teaching. There were volunteers from around the world who brought their professional expertise to remote village schools to engineer solutions to the lack of potable water. Despite the often overwhelming nature of the challenges we face as a global society, individuals continue to reach out to improve the lives of people in their own villages and in communities around the world.

All of these experiences have given us a deeper appreciation of the potential for proactive change and the size of the task that awaits our next generation of leaders. Whether these leaders work on the local, national, or international level, their task will be the same: to bring together the global community with its energy, resources, and intellect to work toward realizing the true potential of humanity.

While the 2008-2009 TBB program has chosen to focus on clean water issues in Ecuador, this certainly is not the only country where clear water is an issue. According to Food and Water Watch, 1.7 billion people around the world do not have access to safe drinking water.(1) That’s more than 1 of every 4 people on earth. For us geography buffs, this is an astonishing concept considering that the world’s surface is more than 2/3 water. What causes this? With all the water on earth and our modern technology, why can’t we solve this problem?

The problem of clean water is a dire one. Drinking from unsafe water supplies leads to 2.3 billion people suffering from water-borne illnesses each year.(2) Additionally, unsafe water weakens the immune system, making individuals and communities more susceptible to chronic and deadly diseases. As Paul Farmer points out in Tracy Kidder’s Mountains beyond Mountains, addressing global epidemics like tuberculosis, malaria, and AIDS requires addressing fundamental human needs like clean water. Also, access to clean water is closely related to food security. Agricultural communities around the world battle over water resources. Polluted rivers, lakes, and oceans produce fish that are poisonous to humans, often carrying toxic heavy metals like mercury in their flesh. As you’ve read this paragraph, you’ve probably seen at least one issue that is common to your community, even if you live in the “developed” world.

So, why is there such limited access to clean water? Consumption and pollution are the main culprits. As the global community grows (the population of the earth has TRIPLED since WWII ended) the consumption of water has greatly increased. While the Green Revolution and subsequent advances in agricultural technology made it possible to feed this growing population, these new farming methods required far higher water inputs. This means that not only do farmers need more water to grow more food, but the ratio of food output to water consumption has decreased. Yet another cause is the rapid urbanization of the global community. Hard, human-made surfaces send rainwater in its entirety into streams and rivers instantly after a storm. This disruption of the water cycle prevents absorption by the soil and the natural filtering effects of water seeping through layers of earth to the aquifer.

Pollution of water supplies originates from countless sources. The agricultural technology advances of the past 50 years mentioned above have often leaned heavily on the use of petrochemicals in the forms of fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides to increase crop yields. Through irrigation and rain, a percentage of these chemical inputs makes its way to the water supply, either as run-off or by seeping into ground water supplies. Manufacturing and production of goods in factories often requires large amounts of water as a cooling or cleaning agent. The water leaving those factories often carries residues of the chemicals or heavy metals used in the manufacturing process. In homes around the world, water is rarely used by itself; soaps, cleaners, detergents, oils, paints, and countless other pollutants are used and discarded with water. As a global society, we have successfully integrated polluting water supplies into our daily lives.

While clean water is certainly an issue for people throughout the world (students of mine from inner-city Boston this summer told me that their parents insist on boiling the tap water because of the rancid smell and brown color when it comes from the tap), developing nations certainly face the worst of the problems. Crumbling or non-existent systems for water storage and delivery, and sewage removal and treatment leave few options for governments with already thin financial resources. Delivering clean water and properly dealing with sewage can be an incredibly expensive undertaking, especially when the needs are in both urban and rural communities. In the past decade, multi-lateral development agencies like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund, and World Trade Organization have been encouraging developing nations to privatize their water systems. The logic is that private firms will provide the capital investment to expand the existing systems to meet the current level of need. However, such attempts at privatization have met very mixed reviews. Cochabamba, Bolivia and Guayaquil, Ecuador both signed agreements with subsidiaries of San Francisco, California based Bechtel in 2000. Residents of Cochabamba awoke one morning that spring to find that their water rates had increased as much as 400%, bringing the total cost of water for many deeply impoverished residents to 25% of their total monthly income.(3) The agreement even made it illegal for citizens to collect rain water as it was considered part of the water resources leased to the company. Within days protests began, culminating in a horrific moment when a 17 year old boy in the crowd was shot by the National Police. The government was forced to cancel their contract with the Bechtel subsidiary and re-nationalize the water system. Guayaquil’s contract, signed only weeks after Cochabamba’s, has not been quite as tumultuous, though many human rights and environmental organizations site the water quality and sewage systems provided there as being completely inadequate and a danger to public health.(4)

What’s the solution? Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as simple as finding just one solution. Rather, what is needed are many solutions, applied correctly, based on local conditions. William McDonough and Michael Braungart highlight the need for “eco-effective” design in their book Cradle to Cradle. They point out that most efforts to address environmental concerns—like providing clean water—are made after the polluting has already occurred. They argue that rather than continue to build technology and a society that makes messes and then struggles to clean them up, we should focus on developing technology that actually helps the environment. They give the example of a factory that, before using eco-effective design strategies, was a polluter of the already polluted local river. After finding non-toxic alternatives to many of the chemicals used in their manufacturing processes, and utilizing a series of biology-based waste treatment systems, the factory’s waste water going back into the river was actually cleaner than the river itself. Oh, and the company saved money in the process. Agricultural technologies like an underground drip irrigation system that Sandy and I saw demonstrated in Dethali, India can greatly reduce water and electricity consumption. The list of creative, local, and effective solutions is long. Ultimately, finding the correct solutions to providing clean water may simply require looking through eco-effective eyes.

(1) http://www.foodandwaterwatch.org/
(2) Ibid.
(3) http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/bolivia/links.html
(4)http://www.observatoriodeserviciospublicos.org/documentos/resolucion_de_la_defensoria_del_puelbo_en_el_caso_del_agua.doc

After a short break over the holidays, Robin and I headed to Ecuador – a relatively small country with incredible diversity. From the coast, to Amazon jungle, to Andean mountains, it has been a beautiful place to experience. And of course we’re happy to be somewhere where we can speak the language!

Throughout our site visits, we’ve found it incredibly helpful to connect with locally based organizations that have experience hosting volunteers. These groups have shared their expertise, ways in which TBB may work in partnership with them, and knowledge of local projects and the region. In Ecuador, each of the below organizations offer powerful volunteer opportunities to individuals and groups:

YanaPuma Foundation is a cooperatively run NGO whose aims are to facilitate sustainable practices in poor urban and rural communities throughout Ecuador, and to encourage intercultural exchange that fosters mutual benefit and learning in a globalizing world.

Ecuador Volunteer Foundation is a non-profit organization that offers volunteer work opportunities in social, environment, educational and community areas around Ecuador. The main objective is to offer a cultural exchange experience to each volunteer in all projects that look for work of brotherhood and help with the local people.

The Ecuadorian Experiment in International Living (EIL-ECUADOR) is a non-profit, non-sectarian, non-political organization founded in 1977 to provide intercultural learning programs for Ecuadorians and people from other countries. Their many cultural exchange programs for all ages represent a personal approach to global understanding, one that fosters respect for people throughout the world. In this way it strives to contribute to world peace.

Education has been a primary area of concern for development organizations for decades. There is good reason for this. Education has the potential to reduce fertility rates, spur social changes toward gender and racial equity, and improve health and living standards. Essentially, it is the “silver bullet” of development work; it has the potential to proactively affect nearly every major indicator of development. But, to accomplish any of these great feats, it must be done right.

But, who decides what is right in education? Is the goal of the system to create well-rounded students, strong contributors to the economy, or citizens well suited to participate as moral actors in society? Should the system be equitable for all? Should it differentiate its services for “high” and “low” achievers? Should males and females receive the same education? Should rural and urban students receive the same opportunities? Which subjects should be taught, and which receive priority? What cultural values should be taught in ethnically diverse areas?

A look at the education system in China raises all of these questions. It is rooted in the centuries-old Confucian system, and schooling is obligatory through 9^th grade. For students hoping to achieve well and attend university, getting into the best schools is critical. When schools are founded, the quality of education the school will provide is determined by government officials. The best schools receive more funding, hire the best teachers, and enroll the best students. High stakes standardized tests at the end of each level of schooling (elementary, middle, and high school) determine one’s placement for the next level. Needless to say, students and parents feel the pressure to achieve. Students are often expected to complete upwards of 4 hours of homework per night. While English, arts, and athletics are part of the curriculum, students are often pushed hardest to achieve in core subject areas like Chinese, math, and science. There are no Special Education services, though there are schools for students with physical disabilities. There is little financial aid available for the costly university years.

Opportunities for urban and rural students are different. At the rural middle school we visited in the town of Shaxi in Yunnan province, some students trekked 16km from their mountain villages to attend school, often boarding on campus during the week and returning home for the weekend. While most urban students who choose to have the opportunity to attend high school, fewer than 50% of students in rural areas receive formal education beyond their middle school years. In urban areas, technical schools offer training to those who do not test into the academically oriented high schools. In rural areas, this is not an option.

As an American teacher and administrator, it’s easy to see the parallels and divergences of the Chinese and US education systems. High stakes standardized tests and a failure to fund schools equally are key parallels. Special Education services and access to higher education are key divergences. Honestly, it is easy to judge both the US and Chinese systems for their successes and failures. The challenge is to identify the aspects of our respective cultures, political systems, and economies that have created our educational systems. If we understand the key assumptions and values that bolster these systems, we can ask ourselves the tough questions that will help us improve them.

It is easy to see why education is the “silver bullet” of development. It is crucial for our next great leaders to consider these questions, even in the US. Education may hold the same potential as a tool for proactive social change for the US as it does for poorer nations around the world. This summer, my students in a class of urban public high school students in Boston struggled with the question of whether or not the US can be classified as a “developed” nation. From their daily experiences in underfunded schools with poorly trained teachers and crumbling facilities, it’s not entirely clear that “development” has reached their neighborhood. What was clear was that better education could reduce the crime, violence, drug abuse, and poor health common in their neighborhoods. Education is truly a fundamental part of assisting developing communities throughout the world.

It’s been interesting to learn China has over 50 minorities, all with unique customs, languages, and traditions. Yunnan Province in particular is known for this diverse population and TBB students will have the opportunity to learn how this affects educational systems.

Robin and I were invited to learn more about how one of these minorities, the Lisu, celebrate their New Year – definitely one of the more lively experiences we’ve had on this trip! We were toasted and given beaded necklaces as we entered through a column of musicians in traditional dress. Food was served in baskets and everyone at the tables was given a plastic glove with which to take food from the basket. Lively speeches were given and musicians and dancers performed on stage.

After dinner we wandered outside to where the real party was – more music, more toasting, everyone dancing around a large circle, and in the center of the circle, men climbing a tower of swords! Lisu rock-stars even befriended us and sang an impromptu version of Auld Lang Syne.

After a night in Hong Kong on lay over, Sandy and I flew into Kunming, China. The guide books and friends in the know warned us that Hong Kong was nothing like the rest of China. When they did, I read their tone to mean “enjoy this while it lasts!” As we wandered among the skyscrapers and every high-end store you can think of, I couldn’t help but hope that the rest of China wouldn’t be like this. I’ve never been much of a city person…

We were greeted in Kunming by our friend Sam Mitchell. He and his wife Lu Yuan are helping us finalize our program here. Both are educators, Sam as the director of the Yunnan Center for Cultural Learning and Development, and Lu Yuan as the Academic Director of the School for International Training’s (SIT) semester abroad programs in Kunming. Our first glimpse of the city during our taxi ride to the hotel showed the green trees and beautifully clear skies that give this city its title as the “City of Eternal Spring.”

Our arrival date could not have been planned better. Lu Yuan’s SIT students held their farewell banquet to celebrate the end of their semester-long program the night of our arrival. Sandy and I were invited to the dinner to meet the students and get a sense of how their time in Kunming and the surrounding province of Yunnan had affected them.

Over the course of the evening we met a few of the students. Each spoke of the experiences that had shaken and challenged them in the previous months. Each spoke of the inspiring sights and people they had encountered. Those we didn’t meet were heavily engaged in conversation, storytelling, and laughter with their host families, who were also in attendance. The sharing of familiar smiles and the warmth of conversation over a meal are undeniable signs of a program that has successfully integrated students into the host community. It reminded me of the farewell banquet at the end of my SIT semester abroad in Bolivia in the fall of 1999. I remember the sense of comfort, warmth, and accomplishment that flowed through me that night.

As we walked home, Sandy and I spoke with a shared anticipation and excitement. Along with Chris, our board members, and the TBB community, we’re anxiously working toward the day when TBB students will have similar experiences and make similar connections. We look to the future when we can watch our students head to college with the confidence, perspective, and skills to be proactive agents of change.

In designing the itinerary and curriculum for our first Thinking Beyond Borders program, Chris, Sandy, and I agreed that environmentalism must be studied as a key aspect of international development. Since the publication of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring 40 years ago, consciousness of the environmental consequences of agriculture, industrial development, and technology has grown exponentially throughout the US and around the world. This was not the beginning of environmental consciousness. Rather, it was an infusion of consciousness to replace that which had waned as the Industrial Revolution progressed. This new “Industrial Age Environmentalism” brought images of smog filled skies, clear-cut forests, polluted waterways, and barrels labeled as toxic waste to our collective psyche. But, here in Viet Nam, I have come to see another side of environmental destruction.

With one of the fastest growing economies in the world, Viet Nam is primarily focused on opening the doors to economic development. As a result, Industrial Age Environmentalism is not yet a huge priority because it often brings regulations that are seen as impediments to growth. However, through our discussions with Vietnamese and foreign nationals committed to researching and addressing environmental issues, we’ve learned that this is not because there is no cause for concern. Experts struggle to raise awareness about river pollution, air quality, and deforestation with agricultural and urban run-off, tail-pipe and smoke stack emissions, and industrial waste as the suspected culprits. Nothing out of the ordinary there (sadly).

But, there are two environmental issues of which most Vietnamese do seem conscious: the lasting effects of Agent Orange and the danger of un-exploded ordinance (UXO). The American War (known in the US as the “Vietnam War”) was primarily a guerilla war, fought by soldiers on the ground, often under the cover of jungle. This type of warfare heavily favored the North Vietnamese as they tended to be more familiar with the terrain and conditions. US military strategists attempted to eliminate this advantage by spraying Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant that dissolves leaves, in key battle areas. Additionally, US bombers dropped massive amounts of bombs on strategic targets. It is important to note that the battlefield in this war often included rural, subsistence farming communities.

More than 30 years after the war, Agent Orange and UXO remain real and present dangers in the natural environment. During our stay in Ha Noi, Sandy and I attended a concert of young, blind musicians. We were also told of many orphanages serving youth with disabilities in communities with abnormally high occurrences of birth defects. While conclusive evidence has not been found to link these cases to Agent Orange, there is a very high probability of causality. As in many countries that have been host to war in the last 60 years, landmines plague the countryside in large areas of Viet Nam. Adults and children alike become the victims of landmines and UXO from the bombing campaigns. Farmers accidentally trigger them with a plow, and children sometimes play with them thinking they are toys. Some lose their lives, and others are permanently maimed. While landmines cost only a few dollars to produce and place, the cost of safe removal is often in the thousands.

The term “environmental destruction” for me has long been associated with the assumptions that irresponsible production and consumption can lead to clear-cut forests and dirty water. It brings to mind images of factories and SUVs. Now, however, it also brings to mind images of war and the environmental destruction it will bring for generations to come.

Thinking Beyond Borders’ curriculum focus in Viet Nam is the Environment, and in our time here we met with a wide range of international and local NGOs to learn about their work addressing this issue through research, education, and community outreach.

Action For the City works to improve the quality of life for all in Ha Noi and other cities of Viet Nam by increasing community participation and policy advocacy. Their projects aim to improve the natural environment, the built environment, and the social environment with the focus on disadvantaged groups.

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Donxa is a Belgian NGO whose intention is to raise the quality of life in development areas by long-term investments in the education of children, the improvement of living conditions, and health care. With volunteer support they provide services directly to rural communities in Viet Nam.

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EcoBoat is a floating classroom in Ha Long Bay where Vietnamese junior-high and high school students learn from hands-on, experiential environmental education. Themes include mankind’s impact on the natural setting, and our responsibility toward it. Students debate the rival claims of economic development and conservation, and consumption and preservation. The project is an initiative of Fauna & Flora International.

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Friendship Village helps to cultivate reconciliation and heal the wounds of the Viet Nam War by uniting veterans and caring citizens through international cooperation in the building and support of the Village. Residents suffer serious health problems attributed to the lingering effects of Agent Orange, the defoliant sprayed extensively by US forces in Viet Nam during the war.

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GreenZoom promotes environmental awareness through photography, video, and creative media. They work to create a community of socially conscious, active youth in order to bring about positive change.

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PanNature is working to conserve nature and protect the environment in Viet Nam through focus on areas of biodiversity, natural resources, environmental policy and planning, sustainable livelihoods, green business, and civil society involvement.

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Peace Trees Vietnam is a humanitarian, US-based non-profit leading efforts to remove landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXO) in central Viet Nam. Their mission is to work alongside the Vietnamese people to help build their capacity for a safe and healthy future for the children and families of Quang Tri Province.

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Research and Training Centre for Community Development (RTCCD) collaborates with local communities in all Vietnamese provinces to assess environmental situations and determine needs for community development. They identify and promote the local resources and strengths, suggest feasible solutions, and assist the community in building their own action plan. RTCCD gives priority to poor and vulnerable communities and to areas disadvantaged by the aftermath of war, geographical location, material wealth, or human resources.

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VVOB (Education for Development) is a Belgian organization working to build local capacity by providing technical assistance and training. In recent years this has been done through teacher training and assistance in integrating environmental education into classroom teaching.

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Viet Nam Green Building Council addresses urban adaptation to climate change and sustainable planning for Viet Nam. They facilitate green design, construction, and urban planning in Viet Nam; implement cost-effective solutions to mitigate environmental issues originating from the built environment; and educate policy makers, property owners, and the public on green issues.

Leaving on a midnight flight from Mumbai after a long day of wrapping up our work in India, Sandy and I started our journey to Viet Nam looking forward to sleeping on our flights. While the trip was an adventure (including delays, missed connections, and lost luggage) we did eventually arrive in Ha Noi — tired, but excited for the task ahead.

Ha Noi is a fascinating city, clearly in the midst of enormous transition. Our hotel (The Rising Dragon: www.rising dragonhotel.com; highly recommended) is located in the heart of the Old Quarter, a tourist district filled with shops, restaurants, and the “hawkers” or street vendors. The history of the country is everywhere; from the French bakeries, to the billboards with Ho Chi Minh quotes, to the Viet Cong military helmets sold by hawkers, the images of the past are ubiquitous among the undeniable signs of the future.

Motorbikes (what we call “scooters” in the US) are everywhere. Just fifteen years ago, these were rarely seen in Ha Noi as bicycles were the common mode of transportation. In 1986 Viet Nam passed market reforms that continue to transition the country’s economic foundation from Communism to Market Socialism. At the time of the reforms, Viet Nam was among the poorest and most economically isolated countries in the world. Today, it is among the world’s leading exporters of rice and coffee, and is becoming a production center for companies like Cannon and John Deere. These economic changes bring employment opportunities with higher wages for more people.

Unfortunately, it’s not all positive. While motorbikes bring great convenience and mobility to the citizens of Ha Noi, they also bring pollution. Surgical masks are a common part of the wardrobe for many as they move about town. As we think about the Bali Summit on Climate Change of this past week, it is easy to see the connection between local economic development and the potential for environmental crisis.

By and large, this is a great city to visit. The people of Viet Nam have been friendly and helpful. Though few people on the street speak English, most are willing to endure our extensive hand signals and charades in order to assist us with directions. As dinner often consists of stooping to eat a bowl of noodles alongside local families and business people at one of the countless sidewalk vendors throughout the city, it is easy to feel welcomed into the excitement of this historic and modern city.

Noodles on the Street, Viet Nam

To Lynne Gadowski and Kiron Nath who opened their home to us in Mumbai, connected us with groups and individuals in India, and provided lots of helpful tips along the way.

To Janardhanan M. at the American Center, who offered both advice and resources.