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Where we do it > Eritrea - Richard BatesHaving taught in a Birmingham primary school for five years, 29-year-old Richard Bates decided it was time for a change. He’s now working for the Ministry of Education in Eritrea, training 40 local English teachers in 14 different schools – and travelling from school to school by motorbike!What made you decide to volunteer?
As I reached my fifth year of teaching I realised that I needed a change of scenery, and rather than just change schools, I decided to do something totally different. Working in Africa is about as different as it gets! I took the plunge and applied to VSO in January 2006, and I was offered a job in Eritrea a couple of months later.
How did you feel when you first arrived in Eritrea?
I flew out with 21 other volunteers, some of whom I’d met on training courses, but most of whom I recognised only because we all seemed to have “I’m with VSO and I’m very scared!” tattooed on our foreheads. It’s weird knowing that you’re going to be away from home for two years, but it all felt so comfortable right from the outset. All the other volunteers were extremely friendly and the country staff that met us at the airport knew all our names - this was scary until we discovered they had been studying our photos! Two weeks of in-country training was excellent and the language sessions were particularly useful.
How have you adapted to life in Eritrea?
It’s been much easier than I expected. Any faux pas that I do commit tend to be laughed off or ignored. The biggest culture shock for me was that everyone eats with their right hand only and they all eat from one big plate. I’m not renowned for my love of spicy or different foods, so it took a while for me to get used to eating injerra (a very sour flat bread) with spicy sauces. But following the Italian colonisation in the 1930s, pasta is readily available, as is rice.
The climate is also quite a shock. I live in an area known as the western lowlands, where the temperature in the daytime is never lower than 30°C in the winter, and during the summer it never drops below 30°C at night. The heat is so intense that schools and many businesses open only in the morning. Electricity is limited to three hours in the morning and three at night, so productivity is low. Lots of time is spent waiting for the temperature to drop – I’ve become a very avid reader as a result!
What are your favourite things about Eritrea?
The scenery - it’s breathtaking. I’ll never tire of the views. On many occasions I have to just stop and take a moment to absorb the fact that I’m really here. It happens a lot when I’m on my motorbike travelling between schools. And I’ve never been to a country as safe as this - where hitch-hiking is common among volunteers, where there is very little street crime even in the capital Asmara, where people genuinely want to help you.
Tell me about where you’re working and what your job involves.
I’m an English Methodologist, based in a large town called Agordat. I work with roughly 40 English teachers in 12 elementary and 2 junior schools. 3 of these schools are based in the town and have over 1000 students. The rest are very small and rural, between 3 and 20km from the town.
My job involves helping teachers with their English and introducing them to different styles of teaching. I support them with class management and lesson structures and content. I’ve led a reading workshop for teachers and schools, observed lessons, taught demonstration lessons, team taught lessons - all to give teachers new ideas. I’ve spent a lot of time setting up a Pedagogical Resource Centre – a centre for teacher development. Teachers can come here individually to read, find ideas in resource books and develop their own. It’s also a venue for computer classes and various workshops.
What kind of challenges are you facing?
The biggest challenge is the lack of teacher motivation. Teachers in Eritrea are notoriously badly paid, and are often sent to work in places where they have no family or friends. So they’re often not eager to learn or develop. They often need to use their free time to earn extra money, so arranging extra training and activities is very difficult.
Do you think you're making a worthwhile contribution?
Sometimes I feel frustrated about the pace of change in Eritrea. But when I talk to the teachers and watch their lessons, I realise that I am making a difference – even it’s just by talking in English with them and assisting pronunciation, or showing them how to use the teaching resources that are available. If I make an impact on just a handful of teachers, I’ll come away fulfilled.
What kind of new skills do you think you'll bring home with you?
I’ve gained a huge amount of new skills. I think the greatest is the ability to lead training sessions for adults. I’ve really stretched myself by coping with extreme conditions and adapting to different settings.
Would you recommend volunteering to other people?
Volunteering in Eritrea is probably the single best experience of my life. I’ve been let out of my little bubble in Birmingham and let loose on this big wide world. I’d recommend volunteering in Eritrea to anyone. The country must be one of the safest in the world; the people must be some of the nicest.
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