“We need a preschool program for villages”
Pam, my wife, and I live in Aswan, Egypt in a small Nubian village along the Nile. I am privileged to serve on the board of a local organization that does community development. As we sat in the board meeting, the director said, “We need a preschool program for villages.”
She went on to explain that a volunteer who was staying for six months had agreed to create a program. The target village had already chosen the 15 kids who would participate. Each family paid 50 LE (about $6) per child for the 3-month course. She, with a changed, serious tone to her voice said, “But she has now left after three months and nothing has been developed. We are scheduled to start in two weeks.”
You could sense the alarm among the board members as they looked around at each other. After some discussion, one of them turned to me and said, “Aren’t you in education?” I knew what an affirmative answer to that question would mean!
You know what’s coming next…
The meeting ended with me agreeing to develop a preschool program that could be used in villages. I asked them to give me more time than just two weeks, so they gave me six. I had already begun sketching out some plans before this even came up, so luckily I was not starting from scratch, but nearly.
So, here I am, just one day after the meeting. I’m sitting at my desk, looking out the window at the Nile contemplating what I’ve agreed to do. Ever had that feeling before? We’ll see how it goes. I’ll keep you posted.
