¡Usted ya es rico!

 

Había una vez, dos simpáticos viajeros que venían de un poblado lejano a un país abatido por un terremoto. Cuando los pobladores los vieron acercarse se dijeron unos a otros: “Vengan, vamos a ver si nos han traído algo que nos ayude.”; con la esperanza de recibir lo mismo que de otros amables visitantes, algún presente o tipo de ayuda.

 

Los dos viajeros pusieron sus maletas en el suelo, sin más que sus pertenencias personales.  Con valentía uno de ellos dijo: “no tenemos dinero pero queremos trabajar con ustedes, como amigos, como buenos vecinos ayudarles a recuperar su comunidad aprovechando las riquezas que ya poseen.

 

Sin embargo los pobladores dijeron: “No tenemos mucho aquí, mejor es irse a otro lugar. Nuestras vidas han sufrido después del desastre. Estamos cansados y débiles”

 

Cuando empezaban a dar la vuelta para regresar a sus casas con las manos vacías, uno de los viajeros enfatizó en forma sencilla: “Pero tenemos todo lo que necesitamos aquí”. “De hecho estamos viendo los mejores y más ricos recursos aquí y son…”, mirando a cada persona allí, grandes y pequeños, “… Ustedes mismos.”

 

Todos quedaron atónitos por un momento y sonrieron, sintiendo que algo dentro de ellos antes dormido, ahora despertaba. Era un regalo diferente el que recibían, algo como respeto pero mas.

 

El viajero agregó, mientras sonreía a una niña en brazos de su madre: “No creemos que los pobrecitos existan. En fin, hablamos con los líderes de la comunidad y ellos consideran que una necesidad importante, es tener un colegio aquí para los muchos jóvenes que hay aquí.”

 

“¡Pero usted no tiene estudiantes! ¡Ni siquiera un edificio que alberque a esos estudiantes!”, protestaron muchos pobladores. “Ese es trabajo del gobierno. Nos prometieron construir una escuela, cuando tengamos 60 estudiantes.” La mayoría de los habitantes del pueblo asintieron con la cabeza confirmando este comentario.

 

Luego, con gran entusiasmo, el líder del pueblo que había guiado a los viajeros, avanzó unos pasos hacia adelante y anunció con gran ceremonia: “Bueno, ya tenemos 10 alumnos, un edificio abandonado, un maestro local y uno de los viajeros también es maestro. Ya puedo ver a los estudiantes aprendiendo”.

“Y nunca se arrepentirán, ningún desastre jamás les podrá quitar su educación”, dijo el viajero, sin rogar ni demandar.

 

Los viajeros y el líder del pueblo se despidieron para trabajar en la casa abandonada.

 

Los pobladores por su parte sentían curiosidad, venían a ver.

 

El primer aldeano que se acercó a la escuela pudo ver, como con gran entusiasmo limpiaban juntos el viejo edificio.  “Si sólo tuviera un poco de pintura, el edificio se vería más bonito”, dijo el viajero.

“Mi hermano es el dueño de la ferretería, sé que puede donar la pintura y cuente conmigo para pintar” se ofreció el aldeano.

“¡Fantástico, ahora tenemos los estudiantes, un edificio pintado, y dos maestros! La escuela está empezando a verse bien”, Exclamó el viajero.

 

El segundo aldeano se acercó a la nueva escuela y la encontró pintada y en el interior, una gran mesa con libros.

 

“Acabo de recibir los libros por parte del gobierno. Si yo tuviera más escritorios para los estudiantes… pero nada que ver en quejarse, tenemos las cosas mas importantes- estudiantes y maestro y libros”, dijo el viajero en voz alta.

“La iglesia donará la madera y personalmente puedo construir los escritorios”, dijo el aldeano.  “¡Fantástico! Ahora tenemos los estudiantes, un edificio pintado, dos maestros, libros y escritorios. ¡Estamos listos para empezar la escuela! “, dijo el viajero.

 

La tercera aldeana no menos curiosa, se acercó la escuela y vió a los estudiantes aprendiendo.  “Si sólo tuviera un poco más de  maestros, podríamos ofrecer más cursos. Imaginése las clases extracuriculares”, dijo el viajero.

“De hecho, yo puedo enseñar y también mi abuela, pero no podemos trabajar de forma gratuita”, dijo el aldeano.

El viajero le dijo: “Nosotros cobramos a los alumnos una pequeña mensualidad para que aprecien su educación y de esa manera podemos ofrecerles a usted y a su abuela un pago justo por su trabajo. ¡Excelente, ahora tenemos los estudiantes, un edificio pintado, libros, escritorios, y más maestros! “, exclamó el viajero.

 

La cuarta aldeana se acercó a la escuela y vio a los estudiantes disertando sobre la geografía de la zona, sobre sus ríos y los deslizamientos sufridos por el terremoto.

“Si tuviéramos alguna forma de conectar con las universidades para añadir más programas prácticos a la escuela.  Queremos aprender más sobre cómo proteger esta gran área en la que vivimos. “ dijo el viajero.

“Yo no sé nada de eso”, dijo la aldeana.

“Si yo solo tuviera a alguien que conozca bien la región, visitaríamos a los especialistas” dijo el viajero.

“Bueno, yo conozco esta región. Puedo ir con usted a la universidad y podemos hablar con ellos. Quizás podemos pedirles que visiten la escuela” dijo la aldeana.

“Maravillosa idea, ahora tenemos a los estudiantes, un edificio pintado, libros, escritorios, más maestros, y las posibles conexiones con la universidad. Una escuela así realmente puede hacer que la educación sea más interesante. ¿Podemos pensar en mas ideas maravillosas?”, dijo el viajero.

 

Poco a poco más gente se agregó con grandes ideas y grandes noticias: “Creo que podemos tener clases conjuntas con la escuela más cercana”,

“La comunidad ofreció su gimnasio y centro comunitario para enseñar a sus estudiantes también”,

“Yo puedo conseguir las computadoras de una empresa “,

“Vamos a empezar una huerta comunitaria junto a la escuela”,

“¡La universidad acaba de decirme que va a construir un techo de energía solar en nuestra escuela!”

 

A todo esto, los viajeros sólo pudieron decir: “Increíble. La escuela que tenemos es tan apta para nuestros maravillosos estudiantes.”

 

Llegó el día en que el gobierno construyó en la región un nuevo edificio para educación secundaria, debido a que la escuela creció y tuvo los 60 estudiantes propuestos.

 

La celebración fue grande. El orador comenzó a decir: “Estamos encantados de construir el primer colegio en esta región…” Un padre miró a su hijo y le dijo: “Bueno, ¿exactamente no es el primero, verdad? Fuimos nosotros los que realmente trabajamos para que ellos hicieran su trabajo y construyeran un edificio.”

Otro aldeano le susurró a otro,” próximamente, veo una escuela para adultos aquí… ”

 

Varios años después, algunos de los pobladores de la zona afectada por el terremoto, también viajaron a otras regiones afectadas. Ellos llegaban a esos países y comunidades y animaban a sus pobladores, haciéndoles comprender que: “Los mejores y mayores recursos están aquí…”, y señalando a cada individuo le decían:”…es usted.”

 

La comunidad, siguió prosperando. Crecieron los comercios, se construyeron más y mejores escuelas y se crearon más asociaciones patrimoniales, ya que las personas aprendieron a trabajaron juntas para optimizar su comunidad, potenciando sus propios recursos, en vez de esperar pasivamente los cambios urgentes que necesitaba la comunidad.

 

A los más pequeños todavía les gusta escuchar la historia del pueblo, la historia de “¡Usted ya es rico!”

 

 

 

You are already rich

Adapted from Stone Soup

 

 

In the far away land three travelers came by plane, by bus, by car and finally by foot over mountainous terrain to reach a small village that was devastated by a large scale earthquake. Although they were tired and hungry from traveling, they saw the damage of the region and found renewed strength. Guided by kind village leaders, they were given a tour for several days of the fallen buildings, broken homes, sweeping landslides, and holes left by fallen roads. The travelers noted that nature’s power and what it is capable of  doing in seconds was seen and made known, never to be forgotten by anyone who survived it or challenged by anyone who dared to think one had a greater strength. Was it evil this force  of nature or good? Or neither, but that it simply exists. To what purpose? The travelers knew that the people together held the greater power to use the disaster for the good of the community in order to create something beautiful and lasting from the rubbles. The travelers knew that only the people themselves could unleash this strength. No amount of money could free it. The travelers felt a surge of excitement at the daunting challenge nature was presenting at them. They walked more quickly as they were nearing the center of town.

When the village community saw the travelers approaching, they said to one another, “come, let’s see what they may have brought us in this time of distress.” Usually kind visitors brought gifts and some kind of help with them.

It was hard to gauge exactly what kind of visitors they would be this time. Some outsiders built small lodges or huge tourist attractions. Some argue that the foreigners make all the money while the local people only hold the menial jobs. Other outsiders come for a short time and helped build homes, or to hand out gifts. The villagers receive the items or services without any exchange of words, passive in letting the outsiders do the work. Many offer services- medical, health or spiritual- for a day. Some were (and still are) scared to visit the area and so the villagers were grateful for the people who made an effort to visit. Then there are the sad memories of those who come with the intention to harm the community. They visit with promises to never to be seen or heard from again or there are those who came to only steal from the peaceful unguarded town. Now that the area still remains with remnants of the earthquake damage, it has become a tourist attraction for both nationals and internationals who come to only take pictures of whatever and whenever they wish. The community wondered what kind these three visit were. They had asked to come to the next community meeting to introduce themselves.

The three travelers and the guides entered a small room left intact inside of a church for a town meeting. Members of the community passed by the fallen community center right next to it as if it was something normal now, three years after the earthquake. The travelers wondered what one thought as they passed these destroyed buildings everyday. One traveler wished they had brought something to give, more to offer besides themselves. Bravely when they were presented by the village leaders, they said, “We can see that you have suffered. We bring no funds for projects but want to work with you as neighbors. Together we can help the community recover by using the incredible riches that are already here. ”

 

Incredible riches here? No funds for projects? Then how could they help? That is how aid was done- projects are funded and then people come to offer the programs. “There is not much here and there are no jobs, better go elsewhere. We are tired,” said some of the villagers. Most started to turn around to walk home empty-handed, wondering about their new neighbors.

 

“Oh we have everything we need right here,” announced the travelers brightly. “In fact we are with the richest resources right now,” looking at each and every person there, big and small,        “… you. You are the answers and solutions here.”

 

Everyone was stunned for a moment and smiled then frowned. Many felt something inside of them stir. It was a type of stir that  seemed to be a not easily understood yet it felt intuitively correct, self evident almost. “We are the answers and solutions here,” they thought and then they doubted. But what does this mean? But what can we do? This was certainly a different type of gift that they were given- a kind of respect that but one that required so much from them.

 

The initial moment of feeling hope and encouragement was quickly clouded by many understandable buts. But there was no time or the energy, but the needs of families, needs to find jobs, why me question- but why do I have to work for the community? But the most dangerous of all was the fear that they really could do something, that they were the answers, that there was something greater that they were more than the survival chores of daily life. The thought of this failure and but why not me? was too great to  even allow much more room for consideration.

 

The travelers broke the pondering silence. “For some time community leaders have been sharing with us that they would like to see a high school here for the 100+ youth in the community. What can we do together to help start a high school in a few months? What is already here to make it happen?”

 

“But you have no students! No building!,” many villagers protested. “That’s the government’s job. There is nothing we can do but wait. They said that they need 60 students to build a school here.” The rest of the villagers nodded with each other in agreement.

Then one of the village leaders who had guided the travelers to the center of town , took a few steps forward and joked with the villagers that the travelers like all words except for the word but and that the travelers liked to focus on what the community did have. “Also I have some news- we already have 10 students, an abandoned building, and a local teacher. And, one of the travelers is also a teacher. I can already see the students learning,” the village leader declared.

 

“And I have never met a person who has said, ‘I wish I never went to school,’ ” added the traveler. “No disaster can ever take away one’s education. Come and see the school,” the traveler said quite simply and hopefully. Then the travelers and the village leader  waved cheerfully and left to work on the abandoned house.

 

Now the villagers were really curious. Some did decide to come and see.

 

The first villager came by the school and saw parents of the students cleaning the house and making repairs together, in exchange for the use of the home.

“If only we had some paint, the building would look nicer. Imagine that, our youth here in this school. Oh well, I guess it doesn’t matter really what it looks like as long as there is a lot of love and teaching inside,” said one of the travelers.

“My brother owns the Hardware Store. He can donate paint and I can help paint.”

“You don’t say! Now we have students, a painted building, and two teachers! The school is starting to look good!” cried the traveler.

 

 

The second villager came by to see the school and saw a painted house and one large table inside with stacks of books.

“I just received text books from the government. If only we had more desks for the students, but, oh well. No sense in complaining what we don’t have! The important thing is that we have teachers and books,” said the traveler.

“The church will donate wood and I can help make desks,” said the second villager.

“You don’t say! Now we have students, a painted building, 2 teachers, books and desks! We start school in one week!” said the traveler.

 

The third villager came by and saw the students learning.

“If only we had some more teachers, we can really offer more extracurricular classes!” said a traveler.

“I can teach and so can my grandmother but we cannot work for free,“ said the third villager.

“You don’t say! We charge the students a little tuition so that they appreciate their education and from that we can offer you fair pay. Now we have students, a painted building, books, desks, and more teachers!” cried the traveler.

 

The fourth villager came by to see the school and saw students doing presentations about the rivers and landslides.

“If only we had some way to connect to universities to add hands on programs to the school. We want to learn more about how to protect this great area that we live in,” said the traveler.

“I wouldn’t know anything about that…” said the villager.

The traveler ignored the comment and continued talking. “If only we had someone who can share about our region, we can go visit the professors. Imagine all the possibilities we can have in working together.”

“Well I know this region well. I can go with you to the university and we can talk to them. Maybe we can ask them to visit the school,“ offered the fourth villager.

“You don’t say! That’s a wonderful idea. Now we have students, a painted building, books, desks, more teachers, and possible connections with the university. Can we think of any more great ideas?!”

 

More and more people did come by with many more great ideas and much more terrific news.

“I think that we can have joint classes with the school nearby here about an hour away.”

“The community center in the next town offered their gym and center for us to use and teach their students as well.”

“We can start a community newspaper! “

“Let’s start a community vegetable garden next to the school.”

“The university just told me that they are going to build solar energy roof in our school!”

 

To all this, the travelers could only say, “Incredible. What a school you have, fit for your marvelous students.”

 

The day arrived when the government did construct a new high school building in the region because the school grew to have 60 students. There was great celebration in the community.

 

The government speaker began to say, “We are glad to build the first high school in this region…” A father turned to his son and whispered, “Well, not exactly the first is it? And it was us who really helped them to do their job and bring us a school building.” Another villager whispered to another, “I see an adult school here next.” The speaker continued about the importance of education for the progress and development of the country and the ceremony ended with music.

 

The celebration and hope however did not just stay within this village. Some villagers overflowed with hope and compassion started to travel to other affected regions to help. They arrived to other villages and said to them, “I am with at the richest resources right now..,” looking at each and every person with great ceremony, “..you.”

 

Years later the communities were thriving. There were many more businesses, schools and partnerships as people developed and worked together to better the community, recognizing what was already there and not just waiting for changes to happen by themselves. Kids still like to hear the story of how it all started in what has become the story of “you are already rich.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Questions:

1. How does society define the word “rich”? “Poor”? Are there examples of being poor and rich that do not refer to money?

2. Why do you think that people of the community are the richest resources in that community?

3. How would you define the term “pobrecito” or “you poor thing?” What are positive and negative consequences to this mentality? What do you also think of Marianne Williamson’s quote,” our greatest fear is not that we are inadequate but that we are powerful beyond measure?”

4. How did the travelers engage with the community? Why do you think that this can be important?

5. When the father turns to his son and says “well, it isn’t exactly the first..” what did he mean? And why do you think is important that the father is telling his son this?

6. Why do you think that another villager said, “I see an adult school here next?” What allowed[d17]  the villager to say this?

7.  Why do you think other people [d18] went to other affected regions?

8. Do you think it is important that the government built the new high school building? If so, why?

9. What are some other more ‘traditional’ ways the travelers         could have responded [d19] and what would have the community learned from it?

10. How are you already rich?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Some Food for Thought: The travelers knew that no amount of money could release the riches within[d20] , only the people themselves could. The strength within the community is unleashed as people start seeing the riches within the community (themselves and assets already available) and not just wait or depend on outside rescue and solutions. They see themselves as resource rich and solutions to their challenges, knowing best how systems and resources work in their nation and understand better what the community really needs. Often times it seems that well-intentioned outsiders come into communities and do the work for the community, perhaps perpetuating a mentality in the community as takers, passive and inferior. Furthermore, many projects stop once the outsiders leave and are not sustainable simply because they are not maintained by the people of the community who live there. In addition, many programs are not suitable for the community because they are not what was needed, wanted or beneficial for the community. Development seems to work more when it involves the community in all projects starting with the planning stages so that the community can own it and maintain it.

ADE, Association of Development through Education is an organization that redefines aid. It uses a zero down model, using what resources are already there in the community and working to raise local leadership as it focuses on development through education together with the community.  Because one does not need to be financially supported to do this model, ADE hopes that as it lives this model with the community obtaining jobs to support itself simultaneously doing development, some will be encouraged to respond to other marginalized or disaster stricken communities, using their skills to obtain jobs and focus on educational initiatives to develop not only education but more importantly people. [d21]