Teaching spreadsheets to young children is one of the most unexpectedly rewarding things I have done since I have been in Africa. It didn’t start well; I just didn’t know how to communicate with them, and they would give me that glazed look that indicated that I had hopelessly lost them.

The way I learned to teach them was to teach Fred, our friend who works for us on our yard. Fred has never lived in a home with electricity, so it was ground zero for him. Just turning on the computer was a frightening thing for him at the beginning. If I could make it make sense for him, maybe I could translate it for the kids.

It has taken more time than it would take a real teacher, but Fred now keeps track of his paycheck with the ClarisWorks spreadsheet. And through the process, it has led to some other important items. Fred has never had a savings account; he didn’t know what it was. We have started a matching gift account for him; whatever he can save, he will match. I told him I would do it when he could set it up on a spreadsheet with a formula. He figured it out in a day, and now has, by Kenyan standards, a sizable savings account.

The lesson I learned with Fred is start at ground zero until you get the all clear. We started really slow, and picked up speed when he started pushing. Fred can now load software, reformat the drives, and help kids with printing their reports. He is beginning to have a real confidence with computers, and he is surprising me with the things he has learned about them.

With that victory, I tried the kids again with spreadsheets. I have won million dollar accounts before, but watching third graders high five each other because they learned how to sort on a spreadsheet was just as satisfying. We keep the computer lab open during the lunch hour, and Fred is in charge. Last week when I went in to check on it, nine kids were playing with spreadsheets. And Fred was helping one of the kids with a problem. I left before they saw me because I didn’t want them to see me cry.

The 3rd through 6th grade has caught on to spreadsheets remarkably well, and found uses that were probably never envisioned by its creators. There is a Baboon Sighting spreadsheet, with times, dates and sizes. I have not tried with the first and second grades; I have had one of the second graders insist to me: `Mr. Peifer, there is no S on my computer.’ When I showed it to her, she exclaimed `How did THAT get there?’

Africa is destroying its forests. Much of the drought occurs because deforestation affects water tables and climates in devastating ways. Forests surround RVA, and every day, we hear the trees getting chopped down by men who make charcoal out of the trees. They can make $100 a year doing that.

It is against the law to cut down the forest, and we finally got the government to help enforce the law. They went through the forest and destroyed all the charcoal pits and confiscated all the charcoal and tools. The next day, several men came to the gates. When they first saw what happened to their livelihood, their plan was to come to RVA and kill several of the leaders. They thought better of it, and came asking for help.

I talked to a guy for several hours. He was pretty rough around the edges, and told me he has six kids and how is he going to feed them without charcoal? I asked him: what will happen to your children if the forest is cut down?

The problem becomes this: I get asked for money or resources several dozens times a day. Robert’s granddaughter needs chemo; Grace has school fees due, Stephen wants to cement his home’s floor, Margaret has no food and relatives coming, the list goes on and on. We try to do what we can do, but there is no way we can support all the people with needs around here.

They had career day here a few weeks ago. Each person introduced themselves and what they were. When I introduced myself, I said `I’m the filthy capitalist pig.’ So much of what this country needs is just companies relocating here and providing jobs. I can’t blame a hungry guy for cutting down trees to put food in his stomach. They need an alternative. Africa just makes it so hard for companies to provide that alternative; the government is corrupt, the roads are atrocities, and the power is off more than it is on.

Despite that, we need to hope that rich nations invest in Africa. If we lose the battle for the forest, it will be devastating for more than just Africa. If we lose that battle, we all lose. I’d hate to lose the forest for a billion dollars; to lose it for one hundred makes me sick.

YP