The Field, the River, and the Community

Sabaidee! I arrived in Vientiane on Friday where it is very hot and humid. The conference ended on Thursday, but there are still workshops over the weekend. During the conference, Shuyun and I were busy taking notes, helping with logistics (e.g. setting up the room, photocopying documents to be used during the sessions) and creating newsletters that summarize the main points of some of the sessions. Here is a quick recap of the events in the past few days:

We were split into 2 groups to visit 2 schools and observe how the schools have implemented the projects that were supported by the organization. The purpose of the projects was to develop students’ literacy and life skills. I visited the school that was more focused on life skills. Their projects were a garbage bank (a recycling program that allows them to sell by the kilo) and mushroom farming (they sell and even use the mushrooms for their school food).

It was quite interesting to see how the school explained and justified their efforts to ensure the sustainability of the project and how they were planning to keep improving their approaches, particular in terms of linking evidence and learning outcomes.

One important thing to note is that since we had to rely on a translator, it was doubly difficult to understand the accuracy of the messages, though I think this is a struggle that is not uncommon in development. (Then the following day, two of the site managers came to the conference for a Q&A with the practitioners. Practitioners presented some recommendations, which will be translated into Thai.)

After the school visit, we took a break from the discussions by going on a dinner cruise along the Chao Phraya river. Since I didn’t have time to tour around Bangkok, going on the cruise was a nice way to see other parts of the city. The weather was pleasant, the food was good, and everyone had a fun time dancing.

photo credit: one of the practitioners

The conference ended with sessions that focused more on reflection and action steps. It was wonderful to hear some of the practitioners articulate their awareness and sense of the regional community. They understandably do not often have a chance to see other practitioners face-to-face and engage in deep conversations about their practice. The conference renewed provided the necessary space to remind them that while they are working in their own countries, there is a larger community of practice that they could rely on to support their efforts. Needless to say, the conference was a wonderful opportunity to observe where the practitioners’ experiences converged and diverged, network with them, and continue to bridge the abstract and the practical (to ‘walk the talk’).

from the Global Water Forum, 2011

I bid Thailand goodbye for now. For the main part of my internship, I’ll be across the Mekong, the river that physically divides (politically speaking as well), but connects and nourishes six countries.