Found on the LM_NET listserv this weekend:

Nicholas Kristof, a columnist with the New York Times is seeking to raise wareness about conditions in Africa. Last year he took a university tudent with him to observe and report what is happening. Last year’s student visited the Central African Republic and Cameroon.

This year he is seeking 1 uinversity student and 1 HS or MS teacher to ccompany him. In a recent column, he asked for applications. More information can also be found on his myspace page.

I considered applying for this myself. I visited Cameroon in 1999 and I would love to go back to see how the country may have changed. The year I went, Cameroon had been voted the most corrupt country on the planet by Transparency Intl. A pipeline was being developed to run through the country from Chad (the poorest country on earth) and out to the Atlantic Ocean at Kribi ( a gorgeous beach town). Although hundreds of millions of dollars was expected to boost the country’s economy, it was feared that the government would keep the wealth to itself. The World Bank eventually withdrew its backing when Chad reneged on its plans to distribute and invest the funds.

I visited with a group of teachers and although I visited from Dja reserve at the southern tip, all the way up to Rumsiki in the northern mountains, I didn’t get the opportunity to make a lot of personal contact that you would on this trip. I spent too much time in vehicles and meetings. I learned a lot about the educational system, the economy and the lingering effects of colonialism. The country is still split in two, with one part influence by Britain and the other by France. We saw wild animals because we went looking for them. Animals do not roam the country!!

While I saw so many of the material things people don’t have, I saw patience, I saw true hospitality and I’ve seen joy that I’ve not seen elsewhere. I saw no gray hair. People get malaria (we took anti-malaria pills with us), they get tuberculosis and childhood diseases for which there are no doctors or corner drug stores. I saw schools that reminded me of the 1940’s in the US. I saw children who wanted to come to the US to learn.

I came back more patient. Less materialistic. Wanting to give more of the little bit I have. The thing is, if you try to send anything to anyone in Cameroon, it disappears in the post office.

You learn to make a difference through prayer and by making others aware. So, if you’re a teacher or college student, consider applying for this opportunity. Note that this isn’t a free trip! You’re expected to share the experience. Teachers become better by what they continue to learn and experience.  Double that for librarians because we touch even more students.

Believe me, you probably won’t be able to stop talking about this trip for a long, long time!