Wendy Lee & Books For Cameroon: How To Change The World For $11,500 (An Exclusive Interview With A U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer)

Wendy was studying for her postgraduate entrance examination when her friends Billy and Loǐc invited her to a dinner-party. Welcoming the break from Pythagorean theorems, she soon found herself in the midst of Bamilệkệ villagers and foreign missionaries speaking in English, Fijian, Korean, French, Spanish and German.

She does homework and blogs on Blogger and Facebook just like most of us, but she’s not your typical 23 year old Asian-American girl. Wendy Lee is a multilingual United States Peace Corps volunteer and literacy advocate, the driving force behind Books For Cameroon – the visionary project of building and stocking 30 fully-booked libraries in this West African nation.

The Republic of Cameroon, with an area of 475,442 square kilometers, is a microcosm of the African landscape, a convergence of diverse climate, vegetation and geography. The 2009 population estimate is 19,522,000 – but only 67.9% is literate.

The importance of being able to read and write is self-evident. There is also a scientifically-proven correlation between illiteracy on one hand, and poverty and prejudice against women on the other, as revealed in the latest (2008) “Global Monitoring Report On Education For All” from the UNESCO.

Enter Books For Cameroon. The idea is to establish 30 – having grown from the original 25 – bilingual (English and French) libraries in the East, West, and Southwest regions. Phase 1, until the end the end of September, is the funding and delivery of English books, with the help of the U.S. NGO Books For Africa. Phase 2 begins on October for French books, in coordination with French NGOs Billion and I’AESCO. The training on library management will start on January 2010.

For a Peace Corps volunteer, each day is an adventure. “The constant surprises are both the beauty of life as a volunteer, yet also the source of many frustrations,” she writes in her blog. Some unhappy moments were borne of cultural differences, but the most ridiculous moments come from the top: government officials and services always late and government offices always closing early.

A recent visit to Yaoundệ village illustrates the state of the nation. Wendy and her friends were about to cross the street when angery policemen waved them back. The village transformed into a virtual war zone as military tanks and soldiers with machine guns brought everything into a standstill. Lo and behold, the Mighty One descended: President Paul biya arrived in a limousine with a parade of siren-screaming SUVs and motorcycle escorts – to watch a football game at the Omnisport stadium.

Freedom House ranks Cameroon as “not free” in civil liberties and political rights. Biya has been in power since 1982 and just recently arrived from a vacation in France on a $40,000-a-night budget. Meanwhile, the country’s budget for education is a microscopic 3.3% of government expenditures – and Wendy and her team and wracking their brains out trying to find $11,500 for 30 libraries.

Wendy has mobilized the power of the Internet, creating global awareness through Facebook and other social-networking sites. I met her when she sent me a note via BloggersUnite.org, where we both took part in the International day For Literacy campaign last Sept. 8.

With 3 other Peace Corps volunteers and the Cameron-based NGO Research Institute For Development, Wendy and her team has charted progress, but it is still not enough. Her September 29 blog post is a galvanizing call to the worldwide network of friends and supporters of the project:

“My goal to fund Phase 1 of Books For Cameroon by the end of September is unlikely to happen, unless either an amazing, generous philanthropist decides to donate $3.5K in the next 24 hours, OR, if by some bizarre miracle, 700 people decide to donate their 5$ [Facebook] latte/beer in the next 24 hours.”

Wendy graciously took time for our e-mail interview, where she talks about Books For Cameroon, her plans after Peace Corps, and why there’s no such thing as a “typical” day for her. Excerpts:

Q. In the movie Stanley & Iris, Robert De Niro plays an illiterate man who asks Jane Fonda to teach him to read. In Books for Cameroon, do you have a program for adults?

A. While most of the libraries will be in schools, we are supplying books to 5 municipal and resource libraries where adults will have access. Since the project began with my desire to fill a 4-room school house with books, most of the emphasis lies on youth literacy and access to information.

Q. Illiteracy can be perceived as a social stigma. Doubtless there are Cameroonians who want to learn but are too embarrassed or intimidated. Are these folks part of your program?

A. From my experiences with teaching here, a great majority of people who can read do not read at ease, and a lot of the time do not comprehend what they read. They would probably never seek help, but I hope through our library management training, teachers will begin incorporate library usage as a part of their curriculums and reach those too afraid or too embarrassed to seek help.

Q. In your mission of spreading literacy, providing easy access to reading materials is already half the battle. What other things do you have in mind to jumpstart the students’ life-long relationship with the printed word?

A. Besides putting books on shelves, we hope to implement training for educators within Cameroonian schools and teach methods that allow students to actually have access to the books in these libraries. This could include reading time during class and implementing a system of lending books from these libraries. Hopefully the increase in frequency of reading will allow students to discover the entertainment value that lies within the printed words. Personally, I see this as a global problem in today's digital age where fewer people read as a form of entertainment.

Q. The 2009 population estimate for Cameroon is a staggering 19, 522, 000 – of which only 67.9% are literate. It seems too much to expect a 100% literacy rate within a generation, so how do you see it?

A. Of the 67.9% who are literate, I suspect a good number of them do not read on a regular basis. My project's goal isn't to achieve 100% literacy, but instead allowing those who can read to read more, and those who can't to begin. I think reaching the youth can create more long-lasting impact in spreading literacy, and that is why the majorities of our libraries are in schools.

Q. In the history of colonialisms, the status quo consolidates its power by keeping the masses in a state of ignorance. Freedom House has ranked Cameroon as “not free” in terms of civil liberties and political rights. Do you think President Biya will interfere with your program if the people start being enlightened?

A. [I will have to omit this question as I can't publicly answer politically sensitive questions as a Peace Corps volunteer.]

Q. How do teachers teach the love of reading without making it seem like homework?

A. When I was in elementary school in Taiwan, my favorite time in school was when my teacher took the class to the library for an hour or two for reading time. We were able to read any books that we wanted in the library. To me, that felt like a break since we didn't need to listen to a lecture. I think reading time is extremely important, especially in the primary school level.

Q. What’s a typical day for you?

A. As a Peace Corps volunteer, there really isn't a typical day. We have the liberty to shape the day as we wish. If I wake up tomorrow and feel like going on a 3-hour hike or hang out with my villagers, I could. If I decided to stay in and get work done, I could be interrupted by the neighborhood kids who want to play or neighbors who invite me over for lunch. The constant surprises is the beauty of being a Peace Corps volunteer.

Q. What’s the next project after Books for Cameroon?

A. After Books For Cameroon, my service will come to and end. However, since my primary assignment is a business developer, I have been teaching business classes to villagers, advising a few different small enterprises to help them get off the ground. These business-related projects are on-going and I work on them while implementing Books For Cameroon

Q. How do you envision Books for Cameroon after your tour of duty?

A. We hope through library management training, the 30 libraries will become self-sustainable. However, we are working with RIDEV (Research Institute for Development), a Cameroonian NGO who will help us follow-up on the libraries after our departure. I also hope that volunteers after us will have the initiative to continue Books For Cameroon in other parts of the country. The need is dire and Books For Cameroon can absolutely be an on-going project.

Q. What’s life after the Peace Corps?

A. Besides bugging everyone on the cyber-sphere about my project, I am also filling my brain with esoteric GRE vocabularies to prepare for graduate school admission. I plan to pursue a master's program in international relations, with emphasis on international finance and economics.

Q. Final question, Wendy. Millions of people around the world believe in you and your mission, and they are supporting you in their own ways. What is your message to them?

A. I want to encourage everyone to turn off their iPhones, laptops, and televisions every now and again and enjoy a good book. We can get bogged down in today's digital world and forget the simplicity that lies within the printed words. Also, take the time to read because we are able to; this is not a skill that we should take for granted. Utilize it!

Watch related video on Cameroon volunteers courtesy of ABroaderView.org. Photo of Wendy Lee and Cameroon kids courtesy of RoundII:Cameroon. Visit Books For Cameroon, her blog Round II:Cameroon and Facebook wall. See also “Can We End Poverty In Our Generation?”

How On Earth Do You Prepare For The Coming Mega-Quake?

A 7-8 magnitude earthquake is set to rock Metro Manila – literally destroying buildings, bridges, hospitals, schools, even the proposed evacuation centers, leaving millions homeless or worse.

The warning came from no less than Chief Renato Solidum of Phivolcs (Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology), one of the few remaining officials in the Arroyo administration with an untarnished reputation for honesty and competence. In other words, I believe him.

Portentiously, a 5.3 quake epi-centered in Mamburao, Oriental Mindoro last week. The quake jolted Looc, Lubang with Intensity 4; Batangas City, Iba in Zambales and Clark in Pampanga with Intensity 3; and Intensity 2 in Laguna, Cavite, Makati, Pasay, Pasig, Muntinlupa and Manila.

The exact (or even approximate) date cannot be pinpointed at this point, but Chief Arjun Kartoch of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Emergency Services Branch gave assurances that the “Doomsday” upheaval will come.

If you live in a condo, that’s good for flashfloods; but what about when the earth moves under your feet and everything above you begins to fall down?

Watch video of "Lessons Learned From The 1990 Luzon Quake." Photo of Sichuan quake courtesy of WeLoveComments.

The Return of Joseph "Erap" Estrada -- A Legal Precedent or A Constitutional Crisis?

History is repeating itself but it doesn’t look that way. The formal announcement of former President Joseph “Erap” Estrada’s second campaign for the presidency is actually a field day for legal eagles and law students.

The Philippine Constitution says the President will serve a single 6-year term with no re-election. Estrada was elected in 1998, so his term ended in 2004, right? But in 2001 came the Edsa 2 Revolution, and he ceased to be President.

(This was when then Vice President Gloria Arroyo got the top post and since then has been refusing to let go but that’ another story.)

Depending in where you stand politically, Estrada:

• Resigned
• Took a leave of absence
• Was deposed

There’s no point in asking, “Can Erap run again?” because he already is. The question should be, “Is Erap’s campaign illegal?”

Duh! Hello! says Romy Macalintal, Arroyo’s lawyer. Of course he will say that. Curiously though, he won’t file a motion.

Nonsense! says Makati Mayor Jojo Binay, Erap’s running mate. Of course he’ll say that. The thing is, he’s a lawyer too.

It’s like 1976 again. Ninoy Aquino was running for the Senate but was under-aged, at 34 (he should be 35) during the campaign – but he’ll be 35 on proclamation day. The Marcos administration’s tactic was to let Ninoy run and freeze him later with a Supreme Court judgment. But Ninoy’s chief legal counsel, Jovito Salonga, sealed his victory and set a landmark precedent – brilliantly – and changed the course of the country’s history.

Erap has enough excess political baggage to sink another SuperFerry, and it seems the Arroyo administration is giving him, metaphorically, enough rope to hang himself. What will happen to Erap’s comeback? Nobody knows at this point, but it gets more complicated if you ask lawyers.

At any rate, we should not that Erap was the first incumbent President to face impeachment proceedings, but he also got the biggest electoral vote in the history of Philippine politics.

Photo courtesy of Migs

The Great Greenbelt Rolex Robbery -- An Inside Job?

MAKATI – Here’s irony in spades. One of the most daring heists in recent memory happened in broad daylight. 6 armed men nonchalantly strolled into one of the country’s most prestigious malls, the plan was derailed by two policeman while they were serving as bodyguards of a politician who didn’t even invite them for lunch.

The target was Rolex watches, but instead they got Tudor watches, but they worth 8 million pesos ($164K+). One robber died from the shoot-out but the rest have escaped smoothly, as if there’s no security.

This happened just last Sunday at the Greenbelt 5. Apparently the robbers told the security guards that they’re the Bomb Squad; they turned out to be the Alvin Flores hold-up syndicate.

Taguig City Mayor Freddie Tinga was having lunch while his bodyguards, SPO1 Cesar Tiglao and PO1 Efren Ceniza, waited outside the restaurant. The two cops saw the thieves breaking the display cases and they opened fire.

Where are the security guards? Or more precisely, why did they seem to vanish? Are they in cahoots?

Here’s another irony: The NCRPO (National Capital Regional Police Office) had issued a directive a few weeks back that armed men wearing uniforms – Police, SWAT, Bomb Squad – should not be allowed to enter private establishments unless they arrive in mobile patrols or any official vehicle.

The Rolex robbers came in private cars, and the security guards probably even saluted them.

Last September 29, armed goons wearing SWAT uniforms entered and raided Harrison Plaza in Malate in Manila, just a few meters from a police outpost. They were there for over an hour, but no one checked their identities.

Also last month, another establishment in Pasig City was visited by criminals wearing police uniforms – I wouldn’t be surprise if they’re the real McCoy – and they bound and gagged the security men while they ransacked the place.

The Philippine National Police is full of crooks, sometimes to the point of overflowing, but security guards as insiders is becoming a growing cottage industry, having graduated from two-bit jobs in pawnshops and money changers.

Take the case of the young girl whose cell phone was stolen by – get ready for this – a pregnant criminal in Landmark. The girl and her parents asked for help from a security guard, who ignored them and refused to radio for assistance.

The criminal escaped; she got by with a little help from her accomplice.

Photo courtesy of CIRT

Do You Believe The World Will End In 2012?

Before we arrive at the End of Days, I want to ask, “Do you believe in the Priory of Sion?” Oh, I have another question: “How good is your memory?” Jesus Christ, I have a third question! “Have you seen the Mel Gibson movie Apocalypto?” I haven’t, but if I remember right, it was set during the zenith of the Mayan civilization.

That’s the rub, you see. I’m writing this in a public park at 2 in the morning, away from Google and my library that was already destroyed by the flood anyway, so I’m relying on memory. If you believe that Jesus was a divine bachelor, the Bible is enough. But if He wasn’t, there’s Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Templar Legacy – not to mention The DaVinci Code – and that’s just for starters.

The point is: we believe what we want to believe, and we can cite references to back that belief.

This also applies to the idea that the Doomsday will come in 2012, three years from now. If you believe it – or just open-minded about it – I think I know where you’re coming from, and that includes the book that decoded the Mayan calendar but whose title I forgot. And if you don’t, ditto. It would be so nice so everybody understands and respects each other’s viewpoints and senior moments.

I, for one, do not believe that the world as we know it will – poof! – vanish. I believe in Edgar Cayce’s revelations about everything – I give you my word that Seer Out Of Season is worth your hard-earned money – so this is how I see the future.

I believe that the earth’s “axis” will tilt, and the north and south “poles’ will change their map coordinates. This “Polar shift” will devastate – but not destroy – our planet. The upheaval will (chillingly) sink California, Japan, Northern Europe and lots of other places.

This polar shift has 2 phases:

• Gradual – This is also the chief cause of climate change, much more powerful that global warming; and
• Sudden – The last time we had this, it froze Greenland, dried Egypt and sunk Atlantis. This, I believe is what killed the dinosaurs, not an asteroid like in those movies where Elijah Wood survived but Bruce Willis died.

And this sudden polar shift could happen in 2012.

I believe that earth will survive even after the year 3000 because Cayce is meant to reincarnate at that time. He saw the future with New York City still existing – but the western part of the United States wasn’t there anymore.

Watch special "2012" video in AllVoices. Photo courtesy of TheYear2012

The Great Greenbelt Rolex Robbery -- An Inside Job?

Here’s irony in spades. One of the most daring heists in recent memory happened in broad daylight. 6 armed men nonchalantly strolled into one of the country’s most prestigious malls, the plan was derailed by two policeman while they were serving as bodyguards of a politician who didn’t even invite them for lunch.

The target was Rolex watches, but instead they got Tudor watches, but they worth 8 million pesos ($164K+). One robber died from the shoot-out but the rest have escaped smoothly, as if there’s no security.

This happened just last Sunday at the Greenbelt 5. Apparently the robbers told the security guards that they’re the Bomb Squad; they turned out to be the Alvin Flores hold-up syndicate.

Taguig City Mayor Freddie Tinga was having lunch while his bodyguards, SPO1 Cesar Tiglao and PO1 Efren Ceniza, waited outside the restaurant. The two cops saw the thieves breaking the display cases and they opened fire.

Where are the security guards? Or more precisely, why did they seem to vanish? Are they in cahoots?

Here’s another irony: The NCRPO (National Capital Regional Police Office) had issued a directive a few weeks back that armed men wearing uniforms – Police, SWAT, Bomb Squad – should not be allowed to enter private establishments unless they arrive in mobile patrols or any official vehicle.

The Rolex robbers came in private cars, and the security guards probably even saluted them.

Last September 29, armed goons wearing SWAT uniforms entered and raided Harrison Plaza in Malate in Manila, just a few meters from a police outpost. They were there for over an hour, but no one checked their identities.

Also last month, another establishment in Pasig City was visited by criminals wearing police uniforms – I wouldn’t be surprise if they’re the real McCoy – and they bound and gagged the security men while they ransacked the place.

The Philippine National Police is full of crooks, sometimes to the point of overflowing, but security guards as insiders is becoming a growing cottage industry, having graduated from two-bit jobs in pawnshops and money changers.

Take the case of the young girl whose cell phone was stolen by – get ready for this – a pregnant criminal in Landmark. The girl and her parents asked for help from a security guard, who ignored them and refused to radio for assistance.

The criminal escaped; she got by with a little help from her accomplice.

Watch video “Rolex Store Robbery in Greenbelt” in AllVoices. Photo courtesy of Straits Times Singapore

Teaching Kids To Be Independent

If I may paraphrase Alvin Toffler in Future Shock, parenthood is the area with the most number of amateurs. I believe that, more than education, the greatest legacy of a parent is an independent-minded and self-reliant child. This feature, Teaching Kids To Be Independent, is a synthesis of some of the best best ideas on parenting from the most respected experts in this field.

Jimmy’s clan has lived on their Georgia farm for over two centuries. Despite their poverty, his parents were community leaders and Peace Corps volunteers, and he was able to enter the prestigious American Naval Academy. “But the early commitments of our rural family life never changed,” recalls former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. “We still believe in personal freedom, hard work, self-reliance and close family ties.”

Everything begins in childhood. A child’s upbringing and environment will shape his character – and his destiny. With parenting comes responsibility, and based on Dr. Mel Levine’s New York Times bestseller Ready Or Not: Here Life Comes and additional research, here are some tools to empower children to achieve their full potential.

Identity. “Help your kids figure out who they are,” says Levine. Puberty is the crucial time for character development – and an excellent opportunity to instill a sense of self-confidence.

“We’ve long known how vital self-esteem is in a man’s life,” according to psychology Prof. Stanley Coopersmith of the University of California Davis. In his The Antecedents of Self-Esteem, he showed that successful teenagers have parents who gave them 1) unconditional love; 2) respect for their privacy; and 3) respect for their opinions and decisions.

Individuality. Each child is unique. “Identify the kinds of interests they keep coming back to, as these offer clues to the careers that will fit them best,” says Levine.

The good news is that “Some kids are very outgoing and will figure out quickly how to be successful,” noted pioneering child psychologist Toni Falbo of the University of Texas at Austin.

Vision. “Talk about the future on a regular basis,” says Levine. Encourage your kids to form some ideas about their own future.” Go beyond college courses and let your child decide the kind of profession that will give him the most fulfillment. There is no point on choosing the best law school if he wants to be the next Zsa-Zsa Saturnnah.

Let him know that “Having a purpose in your life is the most important element of becoming a fully functioning person,” according to Dr. Wayne W. Dyer of St. John’s University in N.Y., in his bestselling classic Your Erroneous Zones.

Skills. Being overly dependent is self-destructive. “Assign responsibilities around the house and make sure homework deadlines are met,” says Levine. It is the parents’ obligation to help their children develop a sense of responsibility.

The recently retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor exemplifies this principle. When she was 10 years old, she can play with dolls; drive both a truck and a tractor, and “repair windmills and fences on their family ranch at the border of Arizona and New Mexico.

Work Ethic. “Encourage teenagers to take a part-time job,” says Levine. This will help them achieve emotional maturity because “kids need plenty of practice delaying gratification and deploying effective organizational skills, such as managing time and setting priorities.”

The best way teach about finances is to show how responsibly you handle your own. In his Prodigal Sons and Material Girls: How Not To Be You Child’s ATM, financial advisor Nathan Dungan wrote “In teaching your child about money, few issues are as critical as your own regular consumer decisions.”

Discipline. Activities should be balanced. Excessive TV, video games and listening through earphones “can stunt the growth of important communication and thinking skills and make it different for kids to develop the kind of sustained concentration they will need for most jobs,” says Levine.

Discipline is “a process of scheduling the pain and pleasure of life in such a way as to enhance the pleasure of meeting and experiencing the pain first and getting it over with,” taught Dr. M. Scott Peck in The Road Less Traveled.

Resilience. “Help kids develop coping strategies,” says Levine. “They should know how to deal setbacks, stresses and feelings of inadequacy.” When they lose in a competition, children need a sounding board – and good parents will coach them to get up again and win the next game.

Remind your child that a disappointment does not make him a lesser person. “Mistakes are experiences that prepare youngsters for their futures,” according to Robert Brooks, Ph.D., of Harvard Medical School and co-author of Raising Resilient Children.

Intelligence. At a young age, children need to “learn how to solve problems and resolve conflicts, ways to brainstorm and think critically,” says Levine. The best lessons are real-life situations; the classroom is the home; and the best teacher is a parent.

A child needs to explore his growing mental capacities by himself. “Parents who overdo may have a child who doesn’t engage in the thinking process.” Wrote psychology Prof. Laura Berk of Illinois State University in Awakening Children’s Minds.

Grounding. “Avoid creating hyper-inflated egos” because they “will burst in the early stages of a career when supervisors won’t care how gorgeous you kids are,” says Levine. Excessive praise, material rewards and pampering are scientifically proven ways to produce maladjusted and weak-minded adults.

Is it really to a child’s advantage to have a teacher say to a student who’s given an incorrect answer, ‘That’s the right answer to another question’?” asks Dr. Elizabeth Guthrie, co-author of The Trouble With Perfect.

Family Ties. Once a parent, always a parent. When kids are entering young adulthood, “parents still have a pivotal role to play, but now it is more delicate. It is essential for string family ties and trust to prevail throughout this trying period,” says Levine. “Most of all, these new adults must feel that they are respected and supported by a family that appreciate them.”

In his heartwarming book on fatherhood, A Child To Change Your Life, Thomas D. Murray wrote, “I will try to give my children a sense of security, and hope that they develop enough of a willingness and ability to think, that they will feel comfortable with an open mind.”

Role Models. Education starts at home. “Kids need a range of authentic role models,” says Levine. “Have regular dinner-table discussions about people the family knows and how they got where they are.”

Lead by example. “Children learn from the things their parents do,” according to Dr. Alvin Rosenfeld, a child psychiatrist. “If we are open to the world and show good judgment, that helps children find the people who will help enrich their lives.”

An act of honesty is forever. The sight of a parent returning excess change to a fast-food service crew or a store attendant will serve as his child’s guiding light.

Remember: “There is nothing more influential in a child’s life than the moral power of quiet example,” wrote William J. Bennet in The Book of Virtues. “For children to take morality seriously, they must see adults see morality seriously.”

Photo courtesy of Disney. Video courtesy of TrailerTrashMedia