Sylvia's Journal

I don’t think I have ever heard a group of about 40 African men speak freely about their feelings in the company of their bosses and peers. But something got sparked over the last few days and the district teams were truly on fire last night after, they talked about saying ‘thank you’ more often (this is rather counter-cultural), reflecting on their own contributions to tensions and conflicts, turning complaints into requests and coaching their teams.

We completed the program with a lot of ‘feel good’ speeches but also exhortations to now stay the course. I am glad that I went, in spite of warnings from around me to stay in bed and recover fully. I am recovered fully now.

With Malalai getting the Nobel Peace Prize, the observations and contributions from the handful of women in our program and a recent blogpost on MSH’s website  (about a brave Nigerian woman who may have singlehandedly stopped the spread of Ebola in Nigeria, I am once again reminded what singularly important role women play in society and how men, who don’t let them develop or use their talents, are shooting themselves and the rest of us in the foot.