The Akilah Institute for Women

Jonathan Kleiman – Media and Marketing

Last month, three members of the Business Council for Peace spoke to Akilah students about what it takes to succeed as a business woman. Here’s what they said.

Jonathan Kleiman – Instructor

Several weeks ago, each student delivered a speech about her vision for the future to practice speaking before an audience.  The following week, the students watched and critiqued their speeches.  Here’s what happened.

Jonathan Kleiman – Health and Nutrition Instructor

There are moments when you look through the viewfinder of your video camera and know you are capturing magic. I had many of these moments last week.

Thanks to the generous efforts of Ged Caddick with Terra Incognita EcoTours, twenty Akilah student had the opportunity last week to go gorilla trekking. I had the opportunity to accompany and film these students.

The first magical moment came during dinner our first night together. Earlier that day, the students and I boarded a bus in Kigali and headed out to Musanze in the Northern Provence of Rwanda. We spent the night in a hotel in Musanze so we could begin our big trek the next day bright and early. For most of the students, this was their first time in a hotel. They were so giddy the whole time – seeing the pool, getting their room keys, parading around in the complementary sandals – that I didn’t put my video camera away at all that first day.

And so I had my camera out when we sat down for dinner in the big hotel dining room. And I was able to watch through the viewfinder as one student asked the 9 others what the strange, folded piece of fabric on her plate was. I watched as the students imagined all possible uses for their napkins, until one finally tucked it into her collar and the rest followed suit.

And then there was the moment at the start of our trek the next morning. We were walking in a single file line through the forest as our guide tried to find us a pack of gorillas. I was trailing behind with two other students, out of site from the rest of the group, when I started hearing these low, grumbling sounds. I turned my camera on to film the gorillas but didn’t see any. I asked the two students where they were, but they couldn’t find the gorillas either. And then the grumblings got louder and more aggressive sounding. Maybe we were a little scared. We kept walked though and finally caught up to the rest of the group, who were clumped together making gorilla sounds to summon the gorillas.

Getting ready for the hike

Thank you to Terra Incognita Tours for making this trip possible!

Jonathan Kleiman – Health and Nutrition Instructor

I know I’ll be in trouble when she finally reads this.  Irene has told me before that she is not good at receiving compliments, especially in public.  But I can’t resist and I won’t.

I’ve always known that Irene is a strong teacher. But last week I got to sit in on her class and see her in action. I was blown away.

Irene was beginning a unit on public speaking in her Leadership & Ethics course.  Each student prepared a one minute speech about her vision for the future and delivered it in front of a camera.  The following class, Irene showed the students the footage of their speeches, and as a class, they critiqued them.  Most of the critiques were bitterly honest but encouraging.  Students pointed out nervous tics, Irene commented on the confidence students exuded.  But, as maybe expected, student were harshest in critiquing themselves.  Several cried.

I know, as a teacher, I should be worried by crying.  But this was great crying.  Crying that, to me at least, showed that the students got it.  That the exercise worked.

Our students are so fortunate to have the opportunity to work with Irene.  I’m happy I have the opportunity as well.

Jonathan Kleiman – Health and Nutrition Teacher

We began our unit on nutrition last week with an activity I thought would take two minutes.  I asked the students to list the last 5 foods they had eaten and label each as “healthy” or “unhealthy.”  When it seemed that no one understood my instructions, I asked, “Well what did you eat for breakfast today?”  Blinks and blank stares.  “Did you eat breakfast today?” More blinks and blank stares.  “Who here ate breakfast this morning?  Raise your hand.”   Not a hand went up. 

“Hm.  Ok.  Lets make a list on the board of foods that are unhealthy.”  Noella raised her hand.  “Onions.”

“Onions?  Ok.  Why onions?”

“Because,” she began, “I don’t like onions.”

“So, when we say a food is unhealthy, we mean that it is bad for your body, right?” Noella nodded.  “So do you think onions are bad for your body?”  Noella and a small, pack students around her nodded together.  “Ok, so why do you think onions are bad for your body?  What do you think, Nadine?”

“I think onions are unhealthy because they don’t taste fine.”

It’s a exhilarating moment as a teacher when five minutes into a lesson, you realize that everything you had planned is shot because of an assumption you made about what your students already know.

Student Noella answers a question in class.

It’s been fascinating, and certainly challenging, to teach this unit on nutrition.  What I thought would take 3 classes has now turned into three weeks.  And in that time, I don’t think a single activity has gone as I expected it would.   Every class it seems I am revising my assumptions.

What’s difficult is that discussing nutrition in the developing world is actually discussing a whole lot more.  It’s easy to tell a group of middle class American students to choose green vegetables in place of French fries.  It’s easy to explain daily allowances of nutrients and calories, how to limit the simple carbohydrates they consume, the importance of a hearty, healthy breakfast.  It’s an entirely different conversation when you’re having it with students who can’t afford to consume as many calories as they require, who don’t have easy access to healthy, diverse foods.   You can’t tell students that breakfast is the most important meal of the day without also suggesting how they pay for it.

I welcome your thoughts and suggestions.

Jonathan Kleiman – Health and Nutrition Instructor

Diplomatically, we say we like all Akilah’s supporters the same. Privately, though, Hannah Smith has become my favorite. I haven’t met her, but I know how extraordinary she is. Hannah, who hasn’t yet turned 8, learned about Akilah and decided she wanted to help. So Hannah filled a box with pencils and notebooks and staplers and glue and tape and pouches. The box was stuffed so full that when we opened it, the contents spilled on the floor.

Had you seen the students’ faces when they opened the box, you would understand why Hannah Smith is my favorite Akilah supporter.

Students opening a package from Hannah

Akilah students with their new supplies!