From Jim Swallow, Tloma Giving Treasurer:
I’m sitting in my room here in Tloma, self-isolating after having tested positive for COVID-19 on a self test, and having to delay my return home. I’m fully vaxed and boosted, and had minimal symptoms. Despite “being careful”, literally NO ONE wears a mask here, and there’s quite a bit of hand shaking, fist bumping, and hugging. After a very busy two weeks here, this has afforded me a large amount of quiet time to put my thoughts together about this trip.
I had a chance to meet one of our sponsored students, Neema Paulo. I have been quite impressed by her curiosity and intellect. She happens to be the daughter of the local dispensary nurse (annual salary: $1200. No, I didn’t misplace the decimal!) and sister of my sponsored student, Elibariki. He has another older brother aptly named Good Luck. All three of these kids are very bright and highly motivated. Both brothers are older than Neema, and she tends to hide herself in their shadows. She has sought me out on a couple of occasions to question me and talk one-on-one. Under those conditions, she opens up to reveal her charm and curiosity.
The two older brothers both want to be doctors. At one point I heard that Neema, also, wanted to be a doctor. Either that has changed or never was the case in the first place. She likes mathematics and is very good at it. I love mathematics myself, and find myself constantly showing young people, wondering what the purpose of it all is, how mathematics helps in real life.
She and I worked out an algebra problem with two unknowns to solve a question about the most cost-effective way for us at Tloma Giving to send funds of various amounts to Tanzania. When we send relatively small amounts, we send it through a money changer, who gives us a lower exchange rate with no extra fee; we send larger amounts through the bank, who charges an up-front fee of $40, but gives us a better exchange rate. The question was, “Where is the cut-point at which we should send the lower amount via the money changer and the larger amount via the bank?“ The two of us worked it out together. She enjoyed the process, clearly understood each step, and did the arithmetic part without any difficulty.
Given her passion for mathematics, it turns out that she aspires to go into bio engineering. That intrigues me because if that field had existed when I was in college, it would have been the field that I would have chosen. Although her English is reasonably good, I was unable to ascertain how she found out about this field and what other than the mathematics and the desire to invent something made her wish to go into it.
I am under the opinion that when our age is looked back upon in the future, it will be considered one of the most momentous turning points in the history of mankind. This is the first time in human history that the average girl has a full choice in what her future will be. In the past, the average boy, often with a little bit of help, could determine his own future. It is only now that the same thing can be said for girls.