Sri Lanka.

A few days ago I got back from Sri Lanka, from an amazing week of IMPACT leader training.  One of the amazing (and exhausting) parts of my job as the international replication coordinator for IMPACT is traveling to the first training in any new country that begins the IMPACT program.  I do this to get to know the partner and their on-the-ground context as well as I can; to ensure that each program has a similar starting point; and to build trust and friendship for the years of collaboration that are ahead.  After that first training, though, I tend to send other trainers back to the country, so that they can bring their own perspectives and help share the privilege and challenge of helping IMPACT grow and develop in new contexts.

So this time it was Sri Lanka!  I was nervous, as it was our first time partnering with an organization in the Indian subcontinent, as well as our first time working in a post-war context.  Sri Lanka's violent civil war only really ended a few years ago, and many of the youth that our local partners are working with have PTSD from some of the horrible things they've seen and experienced.  Yet despite this, there are so many similarities between the Sri Lankan context and the Romanian context (or other countries where IMPACT is growing).  A huge exodus of young people from the country to work in more wealthy neighboring countries, where they're often exploited but earn enough money to send to their families back home.  A rural population that's shrinking as agriculture becomes less appealing to young generations, and youth who move to the big cities only to find themselves mired in poverty.  Increasing influence of technology -- smartphones, Facebook, and social media becoming commonplace among the young.  A desire for a better life, for economic security, for a sense of hope and belonging.  All of that is familiar.

It's an honor to lead these trainings.  The participants are so often amazing and experienced and I usually feel like I learn more from them than they learn from me.  This course was no exception, as the local partners shared their vast wisdom with me, usually speaking in their second or third language!  It's humbling and thrilling, and I am excited to see how IMPACT will make a difference in their work.

So here are a few pictures of my 11 days in Sri Lanka -- good memories and an exciting beginning!

 A good training on non-formal education always includes good games!

 Training participants share their expertise with each other as they think about how to adapt the program to their context.

The training participants! 

Dinner after the training each evening was an adventure... 

My co-trainer and I took one extra day in Sri Lanka to tour a bit, including visiting an elephant orphanage! 

On our last day in Sri Lanka we took a few hours to walk the beach in Colombo before boarding the plane back to the Romanian winter.