Moses

One of the first people we are introduced to upon arriving to the Abigail D. Butscher Primary School is Moses Tholley. We are surprised to learn that Moses has been “preassigned” to assist with all of our public health activities during our time here. This is unexpected, since we were previously unaware of any such arrangement and assumed that we would be able to conduct our research on our own, but quite welcome, since Moses tells us that we would be unable to complete interviews by ourselves (though English is the national language, most adults who haven’t gone to school don’t speak English). As we introduce ourselves, I ask Moses if he “is a teacher here?” As Dr. Lovell walks past, he smiles at my innocent question and says “he basically runs this place!” Over the next couple weeks, we are fortunate enough to get a glimpse of just how special Moses is to the school, our project, his family, and as a person.

Moses teaches 6th grade at the Abigail school. He loves teaching this group of students because it makes him proud to see them well prepared to graduate and excel through their secondary education. As dedicated as Moses is to ensuring students succeed in the classroom, he also makes sure they’re having fun in school. He tells us about how he was taught by Peace Corps volunteers when he was younger, and how now he teaches the school children the same games and songs he learned while he was growing up (that’s how the kids already know row, row, row your boat!). One Friday, following the morning lunch break, Principal Koroma expects the children to return to their classrooms, but Moses (quite easily) convinces him that since it’s the last day of the week, they should get the rest of the day off as a “field day.” Though the children at school are always laughing and playful, we notice that that they are incredibly well disciplined as well. We share this observation with Moses one afternoon; he jokes that “they have to be well behaved because people like you from the US come to check up on us!” He emphasizes that they have to teach kids discipline and give them attention from when they are young so that they carry these values with them as they grow.

In addition to his responsibilities as a teacher, Moses facilitates every aspect of our research project, helping us coordinate our interviews, workshops, and evaluations, serving as an interpreter during conversations and presentations, and showing us around the community. Often, we see Moses staying late into the evenings to assist the Engineers with their work as well.  

Moses cares for his six children as a single father on a modest income. I love that Moses’ son, Bai, who also used to teach at the school, tells us that his father is his best friend. Moses tells us that since his wife passed away, he has to remarry because without a wife, people will think he's not responsible. He tells us that he met his fiance (or “promised wife”) through striking up conversation with her at her stall in the market. :)

Not only is Moses a hard working, fun loving, committed leader in the school community, but these traits reverberate through his entire persona. One day, as we stand around and chat in the schoolyard, he points to a girl carrying a bucket of cupcakes on her head and says "When you're hungry, you might buy a hamburger. When I'm hungry, I eat this because I can't afford a hamburger" (I tell him I'm vegetarian but that's a different story). "Want what you have until you have what you want" is a motto Moses lives by. He tells us how he doesn't have electricity because not only would it cost him his entire month’s salary, but even if he could afford it, he would then want buy things to use the electricity, such as a TV or iron, and he definitely wouldn’t be able to afford these things. That's why, he says, he's happy with what he has.

As we leave, Moses tells us to share the pictures we have of him with anyone in the States who may want to be his friend or marry him. I remind him that he already has a fiancee but he says that football teams always have back ups, so why shouldn't he?