Grandmothers: A Learning Institution - Basic Education and Policy ...

mother networks should be involvedin efforts to improve the well-beingof children. In addition, building onexisting cultural systems is more likelyto contribute to the sustainability ofchild development strategies, includingbasic education initiatives.• Respect for Elders and Their Age andExperienceIn contrast to western societies,where youth is glorified, in virtually allnon-western societies there is muchmore respect for elders, their age,and their experience. In Mali there isan often-heard proverb in bamana 5that refers to the wisdom of the elders:“Whatan elder can see sittingunder a tree, a younger person cannotsee even if he/she climbs up tothe top of the tree.”In virtually all non-western societies, from ayoung age children are taught that theyshould respect, listen to, and learn fromtheir elders. This traditional cultural valuestill holds considerable weight in mostnon-western societies but it is being jeopardizedby the encroachment of alternative,often foreign, values that aggrandizeyouth and accomplishment in the formalschooling system and give less credence tothe wisdom of the elders. For example, inMalian communities, many grandparentssaid (Touré and Aubel, 2004) that mostdevelopment programs that have come totheir villages only involve “young people”and “those who have gone to school”thereby excluding most elders in the community.Such an approach contradicts traditionalvalues in which the elders areexpected to play an advisory role withyounger members of the society.• Social CapitalMany development programs aim tostrengthen “human capital” i.e., theskills and capacity of individual communitymembers. In contrast,“socialcapital” refers to the strength of therelationships between people. It hasbeen referred to as the “glue” thatkeeps a community together and thatis required for a collective and sustainedresponse to community needs.Social capital refers to the networkswithin a community that are basedon trust and mutual support thatcontribute to a sense of belonging,promote inclusion and involvementof different community factions, andare empowered to promote selfreliance.Increased social capital is anasset for promoting and sustainingchildren’s development within thecommunity.In the past, grandmothers were not systematicallyinvolved in child developmentprograms at the community level. Each ofthe concepts discussed above supports theidea that grandmothers constitute a valuablecommunity resource that needs to betaken into consideration in the design ofchild development programs. In this review,these several concepts will be referred toin the subsequent discussions of grandmothers’roles, child development policies,and programs.FACTORS LIMITING THEINCLUSION OF GRANDMOTHERSIN CHILD DEVELOPMENTPROGRAMS.The explanation for the relatively limited“This is a rule in oursociety, you must listento what your eldersadvise. Sincetime began peoplehave learned fromtheir elders.”Community Leader,Navoi, Uzbekistan“Social capital is acommunity’s humanwealth. It is a powerfulmotor for sustainabledevelopmentbecause it harnesseslocal capacity,indigenous knowledge,and selfreliance.”H. Gould“Culture and SocialCapital” in F.Matrasso, RecognizingCulture: A Series ofBriefing Papers onCulture andDevelopment,UNESCO5 Bamana is the language spoken by the Bambara people of Mali.GRANDMOTHERS:THE LEARNING INSTITUTION7