Change Around the World: Interview with Levi May

By Emma Andrew

Today I spoke with one of my personal heroes, Levi May. Mr. May has spent years of his life dedicated to traveling around the world, having previously lived in Brazil for 2 years and most recently working as a volunteer in the Peace Corps in Mozambique. He is an avid sailor, racing sailboats in Hawaii and additionally made the impressive yet daunting voyage from Hawaii to Washington on a Santa Cruz 50. Currently he resides on his island home of Oahu, Hawaii, spending his days surfing and sailing as he waits for the COVID-19 storm to settle before he sets out on his next big adventure. I had the chance to speak with him about his time in Mozambique, highlighting his dedication to promoting sustainable development and how he uses his resources to improve the lives of those in need.

Emma: The United Nations has outlined 17 sustainable development goals that they aim to reach by the year 2030. One of them is "Quality Education" which sets the goals of achieving global quality education through the specific aims attached to this email (for reference). Can you give us a brief description of the work you performed in Mozambique and perhaps how it related to this sustainable development goal?

Levi: For my primary job, I was assigned to be a high school computer science teacher in Mozambique. I went through 3 months of Peace Corps training, including collaboration with the National Pedagogical University in preparation for this job. I got assigned to a school where I met with the school director to discuss the needs of the school, both in teaching and extracurricular activities.

Mozambique does not necessarily have a shortage of teachers. According to some of my colleagues, there are even out-of-work teachers in various parts of the country. The real hang-up is not having enough funding to pay for all the teachers needed. Employing more teachers, along with increasing the number of available classrooms through building and expanding schools, could greatly improve the quality of education by improving the teacher to student ratio.

I struggled with inner conflict with my assignment, wondering if, in essence, I was taking a job away from somebody else. When confronting this question, I was assured that without my service at the school, my job would remain vacant because the school was already employing the maximum number of teachers they could afford. My workload would just be distributed to other teachers.

I also justified my position in the unique skills and different perspectives I could bring to the students and school. Because of the general lack of access to computers and the internet in Mozambique, I was likely the most tech savvy teacher at the school, having utilized it my whole life. I also lived in a society that is greatly dependent on tech, and I have experienced how it can greatly improve communication, education, and access to opportunities. This is something I could uniquely bring to my pupils that otherwise they would not encounter.

I am far from the best teacher at the school, and I did not transform education for the better in any big ways, but I was able to improve its quality by sharing my experiences that I uniquely had, being from a foreign country and culture with a different level of development.

Emma: What did you observe as the biggest obstacle to gaining widespread quality education in Mozambique?

Levi: It seems to me that what is lacking in Mozambique is limited access to educational resources and opportunities. This is the biggest obstacle. The students are extremely smart and successful despite studying in schools without the best learning environments, without textbooks, without libraries, computers, or access to the internet. Most everything is learned through dictation on the chalkboard. The only school supplies students have is one notebook for all their classes, and a pencil each, which they have to buy themselves.

Classrooms are often overfilled, with class sizes ranging from about 60-100 students per class. This student to teacher ratio contributes to the suboptimal learning environment. It is often hot and loud in the classroom, and not enough desks for everyone to sit.

Just as many SDGs affect one another, education is influenced by economic opportunity. Mozambique has very few jobs, so having an education does not guarantee any sort of formal employment or income. The country has very few openings at the universities, so getting accepted and continuing one's studies is rare. Even with a college education, there is no guarantee for a job. More colleges and universities need to be built to capture the talent and intelligence of Mozambican youth, absolutely, but without economic development, benefits to individuals are limited. This leads to students and their families prioritizing other things over completing high school, especially girls.

There is a lot more domestic work to be done in Mozambique than in the developed world. Without running water, simple tasks of washing laundry and cooking require much more labor and time (SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation, SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure). Water needs to be hauled and clothes need to be washed by hand. Everything is cooked from scratch, as processed foods are too expensive for most families. There are also many hours of farm work to be done, as subsistence farming is people's main source of food. Because of cultural norms and gender roles, girls almost always get stuck with the bulk of this labor and are the first to be pulled out of school or drop out.

Emma: Why are you passionate about sustainable development? And what has been the most rewarding part of your work in Mozambique?

Levi: My passion comes from knowing all people in the world, despite different circumstances and situations, are equally human, with the same human needs, desires, and struggles. Even so, injustices throughout the world run rampant. A good number of the injustices and limits of opportunities people confront are linked to development issues. By working to solve development problems, in a sustainable way, promotes more opportunities for people to meet their human needs and improve their circumstances, promoting non discriminatory equality. Doing it in a sustainable way to me means you accomplish development without jeopardizing other peoples’ opportunities, especially future generations, nor the health of the earth that we all share.

Because of the situation I was privileged to grow up in and the education and experiences I have attained, I have some power and ability to contribute to promoting equality that a lot of people do not have. I had a platform to be a change agent as a peace corps volunteer, and hope to encounter others throughout my career. This instills in me a sense of responsibility.

The most rewarding thing about this kind of work is the relationships that are built. People always respond “It’s the people” to this question, but that’s really what it’s about. The way I was taken in as a part of the community, accepted, and even becoming a part of a family completely blew me away. Being a member of a community so different from the individualistic, competitive, and inward- focused society in the United States opened my mind up to what we are missing.

It is also amazing to see how the effort I put in was mirrored by the determination of my colleagues and counterparts who are also passionate about improving the community and the lives of people who are a part of it. It is so rewarding to work at the grassroots level because you are on the ground with the people who ultimately make positive change happen.

Emma: Would you recommend volunteering with the Peace Corps to young people seeking to assist in the sustainable development goals?

Levi: Yes, depending. The Peace Corps is an opportunity. What a person does with this opportunity depends on their career goals, ambition, and worldview. The Peace Corps will give you the opportunity to live in a foreign community and work in the development field. You will gain a whole new perspective on how this type of work happens on the ground. It will expose you to many challenges and opportunities to grow and develop yourself. Whether or not you are successful in “assisting in the sustainable development goals” is not guaranteed. The Peace Corps seems primarily concerned with the volunteer’s experience, safety and security, and compliance to policies over success in accomplishing the goals we are sent to realize in the communities. There will be obstacles, often policies of the organization, limited platform, and limited resources, that will get in the way. However, there is success to be had for those who are willing to work for it, though it will take a lot of motivation and patience. In my experience, this most often means patience with the organization itself.

There are other common motives for people to join peace corps other than the SDGs. Many people are looking for a career boost, and it can definitely help. It sometimes opens doors to jobs in the foreign service, or international non-profits, but it often needs to be paired with more education and experience to be competitive. One of the main advertised benefits is getting a special eligibility for US federal employment upon completion of service. There are also some discounts for specific programs in specific universities for grad school. It helps get you to where you want to go, but in my opinion, this cannot be your only motive if you are to be successful. You must have some level of altruism, desire to live and work abroad, and a concern about the state of our world.