We had a later start to the day, to let some of last night’s revelry wear off. It was a beautiful sunny morning, so we spent the morning activity out on the field, playing a game of airplane. A few piggy back rides, chair lifts and airplane maneuvers later, and we were ready to take on the day.
Today was a day of charts and graphs, demand and supply, models and theory. We covered the basics of economic development—the state of inequality in the world today, the progress we have made, what remains to be done. We did a little team pop quiz, with the winning teams scoring an impressive 6 out of 7 questions right.
After lunch, the participants introduced each other to specific development challenges in their countries—from healthcare access in Swaziland to education in Lithuania and trade in Tanzania. We then covered 4 key models of development—foreign aid, trade and liberalization, microfinancing, and cash transfers. The session was a long 4-hour block, and the participants were remarkable. Despite the length, they stayed engaged and interested. Most adults could not have stayed focused and off their phones for that long, but our group is really impressive.
After class, a few people headed out to the swimming pool to enjoy the last remnants of the Swazi sunshine, before the campus was greeted with the most breathtaking sunset.
Tomorrow we head off campus for the first time, to discover Manzini and then visit some NGOs. Stay tuned for updates!