First days ......

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Wednesday 22nd September

A great day with standard 4 today. Really enjoyed myself with the kids – they are so wonderful to be with, and I cannot get over just how well though cope with such difficult conditions to learn in. They are all so keen to be in school, and so want to learn and understand.

I had bought them all a pencil, rubber and ruler, each had a plastic bag with a label on, and you would have thought I had given them the world. They couldn’t get over that they each had equipment now for their lessons (I do take it back in at the end of each lesson) and have promised them I will add a biro to their bag if they manage to keep and look after everything until Friday. I also gave them their new exercise books for their subjects, and by then they were so overwhelmed they just broke into a round of applause….very humbling. I have never seen kids so proud of such simple possessions.


So, at end of day, hopped on back of motorbike into town to get some photocopying done for the next couple of days – teaching without any resources certainly means you have to be super, super organised and very resourceful which adds to the challenge of it all.


Made some delicious lentil burgers tonight as was on kitchen duty! They went down a treat, especially as they were accompanied with home made chips and coleslaw. I know, I cursed them whilst in the Seychelles, but sadly had grown to kind of like them, and we only have meat here once a week, so still eating a lot of pasta and red, and rice and veg. Thankfully as we can do our own breakfasts, and lunch, the tedium of evening meals on a budget and no meat is much more bearable.

Thursday 23rd September
Just in from school and trying to upload some photos from first days here. Have to say it all hit me a bit today - I welled up this morning listening to the children sing their hearts out in their morning parade/assembly. They are so happy, grateful to be at school, and just wonderful kids who have a really tough time, but to see them in their uniforms (which they’ve nearly all got now [money donated from volunteers]) and how they try to learn despite everything really got to me today.

I decided after break to read them a story – I found Little Red Riding Hood on a shelf, wasn’t sure whether they would find it too babyish (my kids are roughly aged 10-12) but they were absolutely enthralled. I had to really concentrate at not ‘welling up’ again as it was a moment where you realise with such simple input, these children’s lives are enriched. You could see the excitement and wonder in their faces as we went through the story – I will never forget it. Then, as is typical in Africa, things got changed, and my 1 ½ hour English lesson ended up as 2 hours, so got some more books and just gave them a book each (most of them are too hard for them to read) but they were so engrossed in their ‘book’ that no-one wanted to go to lunch when the bell went.

Was ‘observed’ teaching today also, and had very positive feedback…..just as well as some of you back home would be giving me a hard time otherwise!!