Week fifteen – linking schools

My chronological sequencing is slightly out of date now as this is really week 20! Time is running away from me! So let’s leave this as week fifteen and I’ll catch up next time!
It was in about week fifteen when I renewed my contact with Lyamungu Sinde (L.S.) village through their pastor. We discussed the need for me as a Mzungu with a plan for assistance to formally introduce myself to the village committee. I believe this is a formality but in a culture where formal procedures carry weight, especially with reference to development, I’m happy to oblige.

The pastor has been busy cataloging the need in the village, firstly with the secondary school students. He has made a list of 36 secondary students whose families/carers are not able to make ends meet. I know there are many of us in the same boat! However, here that means almost nothing more to give! I include here not only orphaned children but otherwise vulnerable children as well. The list includes basic necessities such as pencils and rulers and even shoes. And of course that doesn’t even include school fees!

There is an acute desire to gain an education and a belief that education is one of the best paths out of poverty. In many instances, where students of two sexes have a wish to go on in education, it’s normally the boys that get first choice – unfortunate but true! Anyway, so we now have a list of those at secondary level who are in dire need. In the coming weeks I will be seeking those in primary school to complete the picture.

Meanwhile, in this past week I have renewed my visits with the headteacher of L.S. Primary School to discuss the school twinning project I will set up with Roxwell Primary (see last post). The L.S. headteacher was very enthusiastic and we mapped out a plan of how to proceed. I will be doing some light art teaching with the children here in the hope of exchanging pictures with the pupils at Roxwell Primary. I was informed that the pupils here in standard 4 (year 4 UK equivalent), although older than those in year 4 in UK (they start later) have a good grounding in English so maybe some pen-palling with Class 3 at Roxwell will also be in order. We shall see.

Finally, I presented the pictures I brought over from Roxwell, much to the delight of the teachers and pupils. I hope this bodes well for our development. More soon.