Just to finish off a very busy first quarter, I have completed my art classes, conducted amongst a very rewarding bunch of kids. As I’ve said earlier, there is no real art teaching as we know it. Yes, there is art in the curriculum but it is paid scant attention. A set of paints, paper and colouring pencils I supplied last year at Lyamungo Sinde Primary has still not been used.
I have also recorded in pictures all the Standard 7 classes despite some absent children, including one child in ARI hiding well behind another so she can’t be seen! Can you see her? She hid in all three of the pictures I took so I didn’t even see her myself.
Find the hidden face
As well as ARI I recorded L.S.
and Mwowe Primary School Standard 7 pupils:
Meanwhile, again, the art classes were a real success. Because there is so little interest in it from teaching staff (possibly because of sheer lack of confidence in working with the media) the kids lapped it up. There was no need of the discipline master here!
So, in this quarter I have distributed the funds to help with school contributions, I have begun to set up a school uniform programme with the help of my Rotary Friends in Lower Morden, South London and hopefully with a long-time emigre, Ndenny Meakins who now lives near Saskatoon in Canada! We have officially opened the new toilet block at Lyamugo Sinde (see previous post) and I’m now looking at the toilet block in ARI which is in a pretty desperate condition. So far, I have not yet begun to raise funds for this. Hopefully the coming Summer back in the UK will bear fruit!
As I have also indicated in the previous post, ABCD (UK) has linked up with ABCD Canada to enter the first stages of setting up ABCD Tanzania. It is our hope that the work that Frank Smith and Lynn Bird have completed in Marangu West on behalf of ABCD Canada can be augmented and even absorbed eventually by ABCD Tanzania. If and when the Tanzanian branch extends its influence throughout the whole of Kilimanjaro Region I hope they may eventually also help us in Lyamungo Sinde!
ABCD Tanzania has now had its first AGM of founding members and has a new constitution due for presentation at the local authority offices. We wish it success! Hence, a very rewarding and fruitful Q1! I’m proud to report that it’s onwards and upwards from here! More soon.