Arriving on the property, we found students already in the library.
Several students gathered enjoying the Jelita and Mulenga readers.
Over the weekend Beatrice had asked her talented artist husband, Duncan, to create a timetable for the library.
Theresa proudly presents the new timetable. Evidence of the growing importance of the library at the Living Compassion property.
Outside the men were working on drainage. Stopping standing water from standing is a big job in the rainy season. It is not just the pesky mud we want to avoid, water is an invitation for mosquitoes to breed and mosquitoes means malaria!
Peter shoveling.
The top of a drainage pit they created.
We encountered some cuteness leaving after their lunch with leftovers carried on their heads.
While her dad, Peter, was working on drainage, Shaba (far left) was hamming it up with friends on her way out for the day.
The silliness seemed to be going around. Here Ronika dancing with her book in the grass.
But Cheri took the silly prize. Look at her face—she is cracking herself up! If we can channel the spark of these girls….!
Now that government schools are finally settling into their normal routines for the year, the Living Compassion rhythm is also settling. There is usually about 40 minutes between when the preschool children leave and the government school children begin to arrive to eat their lunch and stay for extra lessons. This is a time the teachers often have a cup of tea and prepare lesson plans.
Today, they took the opportunity to sit down with the typing program.
Left to right: Veronica, Beatrice, Ethel.
It felt like we took another leap today with technology. All of last week, enthusiasm for the typing program grew. More and more children showed up to participate. But what happened today is that we discovered the power of focus. We bought some headphones late last week to go with the audio-book recordings. Today, as people were working on the typing and straining to hear the instructions, we realized, of course—headphones for the computers! We broke them out and, voila! It was like a computer laboratory. Each person was completely engrossed in her own lesson and fully able to concentrate. They are not only learning to type, but they are hearing a native English speaker instruct them in each lesson. Excellent!
Just as we were marveling at this development, Theresa whispered from across the room, “Psst, come look.” We followed her into the library where there was a recording of a Jelita and Mulenga book playing and a half dozen girls following along. The recording would read a sentence and then there was a pause, long enough for the girls to repeat the words as their fingers ran across the line of text. It was a truly beautiful sight! The best part is that the voice on the recorder was Theresa’s! Because Theresa’s English pronunciation is perfect and clear, we realized that she is an excellent candidate to make recordings for the children to use to learn. It astounded her how well this was working. She is so excited and took the remaining phonics reader series home with her tonight to continue recording all the books.
It’s such a fun example of an upward spiral—it’s working, which makes us want to put even more into it, which makes it work even more, which makes us…
Technology is beginning to solve the main problem we have been pondering for several years—how to get the level of English we need modeled to ALL the children when Theresa is really the only one at that level. Seems the old adage “you can only be in one place at a time” might not be as true as it once was—at least not in reference to one’s voice! Possibilities are mounting!
The girls gathered listening to Theresa’s recording.
Back outside the older students started to arrive. They have our number now: “Will you take my photo?” Can’t say no!!
Walking over to the car to get the camera, we had a VERY fun moment when a voice rang out from behind the tree, “What is your name?” They all know our names, of course, but it is an invitation to be asked their names. We obliged and went through a half dozen boys, asking each his name. It is a lovely exercise, a chance to spend a few present moments with each child. The last boy declared his name, “Warren.” Because the 100 Children Video was still fresh in our minds from the Friday before, that name triggered the flash of a little face with the caption “Warren Mutale,” and looking at this boy in front of us, yes! This was definitely the grown-up face of that little boy. “Mutale?” we asked after he told us his first name. “Yes,” he responded, clearly a bit surprised. “You were among the first 100 students, weren’t you?” “Yes,” he beamed, “I was!” It was a proud moment for us both!
Warren Mutale. If you watch the 100 children video, http://www.livingcompassion.org/africa/the-first-100-children, he is close to the end of the children featured.
Joy gathered with a handful of government school children for extra reading help.
Cooperative member, Estella’s daughter Mukuka, putting her star on the chart.
Theresa setting Natasha up with the Jelita and Mulenga recording.
We never seem to be able to pass up the opportunity to take a handsome portrait of our old friend, Twaibu.
Remember Celestino, aka Mr. President? We were surprised to see him with this algebra book. We have never seen any student with a school textbook. He explained that it was not from school; it belongs to his grandmother. Far above any level of math he is currently working in, it is clearly a matter of pride to carry it with him. We all remarked on what a lovely book it was and Joy encouraged him to take good care of it, telling him it would be useful to him in years to come.
After the grade 8 boys ate lunch, they came for typing time. We had the same experience as earlier—that the headphones transformed the atmosphere. Silence reigned as each student carefully attended to his screen. Next time you go to get a new computer (iPad, tablet…), rest assured we have a good home for your old one!
Grade 8 boys typing.
The rain is incredibly civilized in Zambia—it nearly always happens at night?! Today we had a delightful, light, cooling rain. Theresa told us the pigs love the rain and, sure enough, just after it started, out they came.
More cuteness!
Just as soon as the boys went home, the teachers jumped back on the machines. Yea!!!
As we were packing up for the day, we asked Theresa about something we have often seen the gals do when washing dishes.
Joanne demonstrates how there is a certain kind of soft shale stone that they pick up from the ground and use as an abrasive to get all the charcoal marks off the pots. Ingenious! It is amazing how much nature provides when we look beyond the store to provide us with what we need!
Scrubbing off the charcoal.
A group of younger children approached asking in Bemba to have their photo taken. Joy patiently explained that they needed to ask in English, carefully teaching how to do that, and saying they could ask tomorrow as we were all finished for the day. They caught on so quickly that we had to break the camera back out to celebrate!
Look carefully at their mouths. Instead of “cheese,” we had a group, “Will you take my photo?”
The end of another wonderful day!
The team is freezing in the sub 70-degree temperatures brought with the rain!