Rising Temperatures and Beating Drums!
Posted
by
Kelly
on 24 Sep 2009
The temperatures are soaring in Livingstone with the thermometer often reaching the 40 degrees mark. So there is much shade chasing happening at the schools! The schools are now back in full swing after the holidays. It took a week or two to get settled, with the pupils having to first clean the classrooms, tend to the gardens and do all the caretaking duties and the teachers having to organise lesson plans.
The grade 7 pupils are now studying hard for their end of year exams taking place in October, so we are teaching more of the lower grades. To be able to continue their education they have to pass exams in all 7 subjects, but it is not just a case of being intelligent, many pupils can’t afford the fees necessary to attend grade 8, so their education stops after grade 7. This is especially true of the pupils at the community schools, where many will find themselves looking for work aged just 14 or 15.
We have been welcomed back from our trip to Solwezi with open arms and many of the teachers are eager to know how life is up in the North western province, because most haven’t visited this area of their own country and they weren’t aware that there are still thousands of refugees calling Zambia their home. So I’ve had many interesting conversations about my experiences and the reasons behind the continuing necessity of the camps.
With the arrival of many new volunteers we have the luxury of new books and new ideas for the sessions at school. “You Choose” has become a huge favourite and can be used with all age groups. It is a great book for inspiring conversations and reasoning. “The Hungry Caterpillar” continues to be a favourite and leads to the production of many colourful butterflies. The older boys love the football magazines, and combined with an atlas and a globe they are a great basis for a session.
We have returned each week to the “Lubasi” home and have been welcomed with open arms. I have now included it on Friday afternoon as part of our schedule. It is so fulfilling to go back and see the delight and the recognition in the children’s faces and it is fun reading and playing with them for the afternoon. I printed out all the photos we had taken during our 2 week stint at the orphanage then I turned them into a big collage showing all the children. When we took it to the home they loved it and spent ages trying to find themselves. It now adorns the wall and is a permanent reminder of the work we did together.
The water tumbling over the falls is getting less and less. It is like someone has turned off the tap, as if it is a different place to when I arrived in May but spectacular nonetheless. It means that the walk to Devils pool has become the favourite activity, possibly combined with high tea and sunset at the Royal Livingstone! We also went to see a new dance show at the Boehm on the river. It was called Dancing around Zambia and was absolutely excellent. It showed the different traditional dances from different tribes around Zambia. The music was provided by just three drummers but was amazing and the rhythm of the performers something to be admired. There is also a new drumming workshop twice weekly at the theatre and lots of the volunteers have got the African drumming bug, so maybe they will be putting on their own shows soon!!!