What We Do
Bukumbi Diary - July 2009
6th July 2009
Last week Charles and I carried out a maintenance check and we were really pleased to see that the community are really taking care of their rooms and dormitory blocks. I did laugh when I saw Ngete who does the cleaning in some of the blocks who was dressed like he was going into surgery or to milk the cows! He does a great job helping the people who are unable to clean their own rooms.
We did however come across one room which was infested with cockroaches- so we are getting some powder to get rid of them and also have talked with the ladies in the room about keeping food locked away and the importance of daily cleaning.
The sponsored students are back from school for the holiday and they have been helping me with some translation! It is great to see these young people growing in confidence!
Today there we received a little bit of news of Vumi who has been in Dar es Salaam for about a month now. Dr Julius says that she has undergone an operation on her face and should be returning to Bukumbi soon. We are also hoping that Selina who has the throat problems will receive the correct treatment this week- although her family are very worried about her having an operation. (FM)
14th July 2009
The children are back to school this week so a flurry of children coming to me for extra exercise books or shoes or socks! So a bit of a busy morning! Kigongo School was looking good and had just received a delivery of Text books that they had bought with capitation and the teachers were very excited about them! The Standard 4 classroom is also getting a facelift - the classroom floor was a horrible mess with much of the concrete broken and unsafe, with support from Bridge2Aid the work was being carried out and a new floor being laid.
The Standard 7 students have just completed their mock examinations and I am really hopeful that Mary, a young girl that had failed standard 7 once before but wanted to go back to school will actually achieve a good mark that will enable her to go to secondary school. This would be a great opportunity for her and she knows she has to continue working hard! (FM)
22th July 2009
A quick football update from the Camp Stars...
A group of lads came to me a few months ago, having collected some money for a football team, asking if I would be able to help with football shirts and a ball. Fortunately, soon after the request, the Henry Schein team came to work at Bukumbi and provided the full kit, plus a ball and pump. Since then, the ‘Camp Stars’ team has gone from strength to strength, taking pride in their shirts and achieving great results!
Recent matches include a 4-2 win against a team from Bukumbi village (where Bahati and Issa scored the goals). Their strongest opponents are a team called Isamilo, and they have beaten them only once. But now they are practising regularly and are even aiming to collect a little money together from the existing team to get new shorts and trainers for those players that don’t have any.
The team’s enthusiasm and team spirit, along with a good bit of encouragement, is already helping them achieve good results! (FM)
23rd July 2009
This week when Bahati, Frank and Susana returned to school, we were able to go and visit with a member of Filton Community Church who sponsors Bahati - that person just happened to be my mum! So when we visited, mum took a gift to them of a bible each and for Bahati, a pair of safety boots (which he needed for his lessons in the workshop). They were very happy to meet with her and very pleased with their gifts. The boys have got their reports and are working hard. Suzana is in the process of making a new style skirt and her teacher is very proud of her. (FM)
29th July 2009
Last Friday and this Tuesday a friend of mine, who is a teacher in the UK, came to spend the day at Kigongo Primary school. She worked with the teachers and gave them some examples and ideas on teaching styles. Cleo Letts is a Science teacher and was a bit nervous when she walked into the classroom; however she said that as soon as she was in front of the children, it was a pleasure to teach them! The Standard 3s worked in groups, learning the names of animals in English and Swahili as Cleo was showing the way that children can be involved in their own learning. Each child then had to say the name of their animals before they could leave!
On Tuesday she helped Mr David the Standard 7 teacher, who was teaching science and had the brand new resource of a plastic body- the problem was he didn’t know how to teach with it! So working together, the class learnt about how the digestive system works. The whole class was involved and scored full marks on their test! Mr David said that he learnt lots about the planning of lessons and using his new resources! (FM)