from Livingstonia to Mhuju

Hi everyone, hope all is well with you where ever you are in the world!

What a week – if it was palije nyengo last week then this week is palije nyengo chomene, which means there is no time at all! It has been hectic as I am trying to get a lot packed into a short time before I go home.

Monday and Tuesday, Nicolas, Enala and myself went to Livingstonia for 2 days to do some training at the nursery school. We arrived good and early, around 7.30am to find so many people waiting for training. It transpired that the CBO (Community Based Organisations) groups around Livingstonia had heard that I was coming to train caregivers and they all decided to show up. Unfortunately I had to turn them all away as I didn’t have resources for them with me. The main issue however runs deeper than that – if I train CBO groups in Livingstonia, then I will have to do the same everywhere we go, and we just don’t have the manpower for that.

Then we had another issue with the committee of Livingstonia Pre-school, so by the time I sorted that out it was quite late in the day – just as well we were spending two days there.

The following morning we were woken by this beautiful sunrise........makes you feel good when you see such a sight in the morning!


We had such a wonderful time with the children and they had such an amazing day playing and enjoying themselves. I hope and pray that the messages we gave will really create a change in the mindset of both caregivers and committee and that next time we go we will find the same nursery school class that we left! This is what makes my job so worthwhile – when you see the impact of the training on the children………

washing hands...........

reading corner....

puzzle time...

posers...

lets swing...

inside the nursery school....

Enala about to teach........

concentration...

and of course.......... we couldn't leave Livingstonia without being tourists and visiting the church - here you can see a picture of the David Livingstone window and in the one below the inside of the church.

We travelled back to Mzuzu on Tuesday afternoon – on Wednesday I had a busy day in the office with parents and ministers and report writing.

Thursday, we headed to Nkhata Bay to Phiri congregation to train their committee and caregivers. I had another meeting so I left the trainers and caught up with them in the afternoon. I was absolutely thrilled when I arrived at the nursery as this next photo was the first thing I saw……….

Last time I called at Phiri the minister was telling me how the congregation were getting together to put up swings and make some see saws – what a pleasant surprise to see it had been done, and that the children were having so much fun.

On Thursday night I had a lady from 'Help a child', a Dutch donor organisation, staying with me. We had a great chat and I really enjoyed having her........the home made pizza was a success I think!!!

Friday was spent in the office again – by now I am getting really tired as I have not had a break for so many days and travelling in the warm weather really takes it out of you. However, the week is not yet over as today we travelled to Rumphi to Mhuju congregation for training with the caregivers and committees in for two new nursery schools. We have had a wonderful day – weather was beautiful, our hosts were brilliant, the participants were very active in participation, and all in all it was a great day. Below you can see some photos of the participants and even one of me facilitating.

I was quite surprised today because a few of our participants were well educated people – this was not the surprise, but the surprise was that most of them were learning about how children develop for the first time. It never fails to humble me when I realise that things I take for granted are so precious to people who have never heard them.

Yes.......its me on the floor demonstrating what you can do with bottle tops in a pre-school...(you may not be able to see in the photo but we were in the main body of a church and behind me is the front of the church which is open to the skies as they are renovating...I was glad it's not the rainy season!!

some of the participants

Another lovely thing happened today – the minister in the congregation had been studying at Zomba when I was teaching there. His son Chancy was in our Preschool at Zomba and today I heard that he is in Standard One (P1) and is first in the class – that made me feel really proud. I didn’t manage to get a photo of Chancy today but here is a blast from the past – its Chancy at Zomba.

Have a wonderful week......I should be on the way back to Ireland this time next week so I am not sure when the next update will be. Oh, by the way I know you like reading the blog but please don't forget to send me the odd email too or leave a comment on the blog!!

Blessings

Diane

palije nyengo!!

Palije nyengo means 'no time' and I feel as if time is passing by so quickly, I am always rushing and yet people say that living in Africa is more relaxed! Don't believe it!

I was in Lilongwe on Friday to witness the launch of the 5 year strategic plan in Early childhood Development. It was launched by the Minister of Gender, Children and community development, Patricia Kaliati who is the lady on the right of the picture. On the left handing the document to the minister is Hyacinth Kaschindo who is the Director for Children's affairs in Malawi. Its an exciting time for those of us working in ECD in Malawi as the Government is taking this initative on board an we expect in the next 5 years to see much happening in the way of ECD.

Its a beautiful time of year when the Jacaranda trees are coming into bloom, and although it is dry and warm there is much natural colour around.

This has been a busy week both insdie and outside the office. I was teaching some classes in school and also training some of our teachers. One of our teachers is on maternity leave and I am trying to empower another teacher who usually works with the toddlers, to be able to work in the 3-6 class. Although I had little time this week, we managed to fit in two sessions.

Then I was planning for the coming week when we are doing some training in the field. Two of the trainers from Mzuzu Presbytery, Nicolas and Enala who you see below, are coming with me to Livingstonia for a couple of days, then to Nkhata Bay and then to Rumphi. So we had a lot to organise in preparation for this. All in all, we trained 22 trainers, but Nicolas and Enala are two of the best we have and so I tend to use them a lot when travelling around the country.

As promised last time I said I would share some photos of some of our rural schools. Here we have a CBCC in Chitipa district........not quite what you would send your child to I am sure, but its a great achievement for the village to have built this structure, and they have to be commended for it.

Here you can see our trainer from Chitipa district inside the structure - as you can see there is not a lot of room for play..........

Another one of our rural centres in Kanyankhude which has no permanent structure but meet below a tree - in the rains of course these children do not have a chance to go to school.

Inside another centre where you can see so many children (and a blackboard - for nursery school!!) but no equipment or toys suitable for children to play. This centre has a great structure but that alone is of little use, if teachers are not trained how to make materials for the children to play with to assist in their development.

And of course we do have some good structures like the one below.

Some of our centres are in churches which are great in the short term but if we really want ECD to move forward in Malawi then we need permanent structures for our nursery schools. This will take time and we do have some NGO's working in this area, and of course CCAP with the help of Hillsborough Presbyterian Church also built our own structure in Kasowa in Karonga.

And as I am always saying - a structure alone is no good without trained teachers, so my focus is on training the teachers first and the structure comes next!

On another note altogether...

Usually in the West we are bombarded by images on the TV and in magazines about losing weight - I was reading the local paper yesterday and came across this article............

and finally for today, before the battery runs out (no electricity again), I have been accepted to do an MA in Early childhood Studies at Stranmillis, so might see you soon!

Take care, till next time,

Diane

'We do not say that we want to prepare a school for the children, we wish to prepare an environment for life, where the child can develop a life!'

an upside down week...

Well as the heading states, its been an upside down sort of week.

Last Saturday I was invited to the wedding of Rev M M Banda’s daughter Ivy in our church here in Mzuzu. Rev Mezuwa Banda is the Education Secretary for CCAP. The wedding was one of 4 taking place at the same time – it was a colourful occasion and lasted about 3-4 hours! Here is a photo of the bride and groom and their parents.



On Monday I went with my colleague Nicolas to Livingstonia to monitor the nursery school there. We decided to go the ‘back’ road as oppose to ‘gorodi’ road, which for those of you who have ever travelled these roads will understand why. However the back road had just been graded and it was a nightmare – sliding as we tried to drive through sand – by the time the car reached its destination it was more red than blue!

On arrival at Livingstonia we went to the beautiful nursery school which is behind the church, only to find that the swings had been vandalised and were no longer in use. Inside there are many boxes of toys which have been donated both from N Ireland and USA, but they were in boxes and not in use. This was a real disappointment as I know many people have put a lot of effort into this school. However, we made arrangements to go up in a couple of weeks for 2 days to talk with the school committee and also to do some basic training with the caregiver.

The swing with no swings.......

The outside of the nursery school

The inside of the nursery school with some beautiful equipment

On the way home I was stopped for speeding in an area where there is no speed sign to indicate that you are meant to go at 60km/hr and not 70 as I was doing, and so I was fined K5000 on the spot – about £21….

Tuesday was a ‘headache’ or rather it gave me a headache! I had parents complaints followed by teachers problems, so that by the time I came to do any work it was time to go home! I also had received a new bank card and went to withdraw some money only to be told that my pin number was invalid……surely things could only get better.

Then I took a look at these lovely kids from our school and it made me smile again!!

Wednesday I went to Nkhata bay on the lake shore to monitor a school at a congregation called Phiri. The minister is very enthusiastic about early childhood development and the caregiver is trying to do lots of things with the kids with little resources. Again we have arranged a date to go and give the caregivers some training.

caregiver and children at Phiri school which is held in the church building

During this week I was invited to the launch of the Early Childhood Development awareness week in Kasungu where the 5 year strategic plan was going to be launched. The Vice President the Rt Hon Mrs Joyce Banda was to be there. On arrival I saw that it was going to be a great occasion – people were all dressed in the UNICEF funded t-shirts and chitenji and caps and it looked great. There were mock ECD centres set up and some play areas for children and there were local school children there.

Shortly after my arrival the Vice President arrived and took her seat after viewing all the stands. The programme was good – we had the Minister of Finance as the MP for the area, the Deputy Minister for the Ministry of Gender(GCCD), Children and Community Development and some other officals from the Government, along with all the traditional chiefs and village headmen. We had traditional dancing from the women and also from Gule Wamkulu.

The Deputy Minister from GCCD, Mrs Catherine Gotani Hara made a speech about the value of early childhood education, and then she said there were some certificates to give out to a few people for outstanding contributions towards the advancement of Early Childhood Development in Malawi………….and guess what…….my name was one of those called!

What an honour for me and for CCAP! Unfortunately I don’t have a photo of the occasion because I didn’t bring my camera, but here is a photo of the Vice President and one of me with my certificate. The Campaign is called Mmera Mpoyamba (which means if you have a seed you have to water it to make it grow)

Rt Hon Mrs Joyce Banda

Me and my certificate

After this occasion I met up with the Magherafelt group who were now on their way home –we had a meal together and I managed to get food poisoning so spent the next day feeling sorry for myself and feeling rather ill – much better now though.

So as you can see an upside down week, but things turned out all right in the end! God is good! Wishing you a great day.

Diane

Visitors and things.....

Hello everyone
Just a wee update on what has been happening this week. Its been a busy week with people visiting, and also some visitors in my house that I did not appreciate! A team from Magherafelt in Northern Ireland were passing through on the way to Livingstonia which was great - lovely to catch up with some news from 'home' and to see some local newspapers.......and of course its always exciting to get some unexpected gifts from friends so thanks Margaret for the goody bag - much appreciated!!



School started again this week and you can see our very happy bunch of teachers and helpers - they work really hard and I know that parents appreciate the effort they put into their work because we can see the fruits through the children.

Last time I was showing a picture of the carpenter making the swings - well now you can see the children enjoying them - they have really been a blessing to our kids.

and.......the painting I was doing - well if you look at the above two pictures you can see my handiwork (or some of it). I was quite pleased with the way it turned out.

As you can see, our school in Mzuzu is well equiped and the kids have such a great time learning the Montessori way. In our other CCAP schools throughout Mzuzu and indeed throughout the northern region, children are not so fortunate. Here are a couple of our other city schools where they have no equipment and no trained teachers.......and it shows. Next time I will post some of the rural school photos too.

We are still in the process of building a school in Mzuzu and here you can see the progress so far - we are up to roof level on the first building - but still have a long way to go. Here at our school the parents are planning a sponsored walk in the next few weeks so hopefully that will boost the progress. Thanks to all in Northern Ireland and Scotland for their support also - lets continue so that the children can have a beautiful school in Mzuzu.

and just a closing thought......

'wisdom begins with wonder'

I wonder what this child is thinking about.

Wishing you a great day where ever you are

Blessings

Diane

snakes and dancing.....

What a weekend I have had so far. On Friday morning the teachers came to clean the school as it is the end of school holidays and we open on Monday. Frank and Annex are busy making some new swings for the toddler class. Its looking good so far.



Meanwhile I was busy cleaning in the classroom when Frank called me to look out the window – to see this wonderful big shiny silver snakelike thing – with what looked like a head at each end. How horrible…..I didn’t venture out to take a photo of it and Frank disposed of it! I had never seen such a creature before – people tell me that they live in anthills and can live deep under the ground - they also say they don't bite but I wasn't taking any chances!! I was just glad that it appeared when we had no children at school, because children tend to run after things that move……….


On Friday afternoon I headed off to Karonga (a 3 hour journey north of Mzuzu) with two of the trainers for Early childhood development. We were going to have a workshop on Saturday at Ngana, one of our CCAP congregations on the Tanzanian border. It was my first time to go so far north. We were told to go to the border and then the border post officials would show us the way! We reached the border only to be told we needed passports to cross……I was furious because no one had told us this before we left. However, I decided to call one of the colleagues in Mzuzu who informed me that the road to Ngana was just 50 metres before the border. Very relieved we turned around and found the road. When we asked how far it was to Ngana, we were told not far. It was quite a rough dirt road, so we drove on and on and asked again….its not far, we were told again. Then we met a motorbike – it was the minister coming to look for us! I must admit I was relieved to have found the place. It is in a beautiful place – mountainous and peaceful. We were training the committee and caregivers for two new nursery schools which are just opening. It turned out to be a great day –the training was a huge success and the highlight of the day was that there was a traditional malipenga dancing festival going on in the village alongside our training. We left around 4pm with a large bag of rice in the back of the car, and arrived back home around 8.30pm.

Some of the people at the training......

...and some of the kids who came to look at the mzungu!!

Oh……….and for all you Hillsborough folk…….was at Kasowa last week delivering the medical stuff – here are a few pictures….

Kapote, the sister in charge and Diane

The sister receiving the boxes.

Some of the caregivers outside the new building - its looking great!

Today is a day for relaxing……..tomorrow the rush of school opening begins…..
Till next time
Blessings,
Diane

The boys who came to town...

A couple of weeks ago I had two visitors who came to help with making materials for two nursery schools in Mzuzu. Jonathan and Wesley are students who gave up of their time to do some needy work to help our children.


The first place they visited was Zolozolo - it was in dire need of repair and there were no swings or play materials outside, so the boys set to work and did a great job. This was the after picture......

and then we have the before picture........ they should have been the other way round but I can't figure out how to move them, so let's hope I do better next time! Anyway, great job boys, thanks a lot!

They did a similar job at Katawa another church nursery school in Mzuzu where they made outdoor playing materials. The metal slides are still being made but I hope by the end of this week they will also be in place.

I know the children at both schools will really benefit from having these materials, and not only the children from the schools but all the kids from the surrounding areas! We are trying to help them grow holistically and one element of that is physical growth so I have no doubt these materials will help!

'Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see'

Blessings

Diane

Paint and more paint..........

The weekend has been dominated by paint.........its school holidays and so I thought it would be nice to give the equipment a 'quick paint' to make it all clean and fresh. However, the 'quick paint' lasted about 9 hours altogether. I was painting knobless cylinders, red rods and number rods for those of you who know Montessori equipement. It was fun but it was messy - spray paint when the wind blows towards you suddenly is not a joke - before I knew it I was a lovely shade of pink and then blue........so I look as though I have a slightly tinted sun tan today! However, it has all been worth it, as the equipment is looking good.

My new house is also beginning to look good - at least it feels like home now. I have managed to get most of the rooms painted, and one room is a store for school as we don't have enough space there. If and when I figure out how to put a photo on this blog you may be able to see it.

I am still busy travelling around the north, but for the next week I am in Mzuzu. At the weekend we go to Ngana on the Tanzanian border for a workshop with the caregivers from that church. These workshops are really helping the caregivers to understand what their role is in looking after young children. It always amazes me that I take for granted so many issues relating to childcare which are just not known here. The support we are receiving from the congregations we visit is so encouraging, and I know that the young children of Malawi will really benefit from what is happening, especially in the rural areas.

Today we have no electricity or water (which is normal on a Sunday). Because of this, I will sign off now as the battery on my laptop is running low.

Wishing you all a great day what ever you are doing.

Diane