workshops and laughter

Hello all

Its Sunday morning and while my friends are at Church, I am sitting home writing this because I can't speak at all - I have completely lost my voice and have a very sore throat and chest! Some might say that is a good thing, but it is very frustrating when I have a PCI team here together with my team of trainers from CCAP. As I write they are probably singing their hearts out in Church!!

We have had a good week. We began on Monday and Tuesday by taking the PCI team out to some of our nursery schools to give them an idea of what is happening in our centres. There was some surprise at the lack of equipment, and probably a lot of other emotions going through peoples minds, but we had a great time playing and interacting with the children as you can see from the photographs.

A rural centre in Ekwendeni where we found very much a teacher centred approach to learning.

Jennifer was showing the children pictures of themselves - they were so excited!!
Sharon having fun in a centre in Mzuzu.

Group activity...

Joan enjoying herself playing ball with this child...

Singing lots of songs..

Then from Wednesday to Friday, we had workshops with the PCI team leading us through sessions from Health and Nutrition to Creative movement. A good time was had by all and I think that ECD in Malawi will really benefit from this time together.

busy during the workshop...

Ruth and Alison telling a story with a puppet - really enjoyed by all...

Making jigsaw puzzles in the workshop...

On Saturday night, we had a dinner together to celebrate the good week that was had by all...it was a wonderful evening full of both joy and sadness, and for me it was difficult as I couldn't speak!! (For those of you who know me well, you will understand that!!)

Receiving the gifts of chitenji from the TOT's

Doesn't Raymond look good.... his new look!!

As we travel on the minibus, its singing all the way!!

Here you can see how the PCI group enjoy travelling in the back of my car!!

Tomorrow we will be going out to various centres again to involve the children and caregivers in some of the activities that we have learnt during the week. The PCI team will leave Mzuzu on Wedesday for some rest and relaxation before they begin their journey home.

Wishing you a blessed and happy week,

Diane

job complete....

Hello everyone

Just an update on the last day before the Ballycarry team left. In the morning we went to Chinteche to an orphan care centre to see amazing work going on with widows knitting goods for sale, and orphans learning a trade like sewing or carpentry so that they will be able to earn a living. Of course it was a formal occasion and here you can see the 'top table'!

A group of the orphans dancing a traditional dance for the visitors...

Some of the widows who sell the goods they knit to make a living.

Gabrielle addressing the group assembled at the orphan care centre.

The last day at Kachere was very special for everyone - the playground was finished and it was dedicated by Rev Nyirenda, a retired minister. It is amazing to think of the transformation in a week - the congregation have already put a fence around the playground so that it will not be destroyed. The occasion was blessed not only with religious leaders but with traditional leaders and traditional dancing, and darkness had fallen before the function was over.

Such a cute baby on the swing...

Kids enjoying the equipment...

the traditional ingoma dancers who performed at the dedication ceremony...

Rev Gabrielle and Rev Mwanza saying bye to each other...

The ceremony of cutting the ribbon into the new playground was given to Alan who had designed it!!

Three ministers together at the dedication.......... a lovely moment...

So as you can see all in all it was a great evening for everyone - I was even presented with a shield and spear similar to that which the dancers are using in the picture. I know that the Kachere folk will miss their friends from Ballycarry!

Now another team of teachers from PCI is here so an update will come soon! No rest for the wicked!!

Have a week full of many blessings

Diane

playgrounds and celebrations

Hello everyone

Hope you have had a good week. Here, the team from Ballycarry have been extremely busy as you will see from the photographs. This was the children who arrived for the Bible club!! Just a few.........

Owen, the driver having a rest after the many hours of driving........
Work begins at the site of the nursery school...

and here is the view I had last week with nothing on it - I hope that next week I will have the final products as we are officially opening it tomorrow.

Meanwhile Nicolas and myself went to Lwambaza CCAP to train some people about nursery school for a day - it was a good day but it was cold!!

Some of the team visited our nursery school in Mzuzu. Here you can see Gabrielle with some of the children.

Kachere opened the nursery school last week and I was delighted when I popped in one day for a visit to find that the kids were busy playing and had quite a lot of materials.

Some children playing with mud and water.......making what I wonder???

On Saturday after a hard week of work we took the team to Vwaza marsh - it was a beautiful day and the rocks you can see in the picture are hippos - there were many of them out of the water probably warming themselves up in the sun. I imagine the water is quite cold these days.
Some of the group decided to go for a walk with a ranger in the park...........

Church on Sunday was lovely with Gabrielle preaching and the minister translating.

On Sunday night the church had a celebration with the team where they prepared a beautiful meal and gifts. It was a special evening. Here you can see the two ministers hand in hand to celebrate the partnership in Christ.
The evening celebration... where we had choirs singing all in a festive mood.

In this picture is myself with the ministers and Rev Mwanza's wife to his left hand side.

So, its been another busy but fruitful week. People have had fun and also worked hard. Another team arrives this incoming week so its all go here!

Wishing you a great week whatever you do.

Blessings

Diane

travel and visitors....

Hello all...

I had intended to write last weekend but I was called away to another Curriculum workshop on Monday which meant I had to drive all day on Sunday. I left Mzuzu at 9am and arrived in Zomba just after 6pm. The journey was beautiful as I took the lakeshore road. In Mzuzu we still have much rain every day and its cold but along the lakeshore it was beautiful with the sun shining and the warm temperatures. The land is really dry as you can see in the photos.

I had a challenging journey - there were many people going to church so the roads were congested with people walking, and many goats running out in front of me, and cows crossing the roads......concentration is the key to driving in Malawi.

You can see how dry the terrain is here.

I was amazed - its only 3 years since I moved from Zomba to Mzuzu and yet there are many more new and beautiful mosques along the lower lake shore and along the road to Zomba.

As I approached Zomba passing malosa, it was getting dark and I took this rather dramatic picture - there was a large fire in the mountains - the picture does not do it justice as I had driven almost past it before I thought about taking a picture but it looked pretty ferocious and hot.

When I reached Zomba it was in total darkness - no electricity for a couple of hours - the next night it was the same!! Makes me glad to be in Mzuzu where we do have electricity usually in the evenings.

I was attending the second curriculum development workshop for Early Childhood Development in Malawi which was really good, challenging and gave us cause for many arguments about child development and the way forward for the country of Malawi. Here you can see some of my colleagues at work!

and some just relaxing!!!

On Friday I left at 5am for Lilongwe where I was picking up a team of 15 from Ballycarry Presbyterian Church who are in Malawi to work alongside Kachere CCAP doing a Bible club with the sunday school and building some play materials for the nursery school. We arrived home around 8pm on Friday night so they were all tired. The road was long because the minibus was feeling the strain with so much luggage on the roof!

Last night, we had a meal together and then there was choir practice as the group were singing in church this morning....

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of them singing in church. Maybe next week. It was a long day as there were two services so we began at 8am and finished around 1pm!!

Here you can see the minister of the congregation - the tallest man on the left hand side of the picture. He is standing in the site of what will be their nursery school.

This picture shows where the outdoor play materials are going to be built so if you check out the blog next week, you might see a different picture of the same site!!

We had a great service in church today - Rev Mwanza was preaching about life in the Spirit and he was fantastic - here you can see him in action - any ideas why he is hugging a cushion?? Answers on a postcard please! Only joking. You can ask any member of the Ballycarry team when they go back to Ireland!!

Wishing you all a blessed and joyous week.

Diane x