Just another week......

Hello everyone from a nice sunny and warm Mzuzu!  However, you can't have it all - no water since yesterday and electricity has just come on after more than 12 hours!!  

The past couple of weeks have been busy as always, with work and visitors.  

At the weekend I had a visit from Amos from Malosa near Zomba who comes here to sell paintings and carvings.  He was showing me the talent of a young guy called Gilbert who I know from Zomba - its great to see he is still painting well!

A few weeks ago, I showed pictures of Claire and Flo who had arrived to do their medical electives in Ekwendeni.  Last weekend was Flo's birthday and together with some of her travelling friends from Ekwendeni we had a birthday celebration!

It was a weekend of birthday's - I was priviliged to join Rev Dr Joel Manda and his family for Joel's 65th birthday celebration.  His grandchild is a student at our nursery school so we had a lot of fun!!   Joel worked together with me when I was in Zomba so its great to be close to the family again.

On Monday, Nicolas and I travelled to Nkhamenya Presbytery where we met with some of our ToT's to discuss some issues relating to training and monitoring.  We had a good meeting and it is wonderful to see Nicolas really settling into the job.  He received his certificate this week from London so now he can show people he has qualified!  (Note the maize in the background - and this is in the vestry of the church!!)

This is Senzeni one of our trainers from Luwerezi listening intently..........I hope!!

Miness joining the discussion,  with Naomi and Kettie

When I was in Ireland for 3 weeks in April, part of my avocado tree fell down on the roof of the car port.  It has grown really tall over the last while and so last weekend we decided to cut some more down as it has been very windy the past few days.  The red blob in the middle of the tree is the brave man who climbed up and chopped off the branches!!  We must have retrieved over 100 avocados from the cut branches - this tree has been producing fruit since last December!!

Annex watches as the branches fill the garden!!

Yesterday morning as I was getting up I noticed the most wonderful sunrise, so camera to the ready, I rushed to take a photo over the glass on the wall!!  I thought it came out quite well! 

Today Nicolas and I travelled to Mzimba to meet another group of ToT's to give them the same briefing - we will be travelling over the next couple of weeks to meet ToT's in different locations.  

Back row: Fidelis, Emily, Mloyiso, Nicolas and Angella
Front row:  Grace, Daniel, Khwima, Hlezipe and Mary

Of course, we had some serious discussions but its always good to have some ECD songs and fun and laughter in between.......

Nicolas and Mloyiso in action!!!

Grace and Emily

Mloyiso and Daniel

Fidelis found a puppet and was having some fun....

and just as I was dropping people off this evening the sun was setting and it was beautiful - this picture does not do it justice but its a good note to end on.

Wishing you all a good week as I now head off to have a well earned rest!!

Blessings
Diane x

another week in the north....

Hello everyone,

Once again its been a busy couple of weeks - time is flying past and I never seem to catch a breath.  All the schools have closed for the summer holidays and our school had our closing celebration.  Here you can see one of the teachers performing a song with our toddlers about Noah and the ark where the children have to name the animals in the ark!

One of our children called Gresham was involved in a terrible car accident about 6 months ago and has been in hospital ever since.  He was discharged just before our closing so here you can see his mother on the right with Gresham in a suit and his friends all around him.  He has a badly broken leg and is having intensive physiotherapy to help him to walk again.  Such a brave little boy.

Just a couple of pictures from the day!  Don't you love the hats!!

The Head Teacher, Mrs Patricia Nyasulu addressing the parents.

During the past week the caregivers from Mzuzu Presbytery were having a refresher course with Nicolas and Enala the trainers in the Presbytery...

In February, we trained 18 more trainers and so Mercy (on the left)joined Nicolas and Enala to learn more about facilitation and content of training.  She is the trainer in Jombo Presbytery and has a very big area to cover as she monitors our CBCC's there.

Mercy and Enala with beautiful smiles!

A couple of the play areas set up using locally available materials (rubbish)to show the caregivers what to do...

On Thursday I had to go to Lilongwe as I had a meeting on Friday morning.  Fidelis came with me and on the way back we stopped to price a snack - these mice cost K100 each - around 25p........if you want to place an order just let me know!!  I declined to taste them!

Fidelis was feeling hungry!!

Many of you have been praying for Nicolas, and indeed many of you met him when he was in Ireland a couple of years ago.  I am pleased to tell you that Nicolas is now the proud holder of a Diploma in Early Childhood Development!  He has worked really hard and deserves it.  He has also been appointed ECD project officer and so will be working alongside me in the Synod, so I am even more delighted about this development.

Continue praying for him in what will be a challenging job as he works with fellow trainers, caregivers, churches and communities 

Wishing you all a great week and if you are on holidays - enjoy!!


Blessings,
Diane

school, fundraising and lake...

Hello everyone,

An update from the last couple of weeks.  I have been trying to update the blog for a few days but we have had no network!

Deborah and Helen are about to leave this morning but I think they have really enjoyed their time. Here you can see Deborah with some of the kids who will miss them!!  It was an emotional farewell for them at our school yesterday morning!!

On Saturday 30th June we had a fund raising day at school to contribute towards our new school building which we hope we can open part of in September, but with rising prices and devaluation of the Kwacha it is proving quite a challenge!!    A lot of parents and friends supported the event which was great encouragement to the organisers. They raised just under £400 - a wonderful effort by all concerned.

Here is the chairman waiting to collect the entrance fee!!

some of the food on offer.........

children waiting to go on the bouncy castle

enjoying the fizzy drinks - yes, we still get fizzy drinks in glass bottles!!

thanks to whoever sent us the ELC balloons  - kids loved them!

It was good to see many fathers coming with their children...

Last Wednesday I had to take a friend to the airport in Lilongwe, and so decided to take the visitors with me and go back to Mzuzu via the lakeshore.  We stopped overnight at Nkhotakota - the weather was good but cool and the lake was beautiful.......

lots of local crafts on sale

Deborah and Helen admiring the view

Early morning visitor at my chalet.....

On Thursday, we travelled north up the lakeshore as Enala and I were going to train some committee members of nursery schools at Chilumba.  Here you can see Enala at work in the church building...

doing some group work

dancing  and singing early  years songs - we had competition between the men and women

On Sunday, as it was Helen and Deborah's last weekend we had a barbeque in the garden - unfortunatley as this chair was being moved into the garden, it fell apart but Nicolas and Fidelis soon had it together again!!

There was much hilarity as silly games were played!!

including pin the tail on the donkey.......

It was good to have two new visitors from Northern Ireland - Claire and Flo are doing their medical elective at Ekwendeni - they had just come from a weekend in Livingstonia and were really enjoying themselves!  You can spot them in the photo by the colour of their skin!!

Those of you who follow my blog know that I love wildlife and on Sunday afternoon the only wildlife in the garden worth taking a photo of was this family of chickens - making a lot of noise as they looked for food!!

Am writing this from Lilongwe - just before going to leave the girls to the airport and then face the drive north again this afternoon.  Its been a good three weeks and I think Helen and Deborah would agree that they have learned much not only about a new culture but about themselves.  Who knows they might end up doing a similar job in a developing country themselves someday!

Wishing you all a good week wherever you are in the world.  Thanks for reading the blog and please leave a comment if you find it interesting.  Also please become a follower so that you can keep up to date with what is happening!!

Blessings

Diane