Afternoon Classes Growing

On Tuesday we had 17 students crammed into our tiny house, making a cake in our English lesson.

Yesterday we re-located to the church.  We had plenty of room and were able to split into 2 groups according to ability.  We had 20 students.

The draw back of this is that it is a long way from the kettle!!

We Can Stay!

We went to Lusaka this week to collect our work permits so we now have leave to stay until January 19^th 2018!

 

 

We are thankful that it has been so quick to get the permits and that our trip to Lusaka was so simple.  We had a lift early in the morning and got the bus back in the evening.  When we arrived in Choma, we were greeted by a massive thunder storm followed by this rainbow.

 

Rain. No Rain.

We returned to Choma on 1^st January and are already getting stuck in to a routine of teaching.  This time we are in the school for 2 hours 4 days a week as well as having our adult classes.  More of this another time.

For now we want to tell you about a big problem that is facing Zambia in the coming months.  There has been very little rain.  It is now the rainy season, but the rain has been little and late.  Since we arrived we have seen only a few days of significant rain.

 

This maize

 

Should look like

 

This maize

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Much of the maize that was planted at the beginning of the season has already dried up and died.  Maize that has been planted later is doing better, but not as well as it should be, so even if there is significant rain from now for a month or six weeks (to the end of the rainy season) the harvest will be poor.  This follows a poor harvest last year because of lack of rain, but this year will be worse.

 

Since Tuesday it has now rained every night, so things are looking up, but this needs to continue for there to be any hope of a harvest.  The rain will make the maize grow, but if it then stops when the heads are "tassling" there will be no grain.