A Day Away

We had a trip to Namwala (if you go by car it's about 2 hours from here).
We walked by the river - the Namwala loop, a large loop of river off the Kafue River - and saw:

Yellow billed storks

 

Cross billed storks and a sacred ibis

 

 

Stand up paddle boarding

 

Pigs





 

 

Cattle and cattle egrets

 

 

THE RIVER!!!
It was so good to be by a big piece of water.

Amos lost his hat (yes he is wearing a hanky on his head!)

To make up for it, here are some more pretty pictures

360 degrees, the moon on one side the sunset on the other (you have to look carefully for the moon)

A Couple of Jobs

Amos moving leaves onto the garden to improve the soil.  Please admire his new shovel!

Bridget winnowing maize

A Meeting on the Road

We nearly missed this one...

A Bit of Cullture

Last Saturday we went to a local gathering in the football stadium to celebrate some of the traditional  music and dancing of Southern Province. 

Some of the 'dancing' is very acrobatic!

Garden

The garden has been growing very slowly since we replanted after the rains.  The weather has been cold and the neighbours chickens have not been helping!
Now that the winter is over we are looking forward to some rapid growth and lots of produce.

Break Time

A couple of pictures taken as I strolled passed the children today at break time:

Up a tree

Making houses

Four Village Schools

This week we went with the Education Secretary for the Pilgrim Wesleyan Church, to look at four of the village schools under his care.  These are not like the small intimate village schools of the UK.  Each one will cater for multiple villages.  The smallest had 528 pupils. 
Here are some pictures:

Syanyuka School.
800 children.
Pre-school to grade 7:

The head teacher

Some of the parents making burglar bars to go on windows and doors of a new block, also built by the parents.

Mulima School.
1042 children.
Grades 1-9:

 

Amos with the head teacher in the library

Science store room

Sinanjola School.
1046 children.
Pre-school to grade 9:

 

 

The almost completed new staff room, with (from left to right), head teacher, PWC Education Secretary, community representative, deputy head teacher.

Orchard planted to provide fruit for the children during school.  These pawpaw trees were planted from seed last year!  The schools are in the Kariba valley the soil is rich, there is plenty of water and the weather is warm - good growing conditions.

Munyati School.
528 children.
Pre-school to grade 9:

Some of the pre-school children came to greet us while we were in the head teacher's office.  There are 115 children in pre-school!  They are taught in shifts.

Amos making friends.  They are a bit wary.

The head teacher's turkeys.

And finally, some pictures from a moving vehicle on the way home:

The last of the day's sun on the hills

Baobab tree