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

Jumping High. Jumping Long

This is the season of sports at school.  Last week we caught some of the girls jumping events.

High jump:

Long jump:

Just chillin':

Meal

We have harvested our maize and now it has been ground ready to use:

News From the Chalk Face

I thought it would be good to give you a bit more info about our adult literacy classes, so I (Bridget) gave my class (the improvers group) a homework exercise to write a paragraph about where they live.  I told them that I wanted to show the people at home so that you could see if I'm teaching them ok and how well they are doing!
Here are the results:

Lalita and Rabecca did their home work together:

 

 

 

Lalita and Rabecca

 Bertha:

Bertha

Omega and Christine.  Omega is Christine's daughter, she is in the primary school where we teach, in grade 6, and joins her mother in the adult literacy class after school:

 

Omega and Christine

HIV Testing in the Community

Several of our friends volunteer in a local clinic and hospital working with people on ARV treatment for HIV.  One of them has recently been trained to do testing within the communities.  She will go to villages, remote from the town and therefor difficult for people to attend clinics for testing.  She was very keen to demonstrate the procedure to us.  It consists of a pin pricked finger, a carrier fluid and a strip of indicator paper.
Below is Bridget's negative test result:

The pale line in the lower white section shows a negative result.  If it was positive there would be a corresponding line in the upper white section.

Out and about in Choma town

Some random pictures taken in Choma itself so you can see some of the sights and some of the things we do when we go to town:

The walk into Choma recently, showing the last of the big flowers before the dry season takes effect and they all die back

Through the market

Amos reading with Royce

Crossing the market.  Sometimes there's a train in the way!

Choma High Street

Choma High Street

Lunch

New garage and very expensive pizza place

Shopping in the Spar