7:30-8:30 Drive to school. Mr. Kalema drives me and the other volunteers between Matuga (home) and Kigoma, where the school is located. (pic1)
The Kigoma Adventist Primary School is funded primarily by the HCF and supported by Kigoma Seventhday Adventist Church. It includes a nursery section (3-6yrs) and primary 1-7 classes (7-14yrs), altogether 180 children and 8 teachers. The HCF functions within the school. It boards 60 orphan, otherwise homeless children behind the classroom building (pic2). They are provided with basic clothing, food and caring. Other students live at their generally poor homes and walk to the school within a 2,5km range.
8:30-9:30 Learn Luganda.The head teacher gives us volunteers daily Luganda lessons. Even though English is the official language everyone in Southern Uganda speaks Luganda as the first language. Learning is fun, bulungi!
10:00-11:00 Physical education. All children gather to the grass field and form a circle (pic3). They do different kinds of stretches and jumps, followed by games. I get sweaty trying to beat some of the kids in running.
11:00-13:00 Teach English. I have been assigned to primary 6 class. Never before have teenagers greeted me with hugs and smiles as I enter their classroom! Studying material consists of one teacher's book, a blackboard and students' notebooks. I write everything on the blackboard and my 15 students copy it to their notebooks. I wish I had more material for reading and listening comprehension, as well as a good variety of differing exercises. However, not having ready text and practice books makes me more creative in coming up with new teaching methods. And, I do have what is most important - students who are willing to learn and behave excellently (pic4).
13:00-14:00 Lunch break. Schedules vary each day. So far I have not figured out when classes and breaks are supposed to start and end, thus this text being just an example.
14:00-16:00 Mathematics / social science / art & craft / music & drama / vocational skills / sports & games. On Thursdays the children perform Ugandan songs and dances (pic5). They have such a good sense of rhythm!
16:30-18:00 Pick up and drive home. It gets dark here at around seven.
18:00-21:30 Running, going to the nearby internet cafe, dinner, writing, reading.
21:30 Sleep.
Thank you colleagues and friends for the clothes, toys, games and pens you sent to the children. They were happy to receive them! (pics6&7)
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