July 15, 2009

It was a very rewarding weekend with the children. We had the privilege of seeing one of the older students perform with his dance troop at a community center.  His dance troop was arranged by one of the volunteers at Makaphutu aiming to reach young Africans through dance and music.  Many from the community gathered to watch many different troops perform. It was a loud and exciting time!  It was encouraging to see everyone come together and show support for each other and their talents. There were many different genres of art displayed from hip hop dance, ballet, singing and acting.  We were able to take all of the children from Makaphutu. They enjoyed themselves as well dancing and jumping around to the music. 

The children of Makaphutu and a family from the community gathered for a day at the beach. It was a wild time keeping track of 25 plus kids dancing and splashing in the water. Thankfully there were plenty of adults to keep a watchful eye.  The kids were thrilled to have the opportunity to ride a few of the amusement park rides as well as play video games. 

The kids have been out of school for the past few weeks for winter holiday.  Since many of the children are behind grade wise, study sessions were arranged for a few hours during the day. We worked with the students on basic math facts, reading and uses of punctuation.  While the kids did not readily like winter school, it is reassuring to see them progress in their math and reading skills.

I look forward to the next week while we continue working with the students and do various projects such as painting the cottages and working on finishing up the science lab at the local high school. 

July 22, 2009

We have had a very busy week painting three of the cottages at Makaphutu.  After hard work and a lot of fun, the cottages are a lot brighter and cleaner! The kids had a great time helping out. We utilized them helping clean up the floors and paint the corner areas. They loved having a job and saying that they were participants. 

The kids were so eager to get back to school after their three week holiday.  I was amazed to see so many kids who could not wait to get back to school.  This is definitely not the case for American children or adults for that matter!  The kids returning from family were just as eager to get back to Makaphutu and continue their studies. 

We spend our days helping out at the local schools assisting the teachers with whatever they need. The classroom sizes are quite large compared the classes in America. There are about 45 students in a typical African classroom.  It is difficult for the teachers to give each student the individualized attention that they crave.  Thankfully the students are fairly well behaved and make it easier for the teacher to carry out the lessons.

Homework club is now in full swing.  After school the kids are required to spend an hour doing math and English fundamentals. A lot of the students are not up to grade level and are in need of a lot of extra help with the basics.  We work with the kids completing homework as well as teaching them the new skills that they have not been able to grasp during the regular school day. The kids are not as readily eager to attend Homework Club as they are to attend school. They do their best though and know that in the end it benefits them to complete their homework early.