This morning we had an abbreviated version of our morning tasks since we are getting ready to move on to the school in Mporokoso. We visited Charlotte’s class with Blessings and found a most inspiring sight. Blessings, who does not have sight was reading Braille as easily as we read by sight. Her hands glided quickly over the embossed sheets effortlessly. Blessings is fourteen and hopes to study law. On the other side of the building in we found Esnart who also does not have sight, learning how she can teach children using bottle caps and the ten-frames created for her by the carpentry shop. The school does not have much of a budget for teaching materials, so many ideas are being researched to create manipulatives to help students understand math, with hands on materials sourced from their environment.
Inverness County Cares has brought six packs of braille playing cards to enable blind children enjoy a good game of cards, which can incorporate many math concepts.
John and John, with the sister’s help are negotiating to get electrical work and some painting done to brighten up the classrooms.
Next stop was a trip to the ATM and the market to pick up a few essential and to explore. We returned with, clothes hangers, spices, a Zambian cultivator hoe (the main cultivation tool we have seen), clothes pins, pineapples, bananas, a basket, cutting board and lots of paper for the school.
At the market we saw people preparing the beginnings of African Poloney.
"Chikanda is a Zambian dish made from the boiled root tubers of terrestrial orchids also called chikanda. The dish is often called "African polony" because it has a texture that resembles bologna. "
The ATM visit was a lesson in patience for this ATM was selective about to whom, what bank card and how often it will dispense money. It was only after multiple tries that some members could take out 2000 kwacha at a time (equaling $100 Canadian). Always an adventure.
We are in the rainy season and rain every day is expected as well as thunder storms. The rain is warm and anyone caught in the rain isn’t too upset as it is a way to cool off and you dry off very quickly. The daily temperatures are in the high twenties so the showers are welcome.
St Mary's Parish Church.
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Mr Chisemba deputy head teacher navigates
easily with his white cane. |
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| A lady on her way to cultivate her garden. |
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Charlotte and her student Blessings
as she reads Braille effortlessly. |
Agnes using the braille type writer
John the carpenter with the ten frame
he made for us.
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| Esinart learning to use the ten frame. |
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Browsing on the market strip
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| Fresh fruit and vegetables |
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| Cassava |
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| Farmer John with his new hoe. |
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| Very tiny fish |
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| Pounding chikanda to make African Poloney |
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| Charlotte in the market |
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Our weather this week.
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Fascinating to see how Blessings and others read braille, gathering manipulatives for math etc. Another productive day for you folks. Tom & Deb Graham
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