Busagazi School Visit!

I had an amazing day today.  Words cannot capture the range of emotions that I experienced but the strongest one was joy.  Our CanAssist group made a 3.5 hour trek to the Busagazi School in Uganda.  This school was built with funding from ETFO's Humanity Fund and a partnership between CanAssist and MCODE, a local development agency.  Almost two hours of the journey were spent on narrow hard pack red clay roads.  The ride was very slow, bumpy and dusty.  In fact the roads were so poor that the last kilometre had to made on foot.  After a slow approach up a steep hill we spotted the school on a green plateau.  Despite the fact that today was a school holiday, many villagers, teachers, community leaders and children turned up.  We had a warm greeting with multiple speeches expressing gratitude.  The beautiful women sang and danced for us in a rainbow of colours and the children were excited to receive books, uniforms and balls from our group.
This school serves over 600 students and it originally had only two classrooms paid for by the government.  At this time students had to take turns attending school on alternate days, much like our A/B Kindergarten schedule or they attended school under a tree on the property.  The addition of two new classrooms by CanAssist and two more by another NGO means that the children have more space to engage in learning.  Together we are stronger!

Approaching the school.

Marvellous Maddy Makes a Friend.

Grew seriously considers teaching a math lesson in the new school.

You wouldn't know it was a school holiday from the size of this crowd.

The Parents Performed!

This tree was a former classroom.

This crazy muzunga brought basketball to Busagazi!

An impromptu passing lesson

CanAssist will now fund desks for this classroom.

The funds for this school were donated to CanAssist by the ETFO Humanity Fund.

The children escorted us back down the hill to the truck.  While walking a butterfly swooped down in front of me.
She was there!

On our drive out I finally located Duke water on a dusty road south of the main highway!  #GoDuke!

Kanyala Little Stars!

Kanyala Little Stars in Mbita has 240 students crammed into a tiny space.  25% of the children are HIV positive.  There is no latrine on the property and insufficient space in the classroom.  In a 10 X 10 foot classroom there were 35 students.  Despite the lack of space their school work was impeccable.  Our students would do well to produce such neat work!  Some classrooms have insufficient desks so many children sit on a bamboo mat to complete lessons.  Despite challenging conditions this school is growing and thriving.  It has received support from the ETFO Humanity Fund, proving that teachers care and can make a difference in the world!

Despite overcrowding, this is a happy face!

Dan speaks to the students.

Busy Classroom

Lots of Kids

Yay, I love learning!

Posters

Math is Marvellous!

Science is Super!

Karibou!

Hope School Visit

In the morning we walked to the Hope School campus, where we had an opportunity to visit another school constructed by CanAssist.  Kind donations resulted in its construction as well as the installation of water tanks to provide water for the children.  It was 10-15 minute walk up a very rugged hill.  Only the sturdiest vehicles could drive this road and most traffic involves boda boda (small motorcycle) or donkey.

We received the typical welcome of dancing, singing and music.  The children were happy to show their appreciation in this way and their energy was infectious.  After the performance we were invited into the Headmasters office where introductions were made and the school was described.  A few students were invited in check out the new curriculum documents and one student read a short excerpt from a Primary 3 book.  Two of our trustees took a turn at the desk, built by a local carpenter and funded by CanAssist.  Future projects at this school may include the construction of new furnishings.

A warm welcome at Hope School

Lots of Kids

Judith and John have gone back to school.

Children are excited about new books.

This woman is chopping kale for the children's lunch.

Happy faces everywhere!

Great to see the girls!

Scents, Sounds and Sights of Kenya!

There are many wonderful things in this country to enjoy.  Some of them are very simple and free for the taking.  The first that comes to mind is one that I experienced as soon I stepped off the plane and it always seems to be there lurking in the background!  It is the smell of wood smoke!  As soon as the plane doors opened I could smell the smoke of wood fires and as I sit here tonight I can smell them still.  Many people use firewood for cooking and no matter where you are there seems to be a whiff of smoke in the air.  I find it comforting, reminding me of the farm, wood fires when camping and the smoke from the fireplace in my home.

In much the same way, sounds are everywhere too.  I think that perhaps, my favourite is the variety of birdsong found throughout the country.  We Canadians enjoy a melody of song birds in our spring and summer but during the depths of winter it is noticeably absent.  Almost every morning on this trip I have been awakened by the sounds of birds; music to my ears.  I have a few audio clips of bird song to share and when I can access Youtube I will upload them and attach the link here.

https://youtu.be/P5ZG8Tqjqos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2JtTIPJCp-A


The sights of Africa are too numerous to mention.  You have seen many pictures, already, of the flora and the fauna, pictures of people and structures.  Below I will attach a few unique sights and signs which have caught my eye along the trail.  They tell their own tale.  I hope you enjoy!

Look Closer

This one is for you Ms. McLeod!

Safety Sign at the tea factory

What a great name for a gas station.

Well balanced!

In the town of Narok, no less!

She is here!

Very effective road sign.

This one is for you Adrian.  We love J.J. and it seems Babu did not move back to Pakistan!

When was the last time your school bus got stopped in traffic like this?

African Flowers Georia O'Keefe Style

Life is beautiful here in Africa.  Everything is green and lush.  The vegetation is huge due to an almost continuous growing season.  Those who know me well know how much I love gardening, flowers and birds.  The title of this entry is a clue that I want to share, with you, some beautiful flowers that I have seen along the way.  The last two pictures are not identified but they seem to be wildflowers.  They can be found all along the roads and don't appear to have been cultivated.

Hibiscus

Hibiscus

Cactus Flower

Cactus Tree

Passionfruit Flower

Passionfruit

?????

Beautiful!

Beautiful Clusters