MCC school kits distributed in Zambia!

13.5KG boxes each containing 11 MCC school kits

How many of you have packed a MCC school kit? I've packed a couple over the years.  If you've never heard of them this is the list they contain with a link for more information from MCC's website:

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Contents (NEW items only)

• 4 spiral or perforated notebooks (about 21.5 cm x 27 cm ; 140 pages)
• 8 unsharpened pencils
• 1 ruler(flat, flexible plastic; indicating both 30 cm and 12 in)
• 12 coloured pencils (in packaging)
• 1 large pencil eraser

School kits are distributed in a useful double drawstring cloth bag (30 x 43 cm/11 3/4 x 16 3/4 in).  More here: http://mcccanada.ca/get-involved/kits/school

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I've received a new nickname from the schools this last term: the GOOD NEWS messenger.  There were 82 boxes total with 902 school kits total that arrived in Zambia to be given out to my schools.  I was put in charge to be the delivery person. Each of my 8 schools received a percentage of the boxes based on how many pupils attended the school. So, my largest school population received 16 boxes and the smallest school received 6 boxes. The schools were given the freedom to use the school kits how they thought best. Some chose to give the school kits away as a reward for good academic performance. Others dumped all the school kits out and made sure every student got at least something (example: the younger students got pencils and erasers, the older students received rulers and notebooks. The teachers were given the pencil crayons to use in class, which makes a lot of sense seeing as most students wouldn't have extra paper at home to just colour on!) Still other schools gave the kits to the orphan and vulnerable students. 

Every time I'd take school kits to a school I'd make sure the school knew that I was just the messenger. I was delivering blessings from those of you that packed the school kits. The schools were quick to inform me that I wasn't just any messenger, that I was a GOOD NEWS messenger. It makes sense. Many messengers do bring bad news and if you've ever lived in Africa you know that sometimes the package doesn't always arrive and disappears with the messenger (I'm still waiting for the postal system to deliver a package from April 2014 and November 2014!) It has been a blessing for me to be a good news messenger this term.

Travel along with me and be blessed! Here are some photos I've taken during the term of the process of delivering and later distributing the school kits.

Students carry the boxes of 11 school kits

Students help carry in the boxes of school kits. Got to love the one who put it on his head right?! Each box is 13.5KG, not exactly light! :)

Handing out pencils to the younger students

A good typical line up. No personal space! I have to line up like this at my favourite coffee shop in town.
Luckily the line up isn't as long as this usually!

Students waiting for the distribution of the school kits. I think this is my most favourite photo!

A student exclaims over a ruler.
(Though I'm not sure how I managed to capture
quite that look from the girl behind! Mid- expression!)

Another line up!

A teacher and her daughter. She had to let her hold a notebook while
they distributed school kit items as she wasn't pleased she wasn't getting
anything. (She attends preschool at the school her mom teaches at).

Students excitedly waiting to be given a pencil.

This student saw her coloured pencils and gave them a big kiss when she pulled them out!

At this school the administration asked the parents
and guardians of orphan and vulnerable students
to attend a quick meeting before the distribution.
They wanted to make it clear that the school kits were for
the orphan and vulnerable in their care and not to be
taken away from them to be sold or given to their
biological children. This is something I would have
never imagined needed to be said but after a couple years
 in Zambia makes total sense to me!

The last few months in pictures, work and fun!

Waiting for some cows to cross the road so I can drive across the bridge. 

This last year (since we've already been here 2 years!) my focus is switching and I'm going to be shifting away from doing formal workshops to being present in classrooms, mentoring in a more casual setting, the teachers at my schools. I have already found teachers are much more likely to ask questions they are wondering about or challenges they are facing when I spend the morning or afternoon in their classrooms. (I can usually visit 2 classes and teachers a day, as schools here only run half day. Though other classroom teachers often know I'm around so stop by to greet and chat).  I must admit that it's not very exciting to sit in a very hot classroom, especially since teaching here is very rote and no matter what Grade or subject I sit in the lessons follow the similar pattern of: teacher copies (from a teacher guide textbook or the student book) the lesson for the day. They orally discuss it (often because it is written in English, so it needs to be translated and explained). Then the students take time to copy the lesson from the board. I have had only a couple teachers where I've sat in and went "oh! That's different!" One was a teacher who took her class outside after school time so each could have some individual reading practice with her. Read more about this teacher and a friend of mine, here in my MCC FALL BIC report for 2015: http://mcc.org/learn/what/education/globalfamily/reports/2015/fall/brethren-christ-schools

another teacher, during a literacy lesson, divided the class in half. The ones still in desks did comprehension questions from the textbook and the rest of the class she worked with in a small group near the board. She was working with those in her class that could not yet read. 

To keep myself entertained, I've been taking photos while visiting classrooms. I also hope to give you a better picture of what teaching, classrooms, and students look like in Zambia.

If you make it to the bottom of the post you can see photos of me at Devil's Pool which is on Livingstone Island at the top of Victoria Falls. I got heat exhausting this term and the doctor told me to take a vacation! Luckily we had planned to go to Livingstone for a long weekend over Zambia Independence. I felt better on the Monday and a friend wanted me to go with her on this adventure. So glad I did!

Sikalongo Grade 5 A&B classes squeeze into one classroom as the school needed to use one of their regular
classrooms for voter registration. (About 60 in each class for a total of about 120 here together)

A teacher hands out words to read as her class breaks into small groups.
Grade 3

Grade 3

Grade 3A&B also squeeze into the same room this day due to community
needs at the school. Grade 3

Brooke Strayer, SALT peace worker, sometimes accompanies me to schools
as she works with peace clubs in the same schools.
Grade 2

Grade 2

Mildred Mafulo reads after school with her Grade 4 class. She is the teacher the Fall 2015 article for BIC Zambia Global Family schools is about.

Delon Muzyamba with her Grade 1 class

Delon Muzyamba collects books from her Grade 1s

Students in Grade 1 practice reading
in the local language of Chitonga

Grade 1 student practices reading a Chitonga beginner book

Many students took turns reading at the front. It was hot
and I secretly want to join this student in taking a nap!

Hanging over the ledge at Devil's Pool, Zambia on the top of Victoria Falls

What a view! After swimming in Devil's Pool (which you can see others at on the top right) we toured Livingstone Island.