A new team for further success!!!

Here in Siya Siya we are now into our fourth cohort, on the 2nd of may 2018 10 new volunteers arrived in Siya Siya, five UK volunteers and five Malawian volunteers. The cohort has progressed and adapted well to their new lives where for the next ten weeks they will be living with the local community's of Salima and volunteering in the two educational zones of Kanongola and Matenje, helping to teach primary aged school children, community's and family's towards the importance of education and the advantages of going to school.

team meeting with T/A khombedza

So far we have successfully been teaching in classes around life skills and child rights. On the surface this looks like an easy task but in reality it comes with so many challenges both personally and professionally. Often we find it difficult to know exactly what the learners might already know or how we can teach them something new and useful, but once you enter the classroom and see many children with smiles upon their faces and eager anticipation all worry's and fear melt and fizzle away. In the short time we have been on placement we have already conducted many class lesson and classroom activities, this gives hope that no matter how small the progress or how difficult the challenges might be everything we do adds and aids to change. the team has also used this opportunity to monitor the progress of the children through class registers and exam results, which has been exciting to see how well the learners are progressing but also where the learners might need the neccassary support or further care.  

push pull activity in siya siya transitional centre:- picture credit norah

life skills lesson in kanjuwi transitional centre:- picture credit Dani Alexander

As well as classroom lessons we have also had a couple of identification activities whereby we aim to identify  children who have either dropped from school or who no longer go, we can walk for what seems like miles and only identify a small or limited amount of children. but the best way to motivate yourself in this environment is to look at the bigger picture of what we are doing and those life's that we are positively impacting and helping to improve, it is not about our struggle but instead about how we can best conquer someone else's struggle and empower them to become sustainable in their own life's. the family's are very friendly. It is fantastic to see how the vast majority of parents take the education of their children seriously and actively encourage their children to attend school.

identification in kanongola educational zone:- picture cedit thoko

The biggest part of being in placement is how we are changing the mindset of communitys and actively encouraging them to empower and improve their lives but also how we are helping the lifes of those within the community we live in, the team has realised that's its not just about what we achieve when we are out in the field but equally the achievements we notice within everyone we meet. Two weeks in we have succeeded with so much and know that ahead is challenges, but this team will not stop until we have achieved everything set out.

form c monitoring in chinkuli school:- picture credit esther

blog by Jason lee Taylor




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