Global Campaign for Education

Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.

Hi all,
did you know that 1 in 5 adults cannot read this? That is....scary! Otherwise....I hope you are all well. I received a parcel with more books and 'Kinderschokolade' and 'Haribo' from Munich today. Awesome!!!! Thank you Sabine and Christoph!!!! Pics are on the wall already.
It was a great day anyway as Ruth came to the District and brought cheese and 2 packs of Pringles. We just could not get over it all day long that we .....we had......we had.....we had cheese!!!!! Cheese at lunchtime and Noddles with cheese for dinner and there is still a bit of cheese left for tomorrow. This was definetely a gooooood day!!!

Otherwise, we had a big celebration in Kibungo, as this week is Global Action Week. Therefore there were quite a few events all over Rwanda with these topics:
What is the future for children with special needs?
If 9 year basic education is for all, why are there children that are still not in school?
What is literacy and how can we improve literacy?
Reinforcement of adult literacy.
Access to Quality Education is a right.

I will give you some background information:
With 75 million children out of school, GCE is calling for more and better quality assistance to developing countries. Aid to basic education is less than 50% of what is needed to achieve universal primary education, and less than 25% of what is needed to achieve the full set of Education for all goals by 2015.

GCE (Global Campaign for Education) is calling on donors to prioritise teachers and declare how many professional teachers they will assist to train, hire and retain, backing such words with substantial predictable aid flows, that can be spent on teacher salaries.

Only 17 % of aid to basic education is available for teachers' salaries. 18 million teachers are needed to be trained, recruited and retained in order to meet the 2015 goals.

You can get more information on www.campaignforeducation.org .

Because of the Global Action Week we had this huge event in our District and 6 different Primary Schools read stories, showed sketches and so on.... and of course.....we had to listen to a lot of speeches.

The children played really well and you can see them on the pics. The blog is playing up on me and I cannot write anything next to the pics. Sorry!

Ruth had organised a baseline survey on drop outs in 126 villages in 3 sectors and did present the results of the survey to all participants. Good base for future work!!

After the celebration I met Suzanne in the bar for a drink and we had a very good chat about work, life, friends, home and so on. When I went home....there was .... more cheese involved....and 'Kinderschokolade'. Great!!! I think the Kinderschokolade is the best thing I did eat since January, even though it was totaly melted.....but soooooo veeeeerrrryyyyyy goooood!!!

Now I am in my room and am talking to another stupid Mosquito. I am telling her that my blood is really not that great. And, as I am a fair person, I am warning her, that she should really not take the risk of biting me, as I am just waiting for her to flatten her up!!! The problem is....I think she cannot understand English.....as she is starting to attack...and...so, I really have to go. Have some Mossi buiss to do.
I hope you all had a great weekend.
xxx Tina

Just a dream

Here and....
right now....
I am....
dreaming....
of a machine....






that can beam me ....
to Austin....
just for a day....
to go surfing....









just to catch some waves....
together....
just to sit in the campervan....
for an hour....







just to look at the surf....
just to be cold and exhausted....
from paddeling....
in the sea....








just to look at the beach and have a hot chocolate....
with cream....
and....
Marshmallows....
and....




a big smile on....
the mans face....
that is....
what I want....
right now....

just for one ....
just for one day....
as I do ....
love it here....
in Rwanda.

Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and
observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.

2 days in Gafunzo

This is a typical view for me. Half of Jean-Baptiste's helmet and the rest is nature, people,......, Rwanda.
There are always a lot of people along the road.











Very close to Gafunzo. UNHCR did build a big settlement in this area after the war, as refugees did come back and needed homes. But...this is not one of the homes.












Bitare, the next village before Gafunzo.















Bitare













We did learn the Hockey Pokey during Teacher Training.

You put the left foot in, the left foot out...
in, out, in, out,
shake it all about.
You do the Hockey Pokey
and......










you turn around.
That is what it's all about!!













Oh, the Hockey Pokey,
Oh, the Hockey Pokey,
Oh, the Hockey Pokey,
that is what it's all about,
Hey, hey!!!!











Group work. On this pic the group is preparing a child centred and active lesson. They are asked to involve different senses in their teaching and....oh, they did so well!!!













The teachers play a game with 'Phonics'. This game involves different senses and everybody is keen on playing it with their students once they are back in their classrooms. Yes, please do that!!!!!












Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.

Hi all,
the last two days have been incredible again. I did run a work shop in a village called Gafunzo which is in the Sector Sake, very close to the border to Burundi. Jean Baptiste picked me up at my house at 7.40 in the morning. And then .... we drove off into the middle of nowhere. This time I took my IPod on the journey, as I knew it would take 1,5 hours to get there and 1,5 to get home. That means 6 hours on a motor bike in two days. I shared the music with Jean Baptiste and had one earplug in my ear and the other one in Jean Baptiste's. It was funny how many comments we got about that along the way!! I - as always- just loved it when we jumped of the proper road and on the dirt road on the other side of Kibungo town. It just feels like freedom and is so exciting., it feels totally like beeing in the middle of Africa. It feels ...just right! The scenery is amazing....it is so hilly, you can see lakes, pineapples, loads of banana trees, sunflowers everywhere and children playing with simple wooden toys along the road. The further you get out of Kibungo the less people wear European clothes. A lot of children are dressed in broken clothes and have no shoes. It is such a different life from home. The area around Gafunzo is much hotter, drier and a lot of people are very poor. But the scenery is amazing!!! Lake Sake is just around the corner and it is so beautiful.
The school where I did run the work shop offers food to every teacher and every child at lunch time- beans and some....I have no idea!!! I was quite suprised and amazed and asked who pays for the food. It is very interesting, as the 'World Food Programme' sponsors it. The deputy head teacher explained, that a lot of people in the area do suffer from being mailnutrient. I think it is great that the children and teachers do get a meal. Can you imagine teaching from 7.30 - 16.45 every day when you do not have lunch. A lot of.... well most of Rwandan teachers have to do that every single day!!! How do they cope????
I trained 22 teachers from 11 different schools today and yesterday and it was such great fun. We did so many action songs and games and worked on topics like 'How to introduce new vocabularies' and 'How to teach phonics' in an active childfriendly way. Everybody loved the 'Hockey Pocky' and they wanted to dance it about 8 times in this hot weather, next to all the other activities. But... what a great fun!!! Now, I feel like after a long run.....totally exhausted and totally happy. I am always amazed by the good will and good attitude the teachers do have during the work shops. They just want to learn and seem to soke it all in like as it is the most interesting.....and I guess it is not always easy for them to follow me all the way through....in English. Well done guys!! You really do make me appreciate that I do work over here. The pictures did not come out very well and I probably have to take my camera apart and give it a proper clean. But I guess you can still enjoy them.
Take care,
and best wishes from a very tired but happy
xxx Tina

Peace Marathon in Kigali

Oh, read this.... Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.

It is Sunday.....7 in the morning! I am wondering!?! What is the stupid alarm clock doing???? Why is it ringing? It is Sunday morning, leave me alone!!! But then.....Sunday morning.....THE Sunday morning???? Yes, it is 'Peace Marathon' Sunday, Sunday the 24th of May. Oh, now I need to hurry up to see my friends running. This is going to be an exciting day!!!! And....it is hot....hot....hot!!!!
We arrive at the Stadium just in time to see the others start. Oooohhhh.....and what we see is great!!!! Enjoy the pics.
Take care,
xxx Tina

The start of the Kigali Half Marathon at Amahoro Stadium. Kassim, Els, Eric and Amy did run it. Well done guys!!!!

Eric just after the start.

The dancers did a good 'Michael Jackson Show'
while everybody else was out running.
How can they move their bodies like that?
I need to start some training!!!

The most amazing person in the Half Marathon.
He was so fast!!!! Well done!!!

Eric arriving. The amazing thing:
He looked totally fresh 10 minutes later.
How did that happen?
I was already exhausted from.....
..........just watching!!!!

Els doing well!

Just another 300 metres! You can do it!!!!

Els on the big screen. Just at the finish line. Winning!!!!????!!!!

Amy arriving in Parker Style!!
And she looked as if she did not do a run at all.
She actually did run on after the finish line. Stop!! Parker, Stop!!!!
Go for the full Marathon next year!!!! You can do it!!!!
Nothing can stop this woman!!!!

Austin's visit at Model School Muzingira or an English Man in the middle of nowhere!!!

And as always!!!!! Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.

Hi all,
these pics are from March. I will try to put some old stuff on the blog as well. Just so you can see what has happened in the past. A lot of you did get my e-mail updates in the past and therefore I do not need to write such a lot. Good for me!!!
Enjoy,
xxx Tina

This is an hour before I did head of to the airport to pick up Austin. That is a happy me. Oh, I was so excited!!!

Austin and his Moto Driver. Before his first ride into the middle of nowhere.

Two Motos one destination. Model School Muzingira.
It was so cool to look back and see him behind me.
Good times!!!

The school pig!!!

The head teachers and an 'English Man'.

Having fun in the classroom.

Austin, now it is your turn!!! Hold a speech and introduce yourself......

to all of these......nice and amazing teachers!!!!!!

'Work shop in 'Ecole Bare' in Mutenderi Sector'...................................or........................' These teachers do rock!!!'

Drive to 'Ecole Bare' in Mutenderi Sector.

Is that a cupboard on the back of that bike??? Yes it is!!!!

These three pics:
We did a session about 'How to teach phonics'. Afterwards the teachers had to work in small groups of 5. They were asked to prepare a 'Phonic Session' during which they were supposed to use the new Methodology and then they had to teach each other. Well done guys!!!

Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.

Hi all,
tonight I am tired but very happy. The last two days went very well and the workshop was a great success. It all started yesterday morning. I left the house at 6.40 with a huge backpack full of stuff for the training- ...loads of picture and word cards, 22 songbooks, 22 phonic guides, rice sacks, paper, blue tack, washing lines, flip chart paper and loads of prepared displays and pens, etc.. I will be really fit in a few months, as I carried it all to my office which is -of course -uphill. It was great, as my Moto Driver Jean-Baptiste -whoms whole family I do know by now- was on time in the office and could not stop laughing when he saw my huge back pack. My colleague Bosco said I should order a second Moto for my bag!! But I thought: 'No, I am a strong woman, I can do it....no worries.' That is ....what us VSOs are known for....huge bag....on the way to some training. I had never been to that school before but I did know the head 'Leandre' very well. Otherwise, I did not know the room we could use or the teachers. All I knew was, I could not wait to start. The drive was awesome as always. This country is so beautiful and the mornings do have their very own atmosphere. When I arrived at the school I was very pleased with the room and of course I had to go into every class to say 'Hi' and introduce myself. Then I prepared the room and the participants arrived. What a nice crowd. I had my stereo system with me and by now all of them are 100% 'Jack Johnson' fans. A short while later we started with some activities to introduce ourselves. The whole day was just fantastic. It was great fun to work with the teachers and I honour them a lot for what they achieved. They really did rock!!! We learned loads of new songs, games, learned about VAK as well as how to include different senses into teaching, how to introduce new vocabularies and how to teach phonics. Today at lunchtime I was invited to 'Leandres' house and his Mum cooked some lunch for us. She is such a nice person. I asked her if I can come to her house in two weeks to cook together with her, as I want to learn Rwandan cooking. Oh, she certainly loved that idea.....and I loved it, too! The whole day was good. After lunch we did go back to school for our last seesion about 'Spelling'. Through the evaluation I received a lot of feedback about the workshop. The one I loved most was: 'Now I can make English fun'. I really do like this comment, as that is what my work is all about! I cannot wait to see the same 'Team' again. I will train them for another two days in 4 weeks. Enjoy the pics, they are 'brandneu' from today and still hot. Have fun!

Here we started to learn one of the new songs from the 'Song Book' I did write back in April. The teachers loved the songs and even though they did sing very quiet at the beginning, they rocked in the end. Good people!!!!

After having a session about 'How to introduce new vocabularies in an active way' the teachers had to do some group work. And.....they used the new methodology. Yeehhaaaa! Please keep on doing that in your classrooms.

This is about some dedicated people at Model School 'Muzingira'. - Yes, you are stars!!!

Please note that VSO is in no way connected with or responsible for the content, comments and observations in this blog: these are solely my own in a personal capacity.

Hello,
it was a good day in Kibungo. I prepared the Work Shop I am going to hold tomorrow and on Friday in 'Ecole Bare', a school in 'Mutenderi sector' . It will be good and I am looking forward to do some proper training. We will be about 24 teachers and me. Each invited school was asked to send 2 teachers. I will do two days of training over the next months in order to train 126 teachers from the 63 primary schools in my District. Each of the participants is supposed to have 4 days of training by the end of August and all of them have the task to teach some of their new skills to their colleagues at their schools.
Tomorrow I will have some help as some teachers I trained before are supposed to show their new skills to the other ones. They are going to bring some of the resources we did create together. They are such great fun to work with and I am looking forward to see them as 'Trainers'!!! Wouw, how cool is that???
I have put some pics of them and the resources we created during training on the blog. I guess we still have to do a session about the use of capital letters. But they have done such a great job!!! They are such dedicated people when it comes to the training and I like every single one of them so very much. Enjoy the pics.
I hope it is not going to rain tomorrow as I have prepared so much stuff and need to carry it in a big backpack on the Motorbike. The ride is just about 40 minutes. The Head Teacher organises some water for me and I am so happy about that- 2 Kilos less to carry. Oh, I am excited....it will be such a good day. Take care,
xxx Tina