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