Moments in Mkwiro

Expedition 103 has been full of action and fun activities, let me tell you about the week I spent in Mkwiro community... As we are writing this we are laying in the sun at Paradise Bar drinking a warm beer (no electricity in Paradise!) and watching the beautiful Wasini Channel. However as the rainy season is coming to an end the weather is extremely temperamental making marine ventures a bit precarious. Lucky then, that community had a great time at Mkwiro Primary School this week.

Monday kicked off with a full day of intense teacher training and GVI’s introduction to Swahili and TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language). After interrupted sleep due to heavy rains followed by the rigorous training, we were all eager to get started.

-- First time teachers enjoy lessons as much as the children do --

Tuesday morning after a big breakfast we started a new project in the community to assess water collection and sanitation techniques with the village, which is a big problem in Mkwiro. There was an outbreak of Cholera early this year and this project is a great step forward for Mkwiro, which has been classified by WHO (World Health Organization) as having the highest level of water poverty.

Community started off it’s teaching on Tuesday afternoon with Earth Club, discussing conservation and environmental issues in South America. It was received exceptionally well with the children jumping at the opportunity to interact and learn something a little bit different. The enthusiasm and comprehension of the children spurred on our drive and confidence to reach our teaching potential.

-- Encouraging work and discovering new talents --

Over the last few days we taught a variety of different lessons, not only teaching the class but also assisting as tutors in subjects spanning form English to Life Skills. One of the highlights and now the fondest memories of the week was without a doubt the after school art club, which for an introductory lessons got a fantastic reception and attendance. The number of outstanding talents and ambitious pupils blew us all away. Even with drawing basis objects like oranges and shells illustrated their grasp of perception and depth of field. It was a really encouraging display of undiscovered talents.

We are really looking forward to what happens next!

Moments in Mkwiro