FUTURE LINKS WITH BOMA SCHOOL

We (the teachers) were both pleased and sad to wake up to our last day in the schools of Malawi. We were pleased because by now most of us had upset tummies and we were very tired, and sad because it has been one of the most extraordinary, challenging and interesting experiences of our lives. 

We met for breakfast at 6.30am as we did everyday ready to set off to our schools at 7am. Our drivers, Frank and Dave who are from Malawi, helped us to take the bags full of gifts for our schools and heaved them into the back of the jeeps ready to set off.
Boma school was first as it is only ten minutes down the road so I got out and Dave carried the presents to the Head Teachers office. Now today is my last day so I know that in Malawi they have a celebration day to say goodbye to their visitors from overseas. I suspect there may be drums or dancing or the children might sing and there might be presents or speeches...my head is full of ideas about what might happen! 
All morning Mr Foster Amose (the Head Teacher) and I sat in his office filling out forms for Starfish Malawi and the British Council who help teachers to go out to Africa to work in their link schools and then fund a return visit so the teachers from Africa can visit the UK. 
Here is what we decided in a little more detail:
1.  Children in both schools will write traditional stories.  Boma and Sissinghurst will read each other's stories which will be an opportunity for our children to explore each other's cultural traditions.
2. Water is an issue both at Boma and Sissinghurst. At Boma there are water stands outside in the playground. These are provided so the children can wash their hands after they have been to the toilets. However, they are often empty because there are 4,600 children, the children play with the water and it runs out after first break by about 9.30am but school does not finish until 1.05pm. 

Water stand at Boma School provided so children can wash their hands.

At Sissinghurst we have water fountains. Children can use these to have a drink throughout the day and there is no shortage of water. However, children often leave the water running which is a waste of this natural resource.
Mr Foster Amose and I decided that the Pupil Council will appoint water monitors at both schools who will be responsible for a) at Boma, ensuring there is an increasingly consistent supply of water for sanitation during the school day and b) at Sissinghurst ensuring that water is not wasted. We will share newsletters between both pupil councils to see how successful the monitors are in achieving our aims.

3. We will organise a litter pick in the playgrounds of both schools. We will sort the waste into paper, plastic, food etc. We will then make graphs to show the results. After sharing the results with our link school we will consider similarities and differences in the waste our schools have produced. We will challenge stereotypical views and perceptions by exploring in depth the implications which arise from these results. 

After all the form filling we enjoyed a break and the Deputy Head, Mr Stanfield Muta, asked me about shops in the villages in England. One cultural difference I have noticed is that Malawians do not seem to talk as much as we do in England. They are happy to sit and have silence as much as they are to talk and ask questions at times where in England it is considered polite to keep the conversation going. During lunch I was told off for talking too much :-) 'You have not eaten your food...too much talking.' 
The Head and Deputy like to listen to the radio in their office to keep up with the news. I asked them about Ebola and they said they were not worried at this time. This is because the Ebola outbreak is very, very far away - Africa is an enormous continent and distances between countries here is huge. In addition, as many people are relatively poor they do not have the money to travel large distances across Africa. Also, Malawi people live in communities so there is no need for them to travel to distant places to see people. 

Time was marching on when the Deputy said that the children did not know I was going tomorrow. I was so disappointed as I had hoped that the children would sing or dance and that I would have the opportunity to say goodbye. So, I set off into the playground where it was now break time (probably the fourth) for the older children. They immediately began to surround me as I had a camera  and they just have to be in the photograph! I walked around slowly as I was encircled by a hundred to two hundred children at times and wondered if such an event would be possible in England or if you would all push so much that someone would get hurt! The children stared at me and giggled at times and one brave girl talked to me. She wanted to know my name, about my house, the children I teach and what I do after school. I told them I was going back home the next day and said goodbye. It is one of the most extraordinary things that all and I mean almost ALL the children want to 'high-five' you or touch your hand. So as I walked I 'high-fived' and squeezed the hands of as many children as I possibly could saying to them 'Joy, happiness and a tummies full of food' as that is what I wish for each and every one of the children at Boma school. They repeated, 'happiness' back to me as we made slow progress around the playground and back to the office. These children are curious, well behaved, respectful and happy. They are also children like Sissinghurst children and can be naughty, so sometimes one little child would push too much to the front and an older child would smack them lightly on the head and push them back but on the whole they care well for one another. If they are naughty in class they are sent to the Head Teacher's office. When they come into the office they duck down onto their knees and wait to talk to the Deputy as a sign of respect. To talk to the Head Teacher you sit on a long narrow bench at the front of the office and wait until he is free to talk to you. Then you move up to the next bench nearest to the Head when he is ready. 
The children come into the office to collect books for the lessons which are kept there in boxes and in piles on the floor. Look at the photos below and see if you think we could help the pupils at Boma school to find the books! What do you suggest we could do to help?

Mr Chris Knott has talked to Mr Foster Amose about an irrigation kit for the school. Irrigation is a way to keep crops watered as they grow - if they dry out the plants die and there is no crop and it is always hot in Africa with very little rain. The governors, staff and parents will hold discussions about this new idea for growing food for the school to supplement their porridge program. If they decide to do this they will need to fertilise the ground using organic fertiliser as modern fertilisers have spoilt the soil and taken away the nutrients that are needed to grow crops. Mr Amose and I agreed that next year we might carry out a composting project at Boma and Sissinghurst.