So this morning we had arranged to meet both Clements and Mr.Kizingi at the original school, still called Bugogwa School. They had also arranged for us to meet Mr. Seleman, the chair of the school board. The school board is a bit like our school governors and is made up of 8 parents and 5 teachers. So Mr.Seleman is one of the parents. As at the previous schools we then went through the loan conditions and paperwork. At present we have loaned Bugogwa 3 desktop computers, a laptop and a printer. Today, based on their good communication and performance, we added a projector and another desktop which we handed over to Mr.Kizingi.
The school now has a separate computer lab, which has been added since our last visit and is a big improvement on the very small space they used previously which was attached to the Head Teacher’s office.
When we arrived a Standard 7 class were using the computer lab, but vacated it so we could look around. Later a few pupils came back to show us their newly acquired computer skills.
During our visit Clements then asked us if we would like to go and visit his new school, so after saying our goodbyes to the teachers we headed back down the road to the newly built Kayenzendogo Primary School.
The school was opened in January but is still actually not finished. They have 590 children and 10 teachers. At present they have 4 classrooms, a toilet block and 2 offices. There are still another 2 classrooms being built and at present they don’t have a kitchen or any electricity. Only the Standard 3 classroom has any desks so in all other classrooms the children sit on the floor and Clement’s office only has a small table and nothing else. However everyone is happy to be there, especially the children who now don’t have to walk so far to school. The government will hopefully provide some more desks and cupboards soon!! Clements asked us, if next year they have electricity, perhaps we can consider supporting them with some computers.
It was a very interesting visit and it seems that the 2 schools will work together to help each other, with Clements being the link between the 2.
So by now it was time for a late lunch so we drove back into Mwanza and stopped at a bar Robert knew and had some really good fried fish and chips.
After that we made a quick visit to the ACTT office and said Hi to the staff, then changed some money at the a foreign exchange and then went back to the hotel. Although it was now late afternoon we still had time for a quick dip in the pool before it got dark.
So it had been a busy but very successful day and we spent the evening just relaxing.
Day 4
So today was the first day of the ACTT Retreat Weekend.
The day started with a heavy downpour that lasted about half an hour. We were having breakfast at the time and watched through the restaurant windows. We actually delayed going back to our room, in favour of a second cup of coffee, to avoid getting completely drenched. When the rain eased off and we could see that many of the paths around the hotel were flooded, there was quite a big leak in the roof where we were sitting in the restaurant and the lower level which is more open was also completely soaked.
By the time Robert picked us up an hour or so later it had dried up quite considerably and it was quite warm.
Today’s venue was St.Dominic’s Annex Beach which is about a 30 minute drive from our hotel. Most of the staff arrived there by about 11.30 though as usual there were a few late arrivals. It took a while to set everything up for the day and so in the end we had tea and snacks before we started.
Robert’s aim for the day was to get the staff to think about the goals of the organisation and their roles in its future success. Their were 15 members of staff from the 2 offices in Mwanza and Moshi and 4 agents who work further up in the Lake zone, plus of course us. Robert split us up into 3 teams so that the staff all mixed together, and then he set us various tasks that each team brainstormed and then reported back to the whole group. It was quite an intense day and pretty hard work but there were some interesting discussions and ideas.
We stopped for “lunch” about 4.30pm and then Bruno did a short presentation on the YES program which is the ACTT project that supports the agents. After this each agent did a small presentation about his experiences.
So the working part of the day didn’t finish until about 6.30pm by which time everyone was ready for a beer or a cold soda. We spent a short time relaxing before it was time to leave.
We returned to the hotel and had a snack and a beer before retiring to bed!!
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