Thursday, January 29, 2009
Gearing up for World Camp Honduras, Summer 2009
World Camp is gearing up for another exciting summer of work in Tela, on the Caribbean coast of Honduras. If you have not volunteered with World Camp before, we work at local schools, teaching about HIV/AIDS prevention in the region with the highest rate of infection in Central America. This year, we have two one month-long sessions, one in June and one in July. Since it was such a success last summer, we will spend more time in the mountain community of El Pital, working with Un Mundo on community development projects and staying with local families. Our R&R trip this year will be to Copan, on the Guatemalan border where we can enjoy good food, some outdoor adventure and learn about Mayan history at the famous Copan ruins. We hope you will join us! Stay tuned!
Camp V: Kapedzera FPS
Kapedzera school was a great success! Working with the teachers was really interesting. We felt as though they taught us a lot more than we were able to teach them! Topics like teaching resources, translation issues, absenteeism, and sex ed were among some of the more interesting things we talked about. We discussed the pros and cons of using explicit and frank language when teaching about sex or anatomy and were interested to hear the teachers divided on the issue. We struggled a bit to explain to the teachers that we were not able to bring in as many tangible resources as they might like and that World Camp’s goal was to bring education, not material items. We feel as though this kind of gift keeps on giving. One of the teachers created an incredible picture box, which he presented to the entire school on the third day of camp during presentations. The box depicted the proper use of condoms, statistics about HIV, and other interesting information. We were really impressed with his hard work and creativity and excited to see his dedication to the issues. In addition, this same teacher worked throughout the three days to motivate his colleagues to organize a day where all the teachers would get tested for HIV and encourage students and villagers to join them. We talked about effective ways to publicize this event and why it was important for the teachers to set such a strong example. These teachers were definitely prepared to act as strong role models and we are hopeful they will implement many of the ideas we discussed during our time there. The World Camp staff was excited to be teaching at a school with such cooperative and eager students. We barely had any glitches throughout the three days…including no rain!! Hopefully this trend will continue throughout our last couple of camps.
-Sara Ramsey and Steph Henderson
-Sara Ramsey and Steph Henderson
Monday, January 26, 2009
Camp IV: Balangombe FPS
Our first day of our fourth camp at Balangombe FPS found us with a lot more students than expected. Each pair of volunteers had about 50 rambunctious students in their class. Having just come back from our safari trip at Zambia, our team was not fully prepared to get back to work. Many of us were still tired from the long drive back.
There were also many more teachers than the previous schools we worked at. Balongombe FPS had about 18 teachers and teacher assistants, most of whom were young and excited about teaching. Since the school year just started here in Malawi, many of them had just been moved to this school.
The curriculum that we “teach” the teachers is much different than the curriculum we teach the students. First of all, the teacher facilitators try to act more as a discussion starter rather than an instructor. Our set of teachers was very receptive and had many good questions and comments about what World Camp teaches to their students.
We found throughout the camps that, in some ways, a class full of Malawian middle schoolers mirrors a class of American middle schoolers. Despite language barriers, volunteers can always pick out the trouble makers, the class clowns, the teacher’s pets, and the students who are genuinely excited to learn.
Overall, the camp went smoothly, and on the last day, we enjoyed a variety of songs and dances from the students about topics that we had been talking about over the past three days. A few of the young teachers also put on a great skit for all their students to see.
During the presentations, we could see in the distance a wall of monsoon-like rain descending upon us with great speed. Just as we were finishing the presentations and handing out Cassia trees to the students, the clouds decided to pull the faucet on us. Maneuvering through half-flooded dirt roads, our rovers slowly made it back to the house.
On the way back, three courageous volunteers who discovered a goat half-drowned in a ditch full of fast-flowing rain water decided to take action. The goat had to be saved. Leaping out of the rover with raincoats and heroic hearts, two of the volunteers braved to the elements and pulled the goat from the ditch. Upon recovering from its near-death experience, the goat gave a hearty “Baah” in thanks.
Save a goat. Save the world.
John and Chris
There were also many more teachers than the previous schools we worked at. Balongombe FPS had about 18 teachers and teacher assistants, most of whom were young and excited about teaching. Since the school year just started here in Malawi, many of them had just been moved to this school.
The curriculum that we “teach” the teachers is much different than the curriculum we teach the students. First of all, the teacher facilitators try to act more as a discussion starter rather than an instructor. Our set of teachers was very receptive and had many good questions and comments about what World Camp teaches to their students.
We found throughout the camps that, in some ways, a class full of Malawian middle schoolers mirrors a class of American middle schoolers. Despite language barriers, volunteers can always pick out the trouble makers, the class clowns, the teacher’s pets, and the students who are genuinely excited to learn.
Overall, the camp went smoothly, and on the last day, we enjoyed a variety of songs and dances from the students about topics that we had been talking about over the past three days. A few of the young teachers also put on a great skit for all their students to see.
During the presentations, we could see in the distance a wall of monsoon-like rain descending upon us with great speed. Just as we were finishing the presentations and handing out Cassia trees to the students, the clouds decided to pull the faucet on us. Maneuvering through half-flooded dirt roads, our rovers slowly made it back to the house.
On the way back, three courageous volunteers who discovered a goat half-drowned in a ditch full of fast-flowing rain water decided to take action. The goat had to be saved. Leaping out of the rover with raincoats and heroic hearts, two of the volunteers braved to the elements and pulled the goat from the ditch. Upon recovering from its near-death experience, the goat gave a hearty “Baah” in thanks.
Save a goat. Save the world.
John and Chris
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Mission Statement
(click image for link to World Camp Official Site)World Camp Mission Statement:
World Camp enriches the lives of children in disadvantages communities worldwide. World Camp builds self-worth and encourages community pride by raising awareness about locally challenging issues. World Camp aids in every community's mission to have happy, educated children with aspirations for the future.
Photos
World Camp volunteers playing a parachute game
with the kids at the nursery in Triunfo de la Cruz,
a Garifuna community near Tela. Summer '08
Again at the nursery Triunfo de la Cruz,
some of the children with a volunteer.
And below is volunteers on their way to
Punta Sal in the Jeannette Kawas National
Park to do beach cleaning and trail repair
with PROLANSATE.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Camp III: Homestay at Namitete + Safari
It has been a busy week! We conducted our third camp at Namitete Full Primary School, which is about 45km from Lilongwe. Everyone was a little tired after the previous week of work but there is something about singing the Banana Song that motivates even the most tired volunteer. All of the students were once again ecstatic to have us visit their school. The volunteers have worked hard to develop and hone their teaching skills. Each camp the volunteers feel more and more confident standing up in front of 50 eager students.
The challenge of this camp was working with the teachers. Although initially receptive and welcoming, there was one teacher in particular who felt as though we needed to give more material possessions instead of just teaching. He insisted that it was important for us to give them t-shirts as well as teaching materials. It was very hard to communicate that we just do not have the funds to buy teaching materials for each school we visit even though we wish we could. Though in the end the conversation was extremely beneficial. It led to a productive discussion with the teachers about our reason for being in Malawi and our view that education is empowering and t-shirts are not.
That evening we had the amazing opportunity of staying with host families in the village of Namitete. Each volunteer was paired with a host family who has a child attending the primary school. The volunteers had a true Malawian experience - carrying buckets of water on their head from the water pump, cooking the Malawian staple food nsima, watching and participating in traditional songs and dances, and sharing in the laughter brought on by our inability to communicate with most of the villagers. Our hosts' hospitality is unmatched - they eagerly opened up their homes and lives to us. No one got much sleep on the dirt floors but everyone rallied very well in the morning for another great day of teaching. Spending a night in an African village is an amazing and memorable experience!
On Sunday we drove to Zambia to go on safari! The drive was long and bumpy, but well worth it. On Monday everyone went on an evening drive in the South Luangwa National Park. As our pictures will show, we had the unbelievable experience of watching a pride of lions eat a giraffe. Catching such behavior is an incredibly rare experience, especially in the rainy season. We also saw elephants, hippos, wild dogs, impalas, hyenas and lots of monkeys! The ride to and from the park was long but well worth it.
We arrived back here at the house last night and after a quick turn around we were up bright and early getting ready for our forth camp. We have two more camps and then most of the group departs. The time is sure flying by, but we have plenty of work to do, so keep your eyes peeled for further updates. Uploading the pictures is taking a while, but we will get some up when the internet decides to cooperate. Thanks!
- Your friendly program coordinators Daisy and Scott
The challenge of this camp was working with the teachers. Although initially receptive and welcoming, there was one teacher in particular who felt as though we needed to give more material possessions instead of just teaching. He insisted that it was important for us to give them t-shirts as well as teaching materials. It was very hard to communicate that we just do not have the funds to buy teaching materials for each school we visit even though we wish we could. Though in the end the conversation was extremely beneficial. It led to a productive discussion with the teachers about our reason for being in Malawi and our view that education is empowering and t-shirts are not.
That evening we had the amazing opportunity of staying with host families in the village of Namitete. Each volunteer was paired with a host family who has a child attending the primary school. The volunteers had a true Malawian experience - carrying buckets of water on their head from the water pump, cooking the Malawian staple food nsima, watching and participating in traditional songs and dances, and sharing in the laughter brought on by our inability to communicate with most of the villagers. Our hosts' hospitality is unmatched - they eagerly opened up their homes and lives to us. No one got much sleep on the dirt floors but everyone rallied very well in the morning for another great day of teaching. Spending a night in an African village is an amazing and memorable experience!
On Sunday we drove to Zambia to go on safari! The drive was long and bumpy, but well worth it. On Monday everyone went on an evening drive in the South Luangwa National Park. As our pictures will show, we had the unbelievable experience of watching a pride of lions eat a giraffe. Catching such behavior is an incredibly rare experience, especially in the rainy season. We also saw elephants, hippos, wild dogs, impalas, hyenas and lots of monkeys! The ride to and from the park was long but well worth it.
We arrived back here at the house last night and after a quick turn around we were up bright and early getting ready for our forth camp. We have two more camps and then most of the group departs. The time is sure flying by, but we have plenty of work to do, so keep your eyes peeled for further updates. Uploading the pictures is taking a while, but we will get some up when the internet decides to cooperate. Thanks!
- Your friendly program coordinators Daisy and Scott
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Camp II: Nankhonde Full Primary School
The beginning of this week has been an adventure! Sunday we had the chance to take the day off and go hiking, and some of us just stayed around the house to recover from the first camp. Monday the 12th was supposed to be the first day of our second camp at Mnkhupa school, but we had a few ‘mud mishaps’ with the bus, which included a lot of pushing and some trudging up muddy hills. Luckily, Dennis our bus driver is well-trained in unfavorable conditions, so we were able to make it back home without incidence. Some villagers were incredibly helpful in getting our bus out of the mud. Unfortunately, we had to cancel our trip to Mnkhupa due to the slippery conditions of the road and the inability to get there safely. We did luck out on the way back, because we stopped at Nankhonde school and they agreed to do a two-day session starting Tuesday morning.
When we returned from the rough bus drive on Monday, a bunch of us jumped in the pool for a game of pool volleyball, and then a few of us made a trip to the Crisis Control Nursery to play with abondoned babies. After returning to the house for some yoga and a warm meal, we got to bed early to start Tuesday morning fresh.
Tuesday we started an abridged two-day camp at Nankhonde School. Andrew and I (Brittanie) had a chance to learn from the teachers about their community and the reactions by community members to people who are HIV positive. We also learned that it was very hard for the teachers to teach about HIV/sexual education because community members looked at them as being interested in sexual encounters instead of being educational. They said that World Camp volunteers coming in to teach about these sensitive subjects helps the community to be more accepting of their children learning about these personal topics.
The teachers loved learning about solar ovens and promised to use the oven we constructed for them. We also had a chance to plant trees donated by MokuZoku with some of the company founders (one is an original founder of World Camp!) which the kids were very excited about.
At the end of the day, we had a chance to give out trees to every student and teacher as well as certificates for the teachers (they were quite proud!). Through light rain, we were excited to see the presentations that the students prepared about important information they had learned. The teachers gave a presentation, too! This is the first World Camp season where we’ve been able to get the teachers to perform for the students during every camp.
Even with the frustrations of mud, rain, and the lack of preparedness, all the World Camp volunteers stayed positive and continued to work hard throughout their time at Nankhonde. We’re all in good spirits and hopeful that tomorrow’s camp (camp 3) will run as smooth as the first one did. With lots of warm weather and t-shirt tan lines to prove it, we’re doing great!
When we returned from the rough bus drive on Monday, a bunch of us jumped in the pool for a game of pool volleyball, and then a few of us made a trip to the Crisis Control Nursery to play with abondoned babies. After returning to the house for some yoga and a warm meal, we got to bed early to start Tuesday morning fresh.
Tuesday we started an abridged two-day camp at Nankhonde School. Andrew and I (Brittanie) had a chance to learn from the teachers about their community and the reactions by community members to people who are HIV positive. We also learned that it was very hard for the teachers to teach about HIV/sexual education because community members looked at them as being interested in sexual encounters instead of being educational. They said that World Camp volunteers coming in to teach about these sensitive subjects helps the community to be more accepting of their children learning about these personal topics.
The teachers loved learning about solar ovens and promised to use the oven we constructed for them. We also had a chance to plant trees donated by MokuZoku with some of the company founders (one is an original founder of World Camp!) which the kids were very excited about.
At the end of the day, we had a chance to give out trees to every student and teacher as well as certificates for the teachers (they were quite proud!). Through light rain, we were excited to see the presentations that the students prepared about important information they had learned. The teachers gave a presentation, too! This is the first World Camp season where we’ve been able to get the teachers to perform for the students during every camp.
Even with the frustrations of mud, rain, and the lack of preparedness, all the World Camp volunteers stayed positive and continued to work hard throughout their time at Nankhonde. We’re all in good spirits and hopeful that tomorrow’s camp (camp 3) will run as smooth as the first one did. With lots of warm weather and t-shirt tan lines to prove it, we’re doing great!
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Kamwana Full Primary School: Camp I
Everyone arrived safe and sound last week, and we've been busy with orientation and our first camp. We spent two nights at Lake Malawi reviewing the curriculum, preparing for the camps, and swimming to escape the heat.
We started our first camp on Thursday January 8, 2009. We spent three days at Kamwana Full Primary School, which is about 65 kms north of Lilongwe.
Monica and I (Jay) had the pleasure of working with the amazing teachers of Kamwana Primary. Based on other volunteers previous experiences, we came into the process not expecting our teachers to know as much as they did about HIV/AIDS, Deforestation, and Population Control. We were completely wrong! These teachers not only had taken the time to school themselves on issues surrounding their community, but also go so far as to create an HIV/AIDS prevention club with other schools in their area.
Even still, many myths in Malawi seem to prevail; for example, having relations with a virgin may heal you or a certain doctor in the south of Lilongwe has healed people of HIV/AIDS. Monica and I were able to dispel these myths with facts provided by World Camp, and the teachers seemed to trust us more and more as each day passed. By the end of the three days, we had the entire group of teachers performing a drama to their students about the importance of finding alternative energy sources to prevent further deforestation in their area. This was the first time the teachers performed a presentation for their students.
The teachers seemed to be most happy when presented with their certificates of completion for finishing all three days of the World Camp curriculum. This, combined with World Camp gifting the teachers, students, and some community members with saplings to plant on their school grounds, sent them over the moon. Thanks to Mokuzoku for the generous donation of tree saplings!
Despite being very tired and dirty after the three days of teaching, each World Camp volunteer returned to the house with an understanding of the impact of our work here in Malawi, and that change, even if on a small level, is change nonetheless.
-Jay Brollier
Below are some pictures of the tree planting.
We started our first camp on Thursday January 8, 2009. We spent three days at Kamwana Full Primary School, which is about 65 kms north of Lilongwe.
Monica and I (Jay) had the pleasure of working with the amazing teachers of Kamwana Primary. Based on other volunteers previous experiences, we came into the process not expecting our teachers to know as much as they did about HIV/AIDS, Deforestation, and Population Control. We were completely wrong! These teachers not only had taken the time to school themselves on issues surrounding their community, but also go so far as to create an HIV/AIDS prevention club with other schools in their area.
Even still, many myths in Malawi seem to prevail; for example, having relations with a virgin may heal you or a certain doctor in the south of Lilongwe has healed people of HIV/AIDS. Monica and I were able to dispel these myths with facts provided by World Camp, and the teachers seemed to trust us more and more as each day passed. By the end of the three days, we had the entire group of teachers performing a drama to their students about the importance of finding alternative energy sources to prevent further deforestation in their area. This was the first time the teachers performed a presentation for their students.
The teachers seemed to be most happy when presented with their certificates of completion for finishing all three days of the World Camp curriculum. This, combined with World Camp gifting the teachers, students, and some community members with saplings to plant on their school grounds, sent them over the moon. Thanks to Mokuzoku for the generous donation of tree saplings!
Despite being very tired and dirty after the three days of teaching, each World Camp volunteer returned to the house with an understanding of the impact of our work here in Malawi, and that change, even if on a small level, is change nonetheless.
-Jay Brollier
Below are some pictures of the tree planting.
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