My first few months at I Afrika

How do I even begin to describe my first few months working at I Afrika? No day has been the same! Every day I have something different to do or help with. It has been a really enjoyable ride! I also know that I am at this place at this time for a purpose.  

My main role so far at I Afrika has been to help to transform the school, Immanuel Afrika Academy. This is the school where our primary school street boys attend as well as children from the surrounding village. When I arrived the school was a very typical Kenyan school. I have been working with the wonderful head teacher to make some changes that will help the kids to grow and learn more. Some of these changes include a complete overhaul of the entire timetable for the school. I worked on changing every class’s times to fit in with the Kenyan curriculum guidelines. I have also been working on compiling the entire curriculum for the school from Baby class (day care) all the way up to Standard 8. It is a huge job to make sense and understand a new curriculum and then to develop it into something user friendly for the teachers.

Another main role of mine has been to inspire the teachers to try new teaching methods. I have been working with them, helping them with new ideas, re-arranging classrooms, teaching them how to teach using group work. It has been a very enjoyable experience for me as I’ve really had to stretch myself and remember everything I learned when I was still at uni! I’ve had to remember theory and why we do certain things. It is definitely also not always easy…to implement change. I have had to work in groups as well as individually with teachers to explain the importance of new routines and new ways of working. At times I’ve been frustrated. I have to remind myself in times like this that they are not intentionally disobeying my instructions, it’s just that they don’t understand and have never learned in this way.

Over the school holidays I also ran several PD sessions with the teachers. One was a session on Child Protection and Safety (something I’ve never presented on). We talked about the situation that most of the children at the school have come from. Most of the children at our school come from backgrounds of EXTREME poverty. The boys were mostly all forced to the streets due to a variety of reasons. Some of our kids have lived on the streets for years and years. We emphasised that these are the kids that need the most help and guidance. Some…many…have been abused, abandoned and tortured and endured things that no human should ever have to deal with. We talked about the way we discipline children and implemented a new behaviour management system in the school. We stressed the importance of how we speak to and react to these boys. They don’t need to be constantly reprimanded and disciplined for minor things. This causes many of them to think back to their street lives.. and think about whether that life was actually better. Discipline in the streets is tough.. harsh…and can often involve death. Many of our boys have experienced the brutal deaths of people they knew…friends on the streets. SO we really discussed the need for loving discipline…so they learn and grow through this.

So we gave perspective on this to our teachers. We taught them that our boys have never been taught how to look after belonging in the streets- because they haven’t had belongings. Almost all of the boys arrive at I Afrika with the clothes on their backs…Filthy, ripped, smelly rags for clothes. That is all. That is all they have in the whole world.  So WHY…WHY on earth would they know how to keep their books tidy and keep organised. It was fun to go into all of the classes this week and show the boys that their life here in I Afrika should be the complete opposite of life in the streets. They seem to understand the need to now keep their classrooms tidy and organised.

We have also been able to put in shelves in each of the classrooms at the school. This will be one way that we can train the boys in keeping their things very well.

I also ran another session about teaching strategies. I dug back into my mind and taught them about multiple intelligences. We talked about the importance of teaching in different ways for different children and different needs. The teachers appeared to really enjoy this session. As a part of this session I also worked with teachers on the importance of 'play' and 'playtimes' for kids. Previously, most students were inside classrooms at lunchtime studying. We have made a rule that all students MUST get outside for lunchtimes...and it's already made a HUGE difference...The boys are active and playing football and are busy doing things and playing games. There is healthy noise and laughter and jokes and SMILES! I was watching the line to wash hands the other day and my heart smiled as I caught a glimpse of the boys laughing and joking and smiling from ear to ear. Sometimes...change is a good thing! And kids must be kids- free and encouraged to PLAY!

Apart from helping in the school, I’ve been working on grant proposals, building relationships with certain Churches and making a brochure for the Kenyan side of things. I’ve also been able to take an elderly grandma to the clinic as well as talk with counsellors and others who have visited at the centre. On top of all of this.. I've enjoyed working with the boys on beginning an art project and playing lego and football, reading, teaching and having fun!

I’m now off from I Afrika for a few weeks as I get married so soon now! It’s been a wonderful step for me and one which I know God is in control of. It’s certainly not always easy…but God is faithful.

Next Friday my family and a few friends begin arriving! SOOO wonderful.

Ok! That’s about it for today.

Blessings,

Sarah