DAY 8: Not just words, it’s done with a heart (a heart for Sifoe)
Today we went to the Sifoe Lower Basic School and tried to keep a group of 60 preschoolers under control with different kinds of activities. A Miffy film (made possible by our mobile solar panel) set the right mood. We put the children in three groups: finger painting (a totally new experience for the little Gambians), learning to grip a pencil correctly when colouring in drawings, and memory games. Chaos sometimes threatened but our experienced preschool teachers maintained a peaceful environment with rhythmic silence exercises.
After the break we separated: Lieve and Annelies walked to the health centre to explain the use of the medical supplies we brought (the ones we bought and the ones we collected in Belgium). They also assembled and tested an aerosol machine. They were rewarded with the words “this is your medical post, we trust you to do whatever is necessary” and got invited for lunch.
Sofie, Griet, Karen, Ina and Ingrid met with the very inquisitive third grade teacher. We repeated what we did in the nursery school: first a film and then corner work. The pupils were submerged in an English language bath. Amongst other things they wrote letters to the sixth graders of De Rank in Wezemaal. We were very happy to see that the teacher was still and intensively using the materials we gave her last year.
In the Education Centre we received the colourful stowing bags we had ordered (left over bags can be bought in Belgium). We saw the carpenter had already done good work, enough to be able to start in Nyofelleh the following day. It was time to go home to prepare for our last day. During our preparations we were addressed by a local woman. She was full of praise for our work … It’s becoming general knowledge in Sifoe that 7 Flemish women work from the heart and are not all talk only 😉.
