Kidzcare preschool

We are just back from four day safari (we will try and blog about that in the next few days), and now facing our final month here in Dar.

Over the past two months we have had a chance to visit (and host at our home) a dozen children that live in an orphange called Kidzcare. I have enjoyed getting to know these children, and spending time playing games, watching them dance and sing (which is incredible), and learning more about their stories. Ontop of the dozen children that live at KidzCare, the orphanage hosts and funds children who need operations (often recurrent operations). The children get treatments they need, as well as a clean and safe place to recouperate. Canada day was our latest chance to visit, here are a few photos..

Time to count.. moja, mbili, tatu.. one,two,three

BEST FACE EVER

Believe it or not, I did acheive the same pose as the guy on the left, but the camera just did not capture it.

Such a great smile.

Us..and the basketball haha.

The most beautiful mango tree that is outside of their house. A great shady place to play.

KidzCare is run by an incredible woman named Mary (and her husband Robert) who have raised nine children of their own, in countries such as India, Tanzania, Russia.. you name it, they have spent time there. Now they have been in Tanzania for just over 10 years and have started orphanages around Dar Es Salaam, and are in the process of  building preschools at each orphange. (Students do not start kindergarten until seven years of age here, so preschool is for 4/5/6 year old's.. the equivilent to our Kindergarten.)
The students at the school are not the children who live at kidzCare, but are 90 children from local villages around the orphanage. Preschool is not manadtory, but gives children a head start on their learning, as the education system here waits for noone. If by grade 7 you do not pass your comprehensive exam (covering any and everything that has been taught within the past seven years) they will not be allowed to go on to secondary school. These schools are an attempt to give students a leg up once they enter kindergarten. It is Mary's dream to have one school for every color of the rainbow (their school uniforms are a t-shirt in the school color) and so far she has built red, orange, and is in the process of yellow. The school at Kidzcare has two classrooms, and has been in use for a few years, though until this month they were just bare cement floors, plain walls and not a single book, desk, chair, writing utensil (aside from chalk and a chalkboard for the teacher.) The teachers have also not been trained formally, though Mary is sponsering them to undergo some formal training this summer. She expressed that they are in great need for units and lessons to be taught throughout their school year. Having just finished my Bachelor of Education with a minor in Curriculum Development I got very excited at the opportunity to jump in and work with Mary and her current teacher to help build curriculum for the school. It is hard to believe that we have only one month left here in Dar, and I already know that it will go too fast.. (how is it July 4th already?? Happy Anniversary Joel, by the way) but I am excited to have this new project to work on for my final few weeks here. I will be working on units to do with teaching the alphabet and beginning literacy, as well as a physical education unit, including personal health and hygiene.
The classrooms are basic (though with cement vs. dirt/muddy floors they are quite luxurious compared to many classrooms here), but they have the most beautiful walls. Mary just hired an artist by the name of John, who is painting just about every square inch of wall in the classroom. It is their way of making the most of their space, as well as compensating for not haivng books. The result is the most stimulating and inspiring classroom I have seen. Her idea is to "teach from the walls", and I will be trying to use the murals as the basis of the lessons and units I will be creating for the school..

The talented artist.. It only takes him ten days to paint each classroom.