Dwankhozi Update…Tues 6/25

(Note: this was written last night but our internet signal was not cooperating)

Another day gone, and another night we are grateful for a bed to return to. Today gave us a handful of unexpected turns, but we once again left Dwankhozi with full hearts. Some highlights:

Dwankhozi students carry their drum to our dance party during free time.

The main reason the day’s schedule was flipped upside down at the school was…because the local Chief came to visit! Rural Zambia land governance still operates heavily under familial heritage, and it was a BIG deal the Chief visited Dwankhozi Basic School. Although he had previously given the land for the school to be built on, he had never come in person. There was a daylong meeting between the Chief, his advisors, school administrators, and members of the PTA to discuss a new arrangement to give more land to Dwankhozi, with a vision to build a clinic and maybe a secondary school in the future. Finally, after many hours together…they agreed! Dwankhozi will receive 800 x 1,000m chunk of land bordering the current limits. We are thrilled with this development and the potential it holds for this community!

A shot of the lunch we enjoy daily at the school. Those parents are somethin’ else.

Our World Reader team (led by Zev and Kimee from WR, and our Donna) began instructing Dwankhozi teachers on using the 50 e-readers we brought to the school and painting a vision for how to incorporate them into classrooms. Tomorrow, Dwankhozi teachers Daniel and Maurice will teach additional staff. This is a great, empowering program we are happy to be a part of and keep reworking the vision in order to best equip our teachers here.

Rene and Megan walk to our next activity…with quite an entourage in tow.

With all of that going on today, students did not have class but still came to school. So, in order to pass some time this morning, Beth and Renee began a dance party with music on their ipads. Students were hesitant, so we asked them to go get some of their drums…which turned out to be a perfect idea. Banging out a beat, students circled up and began teaching our QAE teachers the beginning steps to their dances. Don’t worry, video footage was captured!

Our team getting their groove on, learning some Zambian dance steps. One Beth MacLean in particular was getting into it.

Since the Chief’s presence dominated most today, we were not able to introduce our new ‘One World Futbol’ balls until the last hour we were there. However, many students were still around, and got to test out the new ball on the field. The joy on their faces was unmistakable, as older and younger kids alike romped around in a large free-for-all game. It was a serious upgrade from the ball made of plastic bags they’d be using only moments earlier (not an exaggeration). David Elliott was especially impressive as the goalkeeper! Tomorrow we’ll distribute the rest of them, saving a handful for two other nearby school’s we’ll be visiting on Friday.

A student tries out the new ‘forever futbol.’ Not surprisingly, they caught on pretty quick.

Tomorrow holds much, much more if that’s even possible. However, this blogger needs to get some shuteye before then. So, I’ll stick with the pattern and end with another Zambian sunset on the socc-…I mean football pitch. Until tomorrow, thanks for your support. We read your comments and feel the love all the way across the Atlantic.

Another sunset behind the goalposts. These never get old.