A visit to Chigumukire Child Care Centre
My first day at Chigumukire CCC and I have a new appreciation for the complexities involved in a sponsor child update. There are those language barriers with students and staff as well as cultural barriers to understanding the task. Independent thinking appears not to be a Malawian forte. There is an embedded culture of rote learning and repetition not problem solving and critical thinking. You can't share examples, or they will all write that one down. “Do you understand?” Every head nods vigorously but it's written in their eyes that they haven't a clue! Additionally, student numbers appear to be the only definitive determinant of who you actually are. You may have an official name but that's not necessarily what your name is as it may look, sound, and be spelled completely different by you the student. Then there’s trying to find the students on your list who are absent, the students who dropped out, and the students who fell back a grade. All of this in 40 degrees plus weather and then I haven't even tried corralling them through the picture taking process yet. I think I'll leave that for next week and the volunteers from Southern Irrigation. “Do you know what you're getting into girls?? Don’t worry. You'll be fine!”
In spite of the (slightly dramatized for illustrative purposes) description above, the flip side to this is that these kids are simply adorable and very eager to please. They love the attention and interaction with you. There’s so much enjoyment in seeing, hearing, and interacting with the staff and students. I have come away with a new respect for the teaching staff at Chigumukire. Their passion for Christian education and love for their students is self-evident. Next time, DV, I’ll share about the fascinating conversation I had with Madam Margret Chikadza, the head teacher. Stay tuned.
by Ron Neels
