The Nursery School

Some time ago I wrote about the laying of the foundation of a Child Care Center by the Makogolo congregation, a small congregation just 2 kilometers from Lake Chuita and the Mozambique border, in a district where the HIV infection rate is 25%, well above the 16% national average. Their vision is a Child Care Center that will house a nursery school, an after school program and vocational training programs, to provide for the most vulnerable children and youth in the community.



Chilren prepared to recite



Sunday I was invited to go there again and see the progress they are making. My expectation was that I would see the bricks they have molded and hear more about their construction plans. That was part of their program, but not the major focus. They have not waited for the building to be completed to begin working with the children. They had asked me several months ago to assist them with funds to train three pre-school teachers, to begin the work. I was able, through the support of a church in Pittsburgh, to assist them with that. They began the preschool program 6 weeks ago, under the direction of the teachers who were trained. They hold school in the church building. Sunday, the children and teachers presented a program for me, to see the progress they are making. I was ushered into the church building, a simple structure with concrete and brick benches, nothing moveable. With handmade posters and other local materials, they had converted the space into a classroom with multiple learning centers, nine in total. I was given a tour of the learning areas as each one was explained. The children sat quietly on the concrete benches in the front of the sanctuary, waiting their turn to show me and their parents and guardians, gathered for the event, what they were learning.  After the welcoming speeches, the children stood and sang “We Are Marching in the Light of God,” in English and then in Chichewa, as they marched to the front of the church to recite. They each introduced themselves (in English), giving their names, their villages and their ages. Together they recited the alphabet, counted to 10 and identify parts of their bodies. I sat amazed that these 45 children enrolled from various home situations and religious backgrounds, had learned so much in such a short time. Their creative teachers have made play equipment and educational materials from local resources. The children demonstrated these. The congregation has donated 5 bags of maize, soy beans and peanuts to be ground together to form a fortified porridge for the children to be fed each day. For some of these children that is the only good meal they receive each day.



On the see saw, made of local materials



 After the children’s demonstration, the elders of the church proudly took me to tour the foundation of the building that has been laid for the child care center and the ovens of 60,000 bricks that have been fired and are ready for the building after the rains. They know they will need assistance with some of the construction costs, but they are committed to doing all they can to make this project a success. They are off to a wonderful beginning. This is a faith community that has dreamed big and, with just a little assistance, has begun to make those dreams a reality that is impacting children’s lives. It will be exciting to see what they and God will do next.

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Committee in front of some of the bricks of the oven