Anne Cleverley has been on a six week voluteer trip to help educate children in the Tanzanian village of Kibya, she organised a fund raising evening before she left in August. This page will be updated as information is received from her.
Tanzanian Fund Raising Evening
14 July 2006
What a lovely time I had. The church was full of friends, neighbours, a Norwegian family with, delightful little Hannah, two wonderful helpers from the Maltings in Fakenham, and friends co-erced into pouring the wine, and sorting out the two raffles. I was given original artworks to raffle and these prizes were much appreciated. I know of one winner who still hasn't found a place to hang hers, so the painting is being taken from place to place in her house. Definitely not one for the loo! I can only say a very BIG thank-you to all those who came, and those who couldn't, for their generosity and love in giving to the children for their new classroom and new education in KIBYA, in Tanzania. Might I also thank you for the balloons, and wonderful Marshall who collected them all in at the door.........then counted them and claimed there were 800!! He then asked me if I was going to blow them all up then and there! !
I must thank Kit Nichol, Jane Ironside, and James Bucknell, well known Norfolk artists for their most generous donations of paintings, and cards.
The money raised amounted to over £700, with more promised. I shall be taking some of this money with me to buy pencils crayons etc. in Dar Es Salaam before my journey (8 hours) up to Kibya. Some will be in an account until know what reading books etc., are needed. A container will hopefully, be going out later in the year, so we will be able to fill it.
I shall be keeping in touch via the Horningtoft web-site...provided the computer in the college keeps working if not………………………!
With many thank-yous to all and my purse is still open if anyone else wants to donate a pound or two. "AND PLEASE DON'T WASTE YOUR WATER" where I am going there isn't much and people are DYING because of lack of it
with love Anne
Hello, I am here, tired, but in one piece. The last bit of the 8 hour Land Rover drive was bumpy, But with Chris (23) the driver, it was good fun. I am here with three eighteen year old gap year girls, so much jollity! I have met the Chekachais (little ones) who are wonderful. Must go, tired. Love Annie
Hello, from me in Kibya. There is TOO much to put in an email. It has been cloudy here but no rain and we are all praying for it. I am fine apart from getting used to the altitude, can’t jump and skip as I get puffed out. It has been a hard week as the education is up the creek. Some poor students are trying to teach the smaller ones when they themselves have not been taught how to teach, and they have to go to classes and look after the little ones (chekachais).
I went to the market and bought a Massai robe similar to those worn by the jumping Massai on BBC tv.
The little ones are lovely and so good and will pick anything up because they have nothing. I have four baby 4 year olds so they sit on a mat and play with stuffed toys for an hour. The older ones make toys out of sticks and pieces of string. They could do with toy cars and lorries which they would love.
I miss you all very much. Love Annie
Hello, me again, am missing you all so much. I would like to be home to wish Annabel well when she starts school next week.
They are going to start a farm here but it all seems a bit pie in the sky with one person getting paid a high salary for not getting on with things.
There is a shortage of food here for the students and those training to be pastors. They have no breakfast, only a mug of warm tea with no milk, to last them until lunchtime. The girls (gap year) work so hard, up at 6 to get the 30 children up and ready. Some of the children are orphans and others are just v. poor. The whole food situation needs re-organising so that they all get as much of a balanced diet as possible. It all came to a head tonight when the girls came back in tears because the children were crying because they were hungry. The girls will have nothing tonight because there was not enough. The problem is the lady who is supposed to organise the cooks and tell them how much to cook. You know me up and at em and motivated young Chris to sort it!!! Chris is great but a bit young to sort this all himself when the Bishop is away.
Tomorrow all the older students go off to collect dead wood for cooking. It is hard work and John who is in charge of the Tanzanian side of things and their interests, put his foot down and said no one could do hard work like this on an empty stomach.
I think we will do some fun things as well as work in the school. I have eventually got the classrooms organised in to two, 4/5 year olds in one class and the 6/7 year olds in another. I have started an English curriculum with them. I hope this will be ok, but the children are having a better time now. I am also teaching the older students as well.
I have rambled on so will close and go to bed 10pm and up at 6am.
Much love to all. Anne
The email has not been working for quite a while.
There is so much work to be done here including setting up of the farm. There are a lot of men here training to be pastors, and they and their families get free food and lodgings. The type of training is very much evangelising in outlook. The girls 16/17 are students, but have to help with the little ones getting them up and washed etc., and work very hard on a little food, so are exhausted. They then have to learn as well. I have mixed feelings about it all.
The school was in an awful mess so it has taken a long time to get it up and running moderately smoothly. There are lots of complications to be ironed out… the school has been left to more or less fend for itself with four students trying to run it. Hopeless, anyway we’re making progress.
Anne.
My day teaching
I wake at about 6a.m. to the cockerel crowing, the goats bleating and a cat called Bugs mewing to be let in. We were lucky and were without water for a couple of days only. I shower standing in a bowl then use the water for loo flushing! . Breakfast is porridge or toast but the two young gap year students like strange things like peanut butter and treacle ! Must stop as we have just had thunder and a shower of rain, but not enough. I have just been outside with my scallywag little boys and did a rain dance!!
We start school at 8.50 a.m. by the children lining up in two lines, Zebras and Lions. I have two classrooms so the 4/5 year olds are in one and 6/7 year olds in the other. This has made it so much easier to teach especially as the TNZ teachers shout and get sticks to hit children with. Naturally this was stopped the first day I was here! I have made a timetable to which we more or less stick. This is AFRICA so things don’t always go to plan. There were many maths, English and other books all jumbled up together, so I went out and bought different coloured books for both classes and anyone dare mess them up gets a good talking to whether children or students!!
I have taught them how to set out work and to use up the pages before going on to the next. It has taken all this time and we are nearly there. John the TNZ student, who teaches all the time and I share the first half of the morning doing maths and English with number and sound songs. We swap over at 9.45 and do the other class. 10.30 is break time and supposed to be half an hour but if the food and drinks are not ready it can sometimes be 3/4 hour. After the break the 3 students come in to teach. They have watched me and I have shown them what to do but they are so tired as the girls have to do SO much; and they sometimes forget what they are supposed to be doing.
We always finish with rhymes and stories and often the 4 year olds are falling asleep. I have ordered the carpenter to make2 tables for the small ones to be able to be able to sit, as they have nothing. It has been hard for the little ones to work kneeling on the floor and leaning on the benches which can tip up. Chairs too are a problem so I may get some small plastic ones from the man in the village who seems to be able to get anything.. ish ! The tables are about 68 TNZ Shillings, and I may get him to do the chairs as well.
I must close now, as it is time for choir practice. Love it!
See you soon. love Anne
3/10/06
I am home and adjusting, which is
taking a little time. I am finding it cold, and having to rummage around
finding some warmer clothes!! To say Africa was an experience is not enough.
The people I met were amazing, friendly loving, humorous, and never complaining.
Puts us all to shame. With xmas coming up and all the money we spend...and
I hear its already here in Aldiss in Fakenham...we must try to get back
to the real meaning of why we celebrate it...and we must think of those
people in the world who are hungry, thirsty, and oppressed. In our own
country as well as overseas. This year my presents will be small and meaningful!!!
Anyway I’m back and I hope to see you all and say a little about
my trip sometime and bring you up to date on what I did,
Anne
15/11/06
alth' I am home I am getting much information from my friends in Kibaya. AT last RAIN!!! and not just a little but a lot! YIPPEE. Unfortunately they need LOTS and LOTS! Lets keep praying for rain to continue. I am very excited about one of my lovely students coming over next year to see us and to stay. you will all love her so pretty and gentle and wanting to train as a teacher. Also much improvement with the children's diet they now have fruit and better veg, and on the whole are healthier, .malaria and typhoid is now around the Kibaya area. If only someone could get simple injections for these people in Africa and of course clean water these diseases could be eradicated.
The other news is that very simple
eye operations are now taking place, .sister Sara doing them with another
surgeon and they are using the Church in the compound to do them! SEE
even in Africa the churches are used for village halls and operating theatres.
We may be able to do this in Horningtoft!!!
Here is a pictures from Kibaya of this being done - hope you all enjoy.
love Anne
