Skip to main content

Schools



During my week on mission trip to Mamoli one of the highlights was to visit local schools. during the day these schools would very quickly become health clinics. I have spent a fair amount of time in schools in my adult life. I have shared many school assemblies with the children, I have been a school governor and helped in classrooms. But Mozambique gave me a whole new insight to what school is like for many children in Africa.


At one school we visited there was two brick-built buildings firm and sound, they have no electricity or glass in the windows but they do have good old-fashioned blackboards. Here as always lively engaging children interested in new visitors. But outside on the ground in the sun lay the children’s school books drying out in the 35 degrees heat. The books were wet because of the heavy rain during the previous week.



Then we went to another school this one had more children attending and seemed very busy. But it was the first school I have ever visited with a heard of cows coming through the playground, this did not seem to bother the children, a regular occurrence I imagine.  


Another school we visited had two very basic tin building some of the children inside and another class outside with their teacher under a tree. The reason half the school children had class under a tree and the other half inside was that the elephants keep knocking the school building over. Unable to get a proper building the children are taught outside under a tree.





Some very different schools all doing the same thing helping to raise children's education in challenging circumstances.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Response To Bishop North

A while back Bishop Phillip North spoke to New Wine and caused a bit of a reaction one of it was a Tweet to my millions of followers. In response I had a phone call from The Church Times asking for a quote because I serve in a poor parish, I declined and said I would put a more considered response on my blog, so here it is with a link to The Bishops full talk. https://www.churchtimes.co.uk/articles/2017/4-august/news/uk/there-s-a-future-for-the-church-if-evangelicals-put-the-poor-first-bishop-north-tells-new-wine 1.      One of the issues the church does not recognise is the exportation of people , talents and money from parishes like mine to middle class parishes which is draining and demanding on leadership. For 10 years I thought I was building a community, then it dawned on me I was building people up to go to other places. 2.      Bishop Phillip talks of abandonment of the poor: I think it’s more complicated than that. When ...

LA 1

just arrive in LA. let me tell you the difficult bit of travel always seems to be getting from station to hotel on public transport. arriving at the hostel/hotel i discover i have lost a sandle i must have had them 5 years. i was trying to be cool and straping them the back of my rucksack. im thinking of lobying Birmingham city councuil to plant palm trees on the Tyburn Road they transform the landscape and we could all listen to Hotel California in the 67 bus. room is not ready yet the loby is trendy and has a young feeling abut it hope the room lives up to the entrance. now let me see i have two priorities 1 find a church 2 find where the womens voleyball is playing tomorrow better get a shower first

Tokens of Trust

Tokens of Trust by Rowan Williams I have been deeply jolted to the importance of the role of trust in my life and the cost when trust has been missing. Many years ago I spent a long time at the top of a cliff roped and secured being encouraged to abseil over the edge to the bottom a number of feet below. No matter how much my highly competent friend encouraged me to trust him and the equipment, I could not. During the same period of my life it was my job to service the fire service turntable ladders, which meant climbing 100 feet to the top of them. This I did many times never without a sense of anticipation, trusting the mechanics and workmanship that had been carried out. But it is with people where trust is cashed out or held back, reaping rewards or crippling relationships. I think the book has jolted me to understand my role as a professional truster  As a stipended priest I am called to model to, and with, my community my profession of trust. As I reflect upo...