Volunteering, Eastern Cape, South Africa - half way through

We've just come to the end of our second week at the A V Bukani Primary School near Addo in the Sundays River Valley of the Eastern Cape, about 70 km from Port Elizabeth. We were lucky enough to have a couple of days break by the sea in Port Elizabeth (PE), then on the Monday morning, after a briefing, we were driven to the township. Arriving at the school we were greeted by the reception classes, and their teachers, singing and dancing and waving banners they had made to welcome us. (The children here all love to sing). The school has a computer lab with 22 computers, and they make regular use of it. However, the head felt that the teachers could use some help with getting more from them, which is where we come in.

There are 900+ children in the school, aged from 5 to 13 (because if they don't pass their exams at the end of the year they have to repeat the year). One of my (Jane) favourite times is when they do a whole-school assembly as they all sing with enthusiasm and the teachers harmonize, what a sound! The Xhosa language has 3 click sounds (for the letters c, x and q) and I love to hear the mass click sounds from 900+ children together!

The staff have all been very friendly and welcoming. On Tuesday they held a formal welcome to which 3 local councillors also came, and there was a very formal agenda with speeches (including from each of us!) But in between items the teachers got up and did a song, often with actions/dancing! The children also performed some tradtional dancing, accompanied by a large drum.

We have been staying during the week with one of the teachers, Ace, and his wife (I can't spell her name!), they have made us very welcome and we have been comfortable (apart from the lack of running water for 10 days which was awkward for everyone. The school closes at 2pm normally, so it has been a bit frustrating not being able to do do much in the afternoons. However Ace does have a TV with Sky sport, so Robin has been happy!

We have been very busy getting to grips with the software that the children use to practise english and maths, and trying to sort out the database so the teachers can get meaningful reports to aid them in the assessment of the children. Also we taught the teachers to use MS Word to create resources to use in the classroom, this week it will be Excel. Robin had also been teaching some technology classes to Grade 4 (9/10 year olds) with their usual teacher. We spent much of yesterday morning cutting out cardboard wheels - the children are going to make cardboard buggies and race them. Teaching methods in SA still seem to be largely chalk and talk, so the children really enjoyed Robin's interactive classes which for example taught them about levers by using a plank balanced on a brick, one child could lift two children one one end of the plank with one foot on the other end.

We've been spending weekends here in PE, lovely to have a shower and wash my hair! On Friday we were taken to a bar in a local township for an evening with a youth choir and a marimba band, and a delicious meal. (Pic of youth band left, plus US tourists). Next weekend we will visit the elephant park at Addo.

We are halfway through our time here - there is still lots to do! Hope to update this the weekend after next.