Beginning with baby steps…

It has been a joy to participate in the baby and nursery classes run for Malaika Kids by Madam Tumaini and Mama Haruma. We have two rooms set aside for schooling here in the Children's Village. Children from two to four years attend baby class, and those aged from four to six years old attend nursery, although the two teachers very much operate as a team. The baby class currently has unusually high numbers (19) whereas the nursery is unusually low at six.

We also have a further seven young babies, not yet old enough even for the baby class. Our mamas largely look after them informally at home or in small groups. The older children love to help when they are home from school.

There is a varied curriculum with lots of singing, playing and storytelling, as well as much-loved weekly nature walks. There are also sessions of reading, writing and basic arithmetic and we aim to give all our children a head start before they begin primary school. Most of the teaching is in English with the occasional explanation in Swahili when things get complicated. You can click on the timetable below to see all the details.

Francesca walked with the children and their teachers last week and they learned about how banana trees reproduce, why some wells are full of water and some are empty, and that a baby hen is called a chick. When we reached a small shop one of the five year olds was asked to buy some snacks and he was proud to be able to hand over the money and acquire a receipt.

After a busy morning and after lunch together, both sets of children lie down in their classes for a much-needed sleep, avoiding the hottest part of the day.

Our teaching skills are highly regarded in the neighbourhood and we now have eight children from outside our Children's Village who have joined our classes. This provides us with a small additional income which helps to cover part of the cost of Madam Tumaini’s salary. She qualified as a teacher 17 years ago and we are hoping to send her on a well-deserved refresher course next year.

Of course, some of our young children have special challenges. Two have HIV (well controlled with medication) and several have come from abusive homes where they were neglected or regularly beaten, or sexually abused. Our most recent young child came to us two weeks ago with a burn mark on his forehead, thankfully now healing well.

When the children are six years old they move to Lifewaylight, a small fee-paying school just outside our gates that teaches in English only. It achieves stellar results in the all-important Standard 7 exams, taken typically when a child is 12 years old. This determines which secondary school they will be able to attend next. Francesca visited the Headteacher last week and was introduced to the other members of staff. We are encouraging them to write more detailed reports for the children than is usual in Tanzania. “Can do better” is not very helpful, we think! We spend around £25,000 a year on pre-primary and primary education and the money we raise in our Christmas Appeal will be crucial in continuing to fund this. Every donation is being doubled until 25 December. Today, you can double your impact on our children’s lives, please give whatever you can.

I would like double my donation

We are so very grateful for your kind support. With best wishes

Alan Edwards Malaika Kids UK Chair

Beginning with baby steps…

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