This morning we made our way back to Limbe Primary school and arrived in plenty of time to set up and then get the opportunity to visit a Few Standard 6 classes that Laura had received letters from for pen pals.
As always, as we entered, all of the children were fully engaged in their learning and listening to every word from their teacher. We were greeted by a sea of welcoming smiles. We chatted to the class and they told us of their dream jobs to be pilots, nurses, doctors, surgeons when they are older.
I am always in awe of the dreams the children have and the amazing work ethic and importance on education out here with a good job as the ultimate goal. Moses took us on a little tour of the school and then in to meet his gorgeous little daughter, Favour who was a Standard 3 pupil in the school also. He ended our tour in a very special class with 8 children who had additional support needs.
It was so lovely to meet their lovely nurturing teacher and chat to the children as they showed us their number work. I had never visited an ASN class in Malawi before and feel ASN has came up in discussions all week with inclusion a huge priority for leaders, which is brilliant. We could have stayed there all day but sadly we had to get back to training. We crossed over to the TDC and could see two small boys using a rock to hit metal tied to a tree for the school bell. Laura had a shot of helping them as children hurried to their lessons as they waved and smiled to us.
As training began, the energy of the participants remained as high as it had been all week. The session was filled with great dialogue around school priorities as the Diamond 9 task allowed colleagues to share their different stages of their school journey. Each day, despite all schools being different, the goal to deliver high quality education for their children always remains the main priority for all of the school leaders.
The passion these leaders have is so inspiring. As we took the training outside for “Mix, Pair, Share” and danced around the yard together, I was particularly touched by the first few things a colleague mentioned that makes a good leader.
The first thing he said was “someone who loves their staff and that makes them feel loved”. I found this so touching. Clearly he wants his staff to feel valued and appreciates the work that they do as we know how hard it can be teaching in Malawi with many obstacles.
As I found different partners, it seemed values were the main priority leaders identified for “ what makes an effective leader”. With “ trust”, “someone who is kind”and “compassionate” also being mentioned. It just shows how important it is to care about others when you are in management. It goes a long way.
As we concluded another fantastic session, Francis drove us to STEKA where we met Robyn, Charity and Karen. I had been looking forward to this trip the whole week. It was lovely to see Godknows again with his big smile greeting us as we got out of the van. There were lots of children at the front steps and they came to greet us and give us lots of cuddles. As we chatted to the children and danced and played with them, we then made our way inside to speak to Godknows. He told us he was now “ the proud father of 110 children.” As he told us how well some of the older children were doing with university, he beamed with pride.
His face lights up as he talks about his children. He also explained that he sorts vocational work for some of his children who want to go into skills based careers instead. He also explained his lovely wife Helen would be back soon as she was visiting the farm as he has bought many food crops to sell in order to try and earn more money to help finance the orphanage. He explained financially times had been very difficult. As he explained how hard things can get, he continued to talk about his future plans. I asked him about his work around men’s mental health as this was a project he had spoken about so passionately when we visited before.
He said he had set up network groups for men as this issue is still very prevalent in Malawi and that he had many men reaching out to him for help on a daily basic. As he spoke, I looked at him in awe. He is such a special inspirational man, always putting the needs of the children and others before his own.
He really is a modern day saint. We need more people like him and his wife in the world.
We then went back outside and spent the rest of the visit with the children. I was delighted to see the twins who I had met on my first trip. They had not long arrived the last time I visited and I remember one of them in particular being very shy and withdrawn and he wouldn’t speak.Today, he was full of beans and chatted away as he sang to me the “ STEKA family” song and showed me his counting on his fingers.
I felt emotional seeing such a change in him since the last time I had seen him. With his big smile, he looked so happy and healthy. He gave me a big cuddle as more children came over. I wasn’t complaining as I love a good cuddle! Soon, attention turned to my Apple Watch and suddenly lots of little fingers began pressing many buttons on the screen. I knew with my limited digital skills, I would struggle to change back any settings little fingers altered so I quickly distracted the children with a game of ring a ring a roses.
The circle started a game of “duck duck goose” as I found myself chasing them around the circle to shrieks of laughter. I looked over to see Karen singing Christmas songs with children beside me as they seemed to want to sing these despite it being February. Laura was sitting further along with her legs in a basket and two wee girls on her knee amazed by her glossy hair as they sat stroking it. Robyn had a wee group gathering around her hair plaiting it into lots of little plaits. There were smiles everywhere.
The children here are so happy and content and it is a house filled with love. It was so lovely to look around and see us all enjoying our visit so much. Sadly, before we knew it, it was time to leave. Just as we started to say our goodbyes, Helen arrived home from the farm. The children ran to see their mum and all gathered around her, huddled into her legs as it began to rain. We said our goodbyes and piled into the van and as we waved, we all sat quietly, taking in the sight of the children waving.
As we travelled back to Kabula, I thought about the visit and what a lovely experience it has been and how lucky those children are to have Godknows and Helen who love them so much. I also thought about how lucky they are to have such wonderful children. It really is times like these that make me appreciate how lucky I have been with my upbringing when some children don’t have that and these moments remind us what really matters in life.
