Maths and special needs eduation

Many things are going in here. We are planning a course with Anne Nakken from Queen Maud University College in Norway from the 23rd to the 26th of May. We are sending invitations these days to preschool teachers in Swaziland, to University lecturers in Swaziland and Mozambique, to members of our network for preschool teacher training in Southern Africa. A. Nakken has an ability to create enthusiasm and interest for maths among children and students, and we believe this will be a real step forward in competence building in Early Childhood Education in the region.

I am also invited to run a seminar for teachers on special needs education in Maputo. It is an new organisation that will work to upgrade the competence of teachers in Christian Schools when it comes to issues on faith, values, ethics etc. It is a great need for information and teaching on inclusive and special needs education in Mozambique, and I am looking forward for the day.

   

Krûger Park

Friday after working hour we went for a trip to the famus Kruger National Park in South Africa. I believe it is one of the gratest game parks in the world. It is about 3 hours drive from here. We drove up to Komatiport in SouthAfrica, and slept over in a lodge there. Then 5 oclock next morning we woke up, and bit after 6 we were in the park.

We met big flocks of may be 100 impalas in one group

 Kruger Park in one of the biggest in the world, bigger than the whole of Swaziland. We only drove through a part of it during 6 hours. We saw a lot: more groups of giraffs, elephants, sebras, impalas, hippos, a lion, rihno, birds etc. What makes it special in Kruger is that you find the animals in their natural environment living as they were supposed to live.

Two giraffs that saw us as we were driving by

 We also met more groups of giraffs along the road. These animals are impressive, they reach up to 5 meter above the ground and feed on the top of the trees. They look suprised when they look at you, may be wondering how it is to have such a very short neck as human beings have! I think God had fun when he made the giraffs!

We also met more groups of elephants. The group on the picture were coming to dring. Afterwards the smallest one played and smached in the water. Then most of them crossed over to our side. - Other elephans we found just in front of us on the road or as they were crossing the road. Very impressive animals.


I can recommend a visit to Kruger National Park, may be in combination by seeing some educational and mission projects in Swaziland and Mozambique.

Forgiveness

Teachers in our meeting today

We are running a project on forgiveness. In the grade 0 all three classes has used a week to tell everyday stories or traditional stories on forgiveness. Then for two more weeks they have told the story of Joseph from the Bible: a very touching story. The teachers have noted down spontaneous reactions from children. Today we met with the teachers to discuss the last part of the study where we will interview the children on what they think about forgiveness. We had a very interesting talk about the children's understanding of forgiveness and also about our own relationship to the theme. It is difficult to ask for forgiveness. In the African tradition it is rear that a senior person ask a lower placed person for forgiveness, that parents ask children for forgiveness, that husbands ask their wifes for forgiveness. However, forgiveness has a great value as it reestablish relations. It needs to be learned when we are young. We all felt we learned something about children and ourselves in relation to forgiveness.

The same project is also being done in preschools in Norway, Botswana and Kenya.

Barnehageprosjektet

Picture

The Preschool at Helemisi is an experience of its own! 176 children in 7 classes. Beautiful children willing and interested to learn. Our preschool is a demonstration preschool, it means that our own students as well as others who want to know how a good preschool can be, should come and see for themselves. I have been involved in a project to make this preschool one of the best in Swaziland. We have used the last 3 staff meetings every Tuesday for this. All staff has come with ideas for what we can do to make things better. It is all from painting the classrooms, repairing outdoor equipment, decorating the walls indoor with children's own drawings, teachers being more active during free play etc.



Picture: Outdoor play- a race to collect buckets of water. The teacher Hlopsile in front, and QMUC students in the back.

We have also emphasised that language learning can be very effective during outdoor play if the teachers also participate. Teacher Fikile and teacher Lungile in action with happy children.









Commuting to Maputo

I have been driving up and down to Maputo nearly every week of late - to try to get all the documentation ready for our application to start the preschool teacher training. The vw city is my faithful friend on the tours that take at least 3 hours one way.

Kirkeleder
Aron Matsebula is president i Free Evangelical Assemblies in Swaziland. He works in the office next door to my office. Today he came over to us for lunch. We had interesting talks about missions and church work in Swaziland. FEA is a growing church. New local assemblies are continously started, and the churches are growing.

Mr. Aron Matsebula with me in our sitting room.

Preschool Teacher Training in Maputo

The work to start a preschool teacher training in Maputo is progressing. I am commuting between Swaziland and Mozambique almost every week. Last week we managed to have a meeting with the vice director and three staff members of the faculty of Education at the University of Maputo. They are willing to work with us and they also want to join our Africa-network. A very positiv meeting that can be important for the recognition of the training.

 Picture: Meeting with staff from the Universidade Pedagogica, Maputo. To my left: Magaly, a missionary from Brasil who work with preschools. She also participated in the meeting.
 
I also had an interview with a lady who can teach Early Childhood Education,  and made arrangement to have office and classroom for the training at Centro Juvenil Ingrid Chawner, a street children's centre started by PYM in Maputo.

Saturday we took a tour to Mbambane, the capital city, to do some shopping and a haircut. Afterwards we rested on a sun bed at Logogo Sun hotel. I had a swim in the pool. It is good to have a break in the weekend.
Next week I am going back to Maputo to finalize the work with the application for the training there.

Visit to cultural village

We took the Norwegian students doing there fieldwork here in Swaziland for a little tour around Ezulwini vally. We visited Swazi candle where we saw how these famous candels are made, and also a lot of other handicraft. We also visited another centre for local craft, and then the cultural village where one can see how a traditional Swazi homestead looks like.

 We also got to see traditional swazi dances, and the Norwegian students were invited to participate!


The Preschool here has now started to use also the outdoor area as a classroom. Under a three there is a nice shade and  a very pleasent place for storytelling.

Watch out!
On the way to Mozambique we passed this sign. It is better to wach out, especially if one is walking this way!

Swaziland and Mozambique,

Back in Swaziland by the beginning of February, I have visited our demonstration preschool at Helemisi some times. Very nice children! We agreed on the last staff meeting to start a project on making this preschool one of the best in Swaziland. All staff will give their ideas in the next meeting!

Last week I also did a quick two days visit to Maputo. I met with Bernardo Muthemba who is working to get our application to start a preschool teacher training through all the different offices. He has also done a great job by finding a number of documents that need to follow such an application. Leif Listgaard, a Swedish missionary at the street children's centre in Maputo also took part in the meetings.

The picture: Bernardo with his wife and two children, a neigbour and a friend of the children, with me in from of Bernardo's house.

I also had a meeting with the director and three staff members of the Faculty of Education at the Universidade Pedagogica. They seemed positive to assist us, and we hope they will sign our certificates. This will give our preschool training a good reputation. The Director also was interested in cooperation with our Competence Building Network for Early Childhood in South and East Africa.  We will soon have a new meeting with them.

Another nice happening this week was that Kirsti had invited a number of our friends here for a celebration of my 60. birthday. We had Mrs. and Mr. Tsabedze, Mrs. and Mr. Khumalo, Lars Blystad, Lars Olsen, Mr. and Mrs. Thwala, Evy Surdal and Mrs. and Mr. Dlamini (Absalom and Flora). Kirsti had a nice picture show about different aspects of my life, and had made a song, there were speches and a song from the guests and also nice messages from our daugheters, sons in law and grandchildren. A memorable evening.

Summerfield was a nice frame around the occation. The menu was very good!

Kirsti and me listening to one of the good speeches!