Our story has a distinct beginning, the How, which differs somewhat from the title of this post...Why. I was speaking with a volunteer the other day who knows a little bit about our organization, and she asked me this question, and the answer was one that I appreciated being reminded of.
This is the classroom that Shannon and I sat in for about 2 weeks, every day, in the back. We observed one teacher, doing her best with all these kids and no aids or assistants. There were easily 100 students in this class and we repeatedly witnessed the challenges she faced in sharing information to help these students learn. We helped the best we could, but even that was limited.
Despite that, these students showed up every day, eager to learn and wishing to succeed. They asked us for pencils and paper and money for uniforms and they walked a great distance to school each day.
This was a contrast to my experience back home, where children had reasonable sized classes, plenty of teachers and supplies and they grumbled and complained about going to school.
We spent time with children on the shores of Lake Malawi; playing games with them or just observing them play. As these 2 photos show, the children are happy and enjoying what they have, or don't have.
This again was in contrast to my experience back home, where 5 video games weren't enough. They were 4 months old and the new version was out, so they were not good enough anymore and disappointment was evident. It is a common complaint amongst many parents that their children are not satisfied with the game system they have, or that they don't have one, or don't have enough or 'the right' games.
I came home with strong feelings about my first experience in Malawi: sadness, confusion, frustration, anger, disappointment...these all fueled my desire to do more.
I summarized my experience for my friend like this: I saw children who had no material things to speak of, limited health care, food, entertainment, and yet they were smiling and playing and helping their family with chores. I came home to a place where I saw a lot of material things and conveniences everywhere I looked and witnessed disappointment that it 'wasn't enough', we have a lot of depression and anxiety in people who yearn for more and lament the past. It was in direct contrast to what I witnessed in Malawi. I wanted to help them in some way. So we decided to help in the area of education where we thought we could make a difference.
I love this photo above so much! This was from my most recent trip, and these boys are working on responding to the U.S. pen pals! They had just received their letters and sat under this tree on the school grounds to work on them...you can see their intensity and focus.
This has turned into my 'signature photo' for this ride, so I post it again. I will do my best on this upcoming ride to accomplish as much as I can to further the awareness raising and fund raising. Please consider a donation of any size to help me Educate Malawi.
Zikomo Kwambiri! (thank you very much)
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