Our petites preschoolers are a constant delight and challenge to us. We  are seeing more cooperation between these little ones and it is great to see a little one getting the idea of how to make a ball with play dough, and then begin to experiment with other shapes. They are good about sharing puzzles and most toys: the biggest conflict comes with ball play. It is a difficult concept to convey that if everyone has a go with the ball they can all have fun. Perhaps it is because they have so little to call their own.

(Photos with our Little PreSchoolers at work with Play Dough)

(Waiting for the Karaoke)

The week started with an early morning assignment to act as tour guides to two American visitors to Akany. They were a semi-retired Lutheran couple who have lived in many parts of the world and are linked with a charity called God’s Little Children. They were both interesting and very interested, and particularly impressed at the practical approach and conservation measures adopted here. They commented that they had tried to implement some of the energy conservation measures seen here in some parts of Africa, but had failed. The positive atmosphere of Akany is indeed very impressive.

On Tuesday evening we had a party for all the residents and staff at Akany to bid farewell to three of our fellow volunteers going home at the end of the week (to Switzerland and Holland). Karaoke apparatus was acquired through someone’s relative, and each dormitory of the bigger children had the opportunity to contribute an item. They had a long list of songs to choose from, and sang in Malagasy, French or English. The excitement and enjoyment was almost palpable; once the kids were wound up, the singing and celebration almost shook the walls. People like loud music around here. Cookies and cocoa were served, and everyone was off to bed before 9pm to allow them to be fresh for school the next day. (below is Karaoke in full swing)

(Akany soccer in blue)

On Wednesday afternoon, Gil accompanied a contingent from Akany Avoko to support our girls’ soccer team who were playing the girls from the American School in Antananarivo. The Americans have quite a big school here (about 300). The field was somewhat smaller than regular size, but was the first football field seen here with any grass on it. Most of them are dry, sandy, reddish expanses. It was so apparent that the American girls, although of similar ages, were so much taller and bigger than our lasses, but the match was remarkably even. The star turn for the Americans was the Ambassador’s daughter (No3) who must be close to six feet tall. Our girls were a bit unlucky to lose 4-2. It was a good social occasion where Simon made some valuable contacts with members of the American Embassy. More importantly though, was the fact that “our girls” thoroughly enjoyed the game even though they lost. Clearly it was the playing of the game that was most important.

 (Staff Party)

There was another party on Thursday afternoon, this time to thank all the staff and volunteers for their work over the past year. This was in fact a kind of an Annual General Meeting involving people from a wide range of activities, and this year it was Akany’s turn to act as host. Simon had prepared us as to what was expected, and the volunteers set about blowing balloons, wrapping the gifts for the old game of pass the parcel, going to the market to buy fruit and cool drinks, preparing the food (mainly pizza and fruit), and generally decking out the room for the event. About 50 people attended, the vast majority locals. Simon acted as chairman/master of ceremonies. We started off with a prayer, then annual reports from a variety of activity groups, and then fun and games. The pass the parcel was played with us all singing (in Malagasy) and the enjoyment of the people was really infectious. This was followed by food and dancing, and, of course, more singing. We had the opportunity of meeting some new and impressive people. One of these is a counsellor who is Malagasy, but has travelled extensively; she is such a switched on person who is worth her weight in gold in this community. Having people like her about offers real hope for this country.
We are becoming a bit more structured with respect to our teaching sessions with the children. Many have a real desire to learn English, and Wyn is really enjoying her time with those classes or individual sessions. Some of the younger ones really need help at a basic level of education, and we hope that our short one-to-one sessions with them are a positive help for them to catch up on what has often been a deprived past. Many are very bright and quick and keen to learn.

(below - washing before lunch)

We are well settled into a routine now. We have fewer “individual moments” with the little ones as their volunteer is now back from her touring. Instead Gil and Wyn, along with Ben, a young student from Canada, have the responsibility of taking eight of the youngest preschoolers (petits pre-schoolers) for two hours of special activities twice a week. The preschool has 19 children with limited space for the children, teacher and her assistant. Having eight fewer children for part of the time allows the teacher to concentrate on the children who will soon be going to school. These eight 3 – 4 year olds are as active as young kids anywhere. They crave attention and are so happy to do something new each time. Thanks to Peg’s bubble machines we have had a great time blowing bubbles. The play dough has also been a great hit and kept the entire group occupied for an hour.  The children are also learning our names and call us vahaza (foreigner) less often now. It is hard for  them because there are about ten volunteers at a time with regular turnover.

Ball play is also very popular. We have a limited number of balls so the first few sessions was  spent trying to convey the concept of sharing (difficult for us without the language). A great success has been one boy who had a tantrum every time he lost the ball, who now participates fully in joint play with the others. The place where we play with the balls is very dry and dusty and the children are returned to their classroom covered in dust and hardly recognisable.

Gil and Wyn  have started individual lessons with some primary school children who need extra help. This is sometimes a hit and miss affair: they often forget to come, have other duties to perform, (like doing the cleaning up after the lunch),  the key to the classroom goes missing, there is no chalk or paper. But when the  kids do show they clearly enjoy our input and attention. We work on maths, puzzles, English, drawing and writing.

Wyn has acquired two English classes, They are beginners Year 1 and 2, but because of the unusual situations that bring the children to the Home, some are older than what is normally expected in early classes. Regardless, these children are keen to learn and enjoy the challenge of saying words and sentences. Wyn finds it a challenge teaching English in French!

Gil is regularly called on for medical opinion, most of the ailments are minor and all that is required is reassurance and TLC. He is working with the Domestic Science teacher to address health issues of girls who are placed in the Home as teenagers by the courts. Many have had no schooling and are too old to place in the regular secondary school system. Instead, they are taught cooking, sewing and other skills which will hopefully help them into employment. Their health concerns are many; some come to the Home already pregnant and with little knowledge about self-care.. Early and unwanted pregnancies seem to be a problem in the country as a whole with a very high birth rate.

Our host’s home with Gil on our flat’s balcony behind the driveway gates

Arrival on Sunday afternoon gave us time to settle in to a very new and strange environment. On the way to Ambohidratrimo, the village where Akany Avoko is situated, we are told that we will not be staying at the volunteer accommodation at the Home, but in accommodation at Rebecca and her husband’s place, about 300 metres from Akany. In the “annexe” we have two rooms above the garage, a fair sized bedroom and a small kitchen with gas ring, fridge and the basic essentials. Across the courtyard is our own shower and toilet the reason for our being housed her is that at the moment the volunteer accommodation is very full (all young, single people from UK, Holland, Switzerland). We are the first to stay in the “couples” accommodation. Rebecca is a long term volunteer at Akany Avoko, having first come here from northern India some years ago as a volunteer with Christian World Mission. She is welcoming and a source of much information.

Wyn’s new friends enjoying a picture book.

We are told that this first week will be orientation for us and no formal tasks will be expected. On Monday we met another long-term volunteer, Ony who has been at Akany for ten years. We are given a guided tour of the entire facility which is spread over a large area, several buildings housing the babies and pre-schoolers, dormitories for the girls, the admin building, the primary school classrooms, the half-way house, the cafe, the garden, the screen printing room, the dining hall, the volunteer houses. We are encouraged to walk around, get the feel of the place and to just “be there with the kids”. Certainly the children crave individual attention and soon we are clambered upon by the less shy. We spend some time with the babies and pre-schoolers who are all wanting cuddles and attention and someone to share books with them.

The Picnic Lake

This is week is not usual as it is the midterm “Pentecost” break. The pre-schoolers (all 20 of them, including babies) are away on a holiday from Thursday to Tuesday - to a village a few hours away by bus. The bigger children have few formal activities arranged, so on two days we join two of the other volunteers to take two groups of children on a picnic. The first picnic was with the younger children to a “lake” about a twenty minute walk from the home. On the way, we stopped at the village market to buy banana fritters for the picnic. The lake looks positively lethal, dark greenly polluted- we focus on the children not getting too close, but they have a great time playing tag, rolling in the grass and doing cartwheels and hand stands. A longer route home round the lake expended some more energy and the little ones were quite tired by the time we got them home.

Enjoying the banana fritters

The next picnic with the bigger girls involved a longer walk up a hill to a lookout where we again enjoyed our banana fritters and the views over the rice paddies. The top of the sacred hill (which once was the site of a royal palace) now has some royal tombs.

 Outing with the bigger girls

Among the tasks completed was the unpacking and cataloguing of all the things we brought from New Zealand. We managed to get here with a total of 100kgs luggage (about 70kgs for Akany) without having to pay for any excess baggage!! The goods that we brought will certainly be put to good and careful use. Another task was to help unpack and sort a large consignment of goods for the pre-school that had been sent from Reunion. The preschool class room is tiny for about 18 children and we hope to be able to take small groups of children for activities to reduce the pressure in the classroom. In the afternoons we will be doing some one-on-one work with the primary school children.

Already Gil’s medical expertise has been drawn on, giving advice and helping a volunteer who had injured himself. Wyn has been asked to help with computer up-skilling of one of the coordinators so our time is going to be full.