Koelenhof Primary, WC, South Africa

Precious Little racked up its third school at the end of November, and I've just a got a few minutes to update the blog with a few pics and some basic info.




The school is near Paarl, in the Western Cape of South Africa and is attended mostly by Kleurling and Xhosa kids. The surrounding region is famous for its stupendous scenery and its even more stupendous wines. Most of the kids' parents are farm labourers on the nearby vineyards and farms.

The kids were a delight - especially for Leonie because they spoke Afrikaans! Not so easy for me to communicate, however, as my Afrikaans vocabulary mostly consists of animal names and swear words.

Thanks to Este Mellet and Mr Manders for helping to set this visit up.

Will post more later on this school - gotta dash now.




Love

Nick and Leonie (nr Mussel Bay, South Africa)

Lomongo Masaai School, Kenya

The second Precious Little school is set in true storybook Africa. If you want to gaze at Kilimanjaro at sunrise, stay in a mud hut and listen to elephants trumpeting in the night, or take a walk through the thorntrees with a noble, spear-wielding warrior, Lomongo is the place.



First, a bit about the Masaai...

By nature, the Masaai are nomadic herders. For at least the last couple of hundred years, they've been grazing and breeding cattle in the region of the southern Rift Valley, moving on to greener pastures (literally) whenever necessary.






But the Masaai in the region of Kilimanjaro are no longer free to roam where they like. Hemmed in on all sides by national parks to which they are forbidden entry, many Masaai have been forced to put their nomadic lifestyle behind them. They've made more-or-less permanent farming settlements, growing beans and cassava. Lomongo is one of these.

Lomongo is really just a sparse collection of mud huts, united by footpaths and rutted roads. If the crops fail or the cows die - and increasingly, they do - the people don't eat. For the first time, the Masaai are beginning to understand the need for education. The Masaai school we visited is a reflection of the changing world to which the Masaai must adapt.

Douglas and Tipape started the school earlier this year, and already have over 90 primary school kids enrolled. Many of the kids had never been to school until this one opened its doors.



School fees started at $US1.25 per month, but this had to be reduced to 75 cents because too many parents couldn't afford the higher rate. That tells you a little about how much money is in the area.

Getting the kids to draw well was actually very challenging. They don't draw on paper very often, so some of them were a little bewildered. But the natural artists among them soon rose to the challenge. Giraffes, elephants, huts and cows (of course) were the most favoured subjects. There's also a very convincing goat (or perhaps its a donkey).

Anyway, I'll post more about the school and Lomongo after Christmas. Enjoy the pictures... and a huge thanks to Douglas and Tipape for looking after us in Kenya.

Love
Nick and Leonie (currently in South Africa).