Tacugama

Now that the rainy season is starting to recede (though there’s a huge thunderstorm happening as I write this blog!) it’s time for the schools to reopen and children to step back into the classroom. We’ve mentioned a bit about the Tacugama Kids Programme in previous blogs and we’re busy getting everything in place for this year’s environmental education programme to start. We’re pleased to welcome a new volunteer, Stephanie Brown, who’s helping to co-ordinate the programme over the next few months. She’ll also be posting a few blogs during her stay to keep you in touch with this important part of Tacugama’s work.

One of the schools that we’re pleased to be welcoming to the programme this year is Hope School which was started by Mr Bundu, a qualified teacher from the local area. He found several children who were unable to go to school but were willing to learn, so he decided to do something about it. Most of the children are girls from very poor homes, where only the boy gets to go to school. Others include orphans and those living in displacement camps. Originally starting as occasional reading classes for a few enthusiastic pupils, the project began to grow with the help of voluntary teachers, and many more children ranging from 3 to 15 years old joined. The project, housed in a large semi-constructed house quickly became overcrowded. The makeshift rooms held several classes at once, some were so full that the children spilled out of the building, attending their classes through open windows.

Overspilling classroom at Hope School…
.

Read More »

Now that the rainy season is starting to recede (though there’s a huge thunderstorm happening as I write this blog!) it’s time for the schools to reopen and children to step back into the classroom. We’ve mentioned a bit about the Tacugama Kids Programme in previous blogs and we’re busy getting everything in place for this year’s environmental education programme to start. We’re pleased to welcome a new volunteer, Stephanie Brown, who’s helping to co-ordinate the programme over the next few months. She’ll also be posting a few blogs during her stay to keep you in touch with this important part of Tacugama’s work.

One of the schools that we’re pleased to be welcoming to the programme this year is Hope School which was started by Mr Bundu, a qualified teacher from the local area. He found several children who were unable to go to school but were willing to learn, so he decided to do something about it. Most of the children are girls from very poor homes, where only the boy gets to go to school. Others include orphans and those living in displacement camps. Originally starting as occasional reading classes for a few enthusiastic pupils, the project began to grow with the help of voluntary teachers, and many more children ranging from 3 to 15 years old joined. The project, housed in a large semi-constructed house quickly became overcrowded. The makeshift rooms held several classes at once, some were so full that the children spilled out of the building, attending their classes through open windows.

Overspilling classroom at Hope School…
.

Read More »