Dayspring-Africa

More Good News !!

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:21:00 +0000

The Grade 9 results are out and The Kings School students have a 91% pass. The school has been granted its registration as an exam centre for the Grade 9 exams this year so the students won't have to "camp out" at a school 25 kms away.
The builders are back and the glass is being put into all the windows in the new school building.

Good News !!

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 08:14:00 +0000

With no new cases of cholera for a while now the schools in the area have been allowed to open this week. It looks like the danger has passed.
With people living very close together in the rural towns it is difficult to build proper toilet pits and with lots of rain the water table rises and it's easy to get contaminated. When Sue lived in Nampundwe, one very rainy season the concrete floor of her loo collapsed into the pit!
Living in Mukobela they depend on boreholes for water - they are very deep so the water comes "ready filtered" and it's clear and sweet to drink.

January 09

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:32:00 +0000

Please Pray !!!
There is cholera in Nampundwe - only 14 km away.
As some of our students come from there - we are forbidden to open the school.
The clinic at Nampundwe has become a cholera centre so I had to take a lady from the village several kms further to the next clinic to have her baby.

14 November 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:31:00 +0000

It is very hot indeed – still 26C at 2200 hrs. The rains are on their way – the humidity is rising.

We had a grand leaving celebration for all those who have finished their GCSE’s and are going out into the big wide world. It was very sad to see them go.

They have to wait until March to get their results so they can’t start University until January 2010 ! Many of them will choose to do that – taking a foundation course to bring them up to “A” level standard before starting the degree course.

15 October 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:30:00 +0000

GCSEs begin !!! I took the students to Nampundwe each day to sit their exams – they were singing in the back of the truck roughly translated it was “We’re off to Uni !!!” They are all very confident about exam-taking and they all came out feeling that is was fair and they had done OK.

At the same time the Grade 6’s are at Mukombwe taking the public exams to get into Grade 7 (starting senior school). Because of the election and the schools being used for polling stations, the exams have to be re-scheduled.

17 September 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:28:00 +0000

A whirlwind has lifted the roof off the new building !!
Some of us were inside but there was no time to get out – we all got a little dusty but no injuries. Fortunately the wind dumped the roof down again – just not exactly in the right place! It was supposed to be tied to the ring beam ! We got all the older students together and with some planks and working together we managed to shift the roof back into place. The builders need to come back to tie the roof down properly and make good along the edge where it’s been damaged.

The inspectors from Kabwe arrived unexpectedly and gave us all a grilling! We have to register the schools each year – filling in forms in quadruplicate and then I had to take them to Kabwe (100 miles) – wait there for a letter which I had to take to Headquarters in Lusaka before we can even begin the registration process.

8 September 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:27:00 +0000

We are making use of the new classrooms by starting an Academic Production Unit (APU) for Grade 8 and Grade 10 students. They can pay for extra lessons to help prepare them for exams.
Obert is teaching Art to the students in years 10 and 11 – they are all enjoying it immensely as a break from concentrated academic work. This painting on the end of the school building was done by Obert.

3 September 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:25:00 +0000

We are at the funeral of Austin’s grandfather – over 3 hours so far and we are still not at the grave!
In the last 6 days I had to do 6 clinic trips, including one at 3 in the morning !

2 August 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:25:00 +0000

After seeing Mum go back to the UK, I flew off to Johannesburg for a much needed 2 week break. It has been exhausting keeping the pressure on to get the school building finished in time for the opening, while not neglecting the students who will be sitting public exams in two months time!

The New Senior School Building

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:21:00 +0000

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:09:00 +0000

26 July - Grand School Opening

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:59:00 +0000

Tony Selby, Headmaster of The King’s School in Johannesburg performed the opening ceremony. Everyone is amazed at the building and the other head teachers from the district are all exclaiming at the design – no getting wet between classrooms in the rainy season ! All the children were so smart and well behaved – it was a Grand Day indeed.

7 July 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:02:00 +0000

A group of students have come from Christian Vision to help paint the new school building.

The inspectors from Mumbwa and Kabwe arrived to look at the new building with a view to it being an exam centre in 2009. They are happy to recommend it for Grade 9 and Grade 12 (GCSE) exams but we must re-apply next year for Grade 7.

This will make it so much easier at exam time in October/November as we won't have to take the children to camp at other schools for a week or more.

11 June 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 07:00:00 +0000

There is still a shortage of cement - this is normal - but it's now hard to get sugar and rice.
Got a new battery for the truck, together with a starter relay. The solenoid has gone so we have to start it by "hot wiring" !

17 May 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:58:00 +0000

The carpenter has been busy making chairs for the new school building. The blackboards are painted and the Grade 12 students will be moving in on Tuesday !!

28 April 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:56:00 +0000

Took a child to the clinic today and got a puncture on the way back. After it was fixed I went into Lusaka to begin the long process of renewing my work permit.....
The windows are in and the guys are ready to start plastering.

7 March 2008

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 06:50:00 +0000

There has been no building work for 4 weeks because we can't get any cement. Fortunately the welding machine allowed the guys to continue to make window frames. Then 35 bags of cement arrived, including some free from Chilanga Cement.

We have to register the school every year which involves lots of paperwork, forms in quaduplicate! This year the education office insists we have to register the Primary and Secondary schools separately. It all has to be taken to Kabwe by hand.

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:17:00 +0000

26 February
Angela was in hospital for 6 months after the river bank collapsed on her legs. She is home now – trying to learn how to walk again.
Still no cement and now there is a shortage of diesel.
The students in their final year have smart uniform jackets and proper lab coats for their practical exams. Here is a photo of my adopted sone Moses looking incredibly smart!

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:12:00 +0000

16 February 2008
Prices have rocketed:
1 gallon beans from 25,000 kw to 75,000 kw
50 kg sugar from 150,000 kw to 170,000 kw
20 litres cooking oil from 137,000 kw to 168,000 kw
30 eggs are 12,500 – this does 2 meals for our family.
A packet of soya pieces is 6,000 and only does one meal.

I have a lot of youngsters living with me at the moment! Here is a photo of them taken when Mum came to stay.

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:10:00 +0000

8 February 2008
The new building looks great but more cement is needed to make more blocks to finish the gables. There isn’t any cement in Zambia - they haven’t been able to make it due to power cuts. The Builders have left now because they cannot do more until we get some cement! They are so close to finishing! They will also repair the wall in one classroom in the old school building – it moves in the high winds! At least all the leaks have been fixed now.
It’s very hot today – storm brewing.

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:07:00 +0000

5 February 2008
It’s very difficult getting into Lusaka because the road is so bad, there is a soft patch half way to the tarmac which is always bad in the best of weather.
There is too much rain in Zambia – we can’t get to Chikoloma (25 kilometres West of here) because the road has gone – it may not be repaired until March/April.
There is flooding everywhere and many homes have been destroyed.
Gaz has gone up 120% - now is £48 a bottle – we need 3 bottles for 2 months. We have stopped cooking on gaz and we may have to stop using the gaz frig.
I have remembered how to do hay box cooking from when I was a Girl Guide. It works !!

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:04:00 +0000

1 February2008
All 30 of our students passed their exams to get into Grade 9! They have done so well that 22 have been offered boarding school places. Only a few have taken them though, as they need to provide a lot of equipment as well as the fees and uniform. They have to take a shovel and hoe because the students grow their own! Some extended families will club together for the kudos of having a child at boarding school.
On the other hand we are getting repeated requests to have boarding students at The King’s School because our results are so consistently good.
There have been murmurings that our students must have cheated or we helped them but fortunately all the exams have been taken at Mukombwe government school and they confirmed that we didn’t even invigilate the exams and no cheating could possibly have taken place. It shows the benefits of all the hard work the students have put in, plus learning English from the age of four!

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:57:00 +0000

29 January 2008
The ring beam on new building is nearly done – the building looks great !!
The builders have done a great job – making thousands of blocks and the walls have gone up really quickly.

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:45:00 +0000

15 January 2008
We have bought a generator and some welding equipment. The builder is using it to make window frames and grilles. We got lots of advice and good discount from Game Stores in Lusaka.

noreply@blogger.com (History) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 20:41:00 +0000

9 January 2008
Back to school – very busy G8 and G9 are full Pre school has 2 classes + waiting list
Builders have been working very hard – the door frames in and they have repaired the roof on the main school where the rain came in!
Roads very bad indeed due to heavy rains