I saw a shooting star last night

OK, so I started working…like really working this last week and getting things started in my village or at least starting to get things started. Anyways, I went to the Ministry of Agriculture early last week to talk about staring a 4B club in my school and they gave me some pamphlets and basically told me to go to Moleps to talk to the District Coordinator for Crops Production to actually get started and get the information that I need. Helpful and not all at the same time…so that’s where I am now. I just finished my meeting with Mma Moruisi and she was so nice and helpful. She is really interested it getting it all going and is going to come and do a site visit hopefully in October to see the school and talk to everyone about the project. Enrollment for the club happens in January so I’ll enroll then. Now, I have to go and talk to the agricultural demonstrator that is a bit closer to me and the district offices in Letlhakeng to get there help and support. Also, have to find teachers or parents to get them on board so they can help facilitate, find garden space, work on making fertilizer so that the plants will actually grow, fundraise with the school, and I’m thinking of trying some mini plant project with the kids so they can have like little practice runs with it all. Ok, gotta breathe now. haha
Last week I sent in all the forms and papers to get to get 4 of my older students (12-14) into a camp called Camp GLOW (Girls and guys Leading our World). The camp is a weeklong and in gabs. These kids have never done anything like that and a few of them have never even left metsi before…so needless to say this camp I think would be amazing exposure to my kids and help them see the possibilities so much more. I have often asked my students what do they want to do when they get older and most of them don’t tell me anything….they don’t know. They haven’t been exposed to a lot and really don’t know what their options are or what they could be one day. I’m going to try to get people to come to my village and have talks with the kids about their occupations…like show and tell of careers kind of if possible. I want these kids to know they can be anything they want to be and that there are people in Botswana that are a testament to that…these kids need hope and to know anything is possible.
Anyways, total tangent….but Camp GLOW is something that the kids have to qualify for and after writing papers from myself, the school head, the deputy head, and the 4 students pleading to go, I’m hoping that we will be asked to come. The camp seems like it would be so amazing for these kids. Its 7 days in Gabs with kids from all over the Country that go and they spend the week talking about HIV/AIDS, relationships, sex, love, life, family, marriage, etc…but then doing fun kid things like ice cream socials, campfires, scavenger hunts, movies, talents shows, etc… I so hope my kids get to go. Not only would be it exposure and meeting new people and experiencing new thing, but they would get to be kids too…that doesn’t happen a lot here! The parents had to sign consent to let their kids go if we get picked and they seem excited about it…the kids have never done anything like this before. We’ll see what happens…I’ll find out by October 1st if the kids get to go or not! Fingers crossed!
So that was last week! This week I’m going back to my village today to take back the information about 4B and talk to the social worker, school head, and teachers about it to get things going. Also, I’m gonna work on trying to get a breakfast program going as aid from the government for my school because the kids need to eat and from my understanding that’s a bit of an issue and its not happening currently. Also, I’m looking in to getting “Prize Giving Day” going at my school for the end of Term 3 which is ending at the end of November. Prize day is the a day that at the end of each term the teachers give out awards for the best grades for the kids in the school and the parents are suppose to come and see what the kids and have done in school and so on…basically, “open house” but with awards. Well that hasn’t really been happening…but it is now! Haha I’ve been talking to the school head and teachers and were doing it! End of November the kids will get there awards, but I’m trying to make this year a bit different…rather then giving the good grade awards to like the same 5 kids all the time were going to add different awards…like most improved, best smile, mot willing to help…that sort of thing. AND I told my school head that not one child should leave without getting some sort of award or recognition. Everyone leaves with something! Everyone deserves something! So, I think I’m gonna ask the teachers to basically name one special thing about each child and then that will be that’s child’s award! So if someone has really nice hair or pretty shoes….they’re getting an award for it!!!! Everyone leaves knowing that there is something good about them…it needs to happen!