Writing and Performing Television Commercials

The performing of an orange soda commercial

We gave our primary teachers the assignment to write and perform a short television commercial.  The small groups of writers and actors had the choice of creating commercials for various products including beer, toilet paper, bug spray, matches and tomato paste.  Some of the creations were hilarious.

Work Begins on our Model Classroom Project

Mr. Jonas, the painter, holding a roller with his assistant painting the burglar bars.

The walls will be painted cream colour and the bars a light blue.

Yesterday the painters started work on our model classroom project at Chemchem Primary School in Kibaya.  When completed the classroom will have a white board, a library in a box, a study and conversation area with tables and comfortable chairs, a wall map and a bulletin board.

To Canadians, this might seem like a very modest project.  However in Tanzania kids often sit on the floor and teaching aids are unknown.

Many thanks to the Tanzania Development Trust (TDT) for the funds that are making this project possible.

Cooking with English

This was the first in what will become a series of lessons entitled, 'cooking with English.'  We found this dried fish in the market and had our primary teachers discuss their favourite recipes and share them with us and their colleagues.

The lesson had several advantages.  It gave the teachers the opportunity to learn and practice food vocabulary and allowed them to give detailed explanations and directions in English.  It is a confidence builder to talk about a subject with which you are interested in and comfortable with.

Tonight we will use the recipes developed in the class to prepare this fish.

Next week's 'Cooking with English' session will be entitled, 'Help Debra Prepare these Green Bananas'.

Wonderful News

An aging computer at the CERC cobbled together with bits of cardboard boxes.

This aging wreck will soon be replaced.

We applied for a grant to replace the broken down and aging computers at our partner organization, the Community Education Resource Centre (CERC).  This morning we received  news that our grant application had been approved and that we will be getting the funds to buy twenty refurbished computers.  These funds will come from the monies raised at the Kilimanjaro Marathon which was held in Februrary.

The much improved access to information technology will help the people of rural Kiteto to build their capacity.  The courses that will be possible on the new computers will go a long way to empower the people of our community.

Many thanks for the support of Margaret and Ishwar.  Not only did they fund raise and run in the Kilimanjaro Marathon but they also wrote letters supporting our grant application.

A very big vote of thanks must also go out to Jean van Wetter our country director.  His enthusiastic support for our work here is much appreciated.

 

Easter Weekend

He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.

Come here and see the place where he lay.

Matthew 28-1-10

Our Easter weekend involved food, friends and lots of laughter.  We were guests at Mr. and Mrs. Ndee's house for lunch on Saturday where we ate delicious home cooked Tanzanian food had a lovely visit and a tour of the new home that the Ndee's are building.

Mr. and Mrs. Ndee



On Sunday all of the Muzungus in town plus two Muzungu guests, Chris and Lesley, contrubuted to a pot luck Easter feast topped off with chocolate cake decorated with Easter chickens.  We even hunted for jelly bean Easter eggs in Tessa's garden.  The Easter Mongoose was good to us.

Lesley, Debra, Tessa, Chris, Mindy and Michael

It was a memorable weekend with lots of stories to tell.

Debra's Chocolate Cake

Books Arriving for our 'Libraries in Boxes' Project

There are perhaps no days of our childhood we lived so fully as those we spent with a favourite book.

Marcel Proust

Books from our friends and family in Canada and the USA are beginning to arrive here in Kibaya.  Special thanks to Ron and Linda, Heather and Marc and all of our friends in Nova Scotia.

  

Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend.  Inside of a dog it's too hard to read.

Groucho Marx